Fragtime Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Fragtime Blu-ray Movie Review

A unique yuri anime that will appeal to slice-of-life anime fans

A sweet-natured yuri feature-film, Fragtime is a slice-of-life romance between two young women who come to know each other well over a school year. Produced by acclaimed animation company Tear Studio (Lord of Vermilion: The Crimson King, Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher!?), the lesbian drama was released in North America by Sentai Filmworks. With romance, fantasy, and stunning animation, Fragtime is well worth the time of yuri fans.

Misuzu Moritani (Miku Itou) is having a rather interesting time. The reason why relates to “time” itself: the school girl finds herself day dreaming until fantasy and reality intertwine when she is somehow able to freeze time, all by herself, for three minute increments. Everyone else is then completely frozen while she can maneuver the time-freeze and do whatever she wants. This is a surprise gift that she explores. Exploring her shy lesbian sensuality, Misuzu decides to lift up the skirt of her girl-crush Haruka Murakami (Yume Miyamoto) during a time-freeze. Yet she soon discovers that Haruka is completely immune to the freezes (unlike all her other classmates). As the girls become close to one another, a relationship starts as the lesbian girls find their true selves through each other.

The animation is one of the most charming elements of the production: the character designs are fluid and absorbing. The background art seems somewhat realistic and gives the anime a nice slice-of-life energy that makes the film easier to enjoy. Though there are some fantasy elements intertwined in the production, the filmmaking feels realistic in approach and the animation is a reflection of that aesthetic. The animators clearly pushed themselves to craft a beautiful looking production. It highlights the lush cinematography by Takeshi Kuchiba (So, I Can't Play H! , Mayo chiki!) with ease and makes the film even more enjoyable to experience.

A bright future, indeed.

The music score composed by Rio Okano (Kase-san and Morning Glories, Meruhen Medohen) gives the sequence of events the charm necessary to keep the sequence of events streamlined and engaging. Composer Okano crafted some beautiful tunes that enhance the filmmaking. The music is laidback to listen to and gives a peaceful tone to the story. An effective score that highlights the characters unique personalities well. There is a sense that composer Okano fine-tuned the music to each scene so that the experience is all the more organic as it weaves between the threads of the story. This ultimately makes Fragtime feel compelling in a unique way that sets a good tone from the start.

One of the core strengths to any film is the editing: it can make or break a production. Anime films are not immune to this general rule of thumb and the efforts of editor Masahiro Goto (One Punch Man, Witch Craft Works) are felt throughout the viewing experience. Goto edited the film with a clear cut precision. There are no over-long or under-cooked scenes that should have been trimmed down. The film has a short run-time and it is clear that Goto made sure to keep the essential elements of the film. The pace and rhythm of the edit are similarly effective. The film thankfully never outstays it welcome and manages to be a breeze to sit through.

Written and directed by Takuya Sato (Steins;Gate, Say "I Love You"), Fragtime is surprisingly great lesbian drama (with enough fantasy elements to give the film some unique flourishes). The script is certainly interesting: the time-freeze concept is perfect for the feature and gives it an extra layer of excitement. The yuri romance is at the heart of the script and direction. Sato delivers. The film has romance, charm, and originality. While Fragtime easily could have lost its way and become overly convoluted (as some anime productions have), the script instead plays with the fun concept without forgetting the slice-of-life element that is so essential to the foundation of the story. This gives it an extra layer of effectiveness as a story. Fragtime is worth seeking out.

Fragtime Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A gorgeous presentation, Fragtime arrives on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks with a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. This is an example of top-notch encoding. Though the film is relatively short (and may have made compression easier to manage), the video quality is breathtaking. The animation looks fluid, sharp, and colorful in its appearance. There is a robust and breathtaking component to the visuals at hand. This is truly outstanding to behold. I was simply in awe of the presentation. The character designs make a resounding splash with the top-notch encoding: absolutely free of banding and any distracting compression artifacts.

Fragtime Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented with two lossless, high-resolution 24 bit audio options: Japanese or English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. Either option will provide viewers with a remarkable listening experience. I was thoroughly pleased with the quality sonic fidelity. Dialogue was truly impressive: crisp, clear, and easy to understand from beginning to end. The music score also has surprising heft. The bass is tight and focused during the presentation without ever sounding as if it is muddy or lacking in resolution. An effective sound stage.

Fragtime Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Japanese Promo (HD, 1:02)

The release also includes a selection of trailers for other releases available from Sentai Filmworks: The Pet Girl of Sakurasou (HD, 1:38), Domestic Girlfriend (HD, 1:11), Real Girl (HD, 2:11), and Wasteful Days of High School Girls (HD, 1:34).

Fragtime Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fragtime is a quite enjoyable lesbian romance. Fans of yuri anime will find it to be a nice and laid back slice- of-life production. There are some fantasy elements at play in the film as well: the excellent time-freeze concept is fun to watch unfold. The animation similarly stuns and gives a nice vibe to the entire experience. The Blu-ray impresses with a great video-audio presentation. Fans of the genre are strongly encouraged to check it out. Recommended.