6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Hamaji, a young huntress from the mountains, stumbles into the middle of a shogun's vendetta against a group of human and dog hybrids - the Fuse. Rumors of Fuse murdering innocent people in the bustling city of Edo have sparked a bounty for their heads. Hamaji joins the hunt for this dangerous quarry along with her brother, but after accidentally befriending one of them, Hamaji is torn between two worlds: her life as a self-reliant huntress, and the young woman her new friend has helped her to uncover.
Starring: Minako Kotobuki, Mamoru Miyano, Atsushi Abe, Keiji Fujiwara, Kenji HamadaForeign | 100% |
Anime | 98% |
Action | 5% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Japanese: LPCM 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
One of the conceits of the original 1941 The Wolf Man was that fact that poor, hapless Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) was indeed poor and hapless. Talbot was a decent guy afflicted with a horrible curse that he struggled to deal with, and one of the film’s central assets was the kind of doleful quality that Chaney brought to the role. Other werewolf entries through the years often set aside this kind of sad aspect and concentrated more on the horror involved in not just the transformations themselves, but of course also in the carnage that resulted after a human assumed wolf form. There’s not really any measurable amount of melancholy in Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress, since this anime feature film is often surprisingly lighthearted in tone, but it at least offers a somewhat similar tack in presenting a so-called fuse (in this case a human-dog hybrid) who is at the very least misunderstood, and who actually may be at least a bit more heroic than is thought by the general populace. The main character here is in fact not the fuse, but a young girl named Hamaji who might almost be thought of as an anime version of the titular character Saoirse Ronan played in Hanna. Like Hanna, Hamaji has been trained in the Art of the Hunt, to the point that Hamaji feels an almost psychic connection with her prey, as is detailed quite nicely in an opening sequence that sees her tracking and ultimately killing a mountain wolf. Voiceover narration by Hamaji lets us know that there’s a certain philosophy that has been imparted to her character that makes hunting and the eventual taking of a life an almost religious or ritualistic event, one which must be honored and treated with a great deal of respect. It also is soon revealed that Hamaji’s mentor in hunting had been her grandfather, but that he had sadly been killed by a bear sometime before the story begins, leaving Hamaji to fend for herself in an isolated mountain cabin. Soon enough a new life beckons when Hamaji’s brother Dousetsu writes to her, urging her to join him in the bustling metropolis of Edo. Despite never having ventured out of the wild, Hamaji takes a gamble and journeys to the city, which is when her adventures with the fuse named Shino begin.
Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of NIS America with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This film is often ravishingly beautiful and pops gorgeously in high definition. The image is crisp, stable and features downright stunning hues a lot of the time. Everything from richly deep purples and teals to bright primaries to subtle pastels are utilized extremely well throughout the presentation, and with sharp line detail and nicely varied character designs also entering the mix, there is a lot to look at here, so much so that Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress easily deserves repeat viewings. There's surprising depth and dimensionality to a lot of the shots, including some nicely rendered textures at times (see screenshot 4). There are no compression artifacts to cause any concern in this sterling high definition presentation.
The original Japanese language soundtrack is presented in both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0, and both renderings offer excellent fidelity and clarity. The 5.1 mix does amp up the immersive qualities of the track in sequences like the opening hunt or the hustle and bustle of Edo, and occasionally provides a bit of oomph in the lower end in scenes like a big fireworks celebration that caps the film. Dialogue, effects and score are all prioritized well and there are no issues of any kind to report.
This is another one of NIS America's very handsome Premium Editions which comes enclosed in a sturdy slipcase and also features a richly illustrated hardback book. The on-disc supplements are:
Fusé: Memoirs of a Huntress is one of the nicer surprises to appear on my doorstep recently, a tale filled with heart, a little goofy humor, and a smattering of action to boot. It's an overall gentle piece, though, and some may find its pace a bit lethargic at times, but even those folks should be blown away by the outstanding animation. Hakkenden has had innumerable adaptations through the years, and this is certainly one of the more interesting. This NIS America Premium Edition is a bit on the pricey side (as usual), but the hardback book includes interesting information and a glut of nice illustrations. The Blu-ray presentation is outstanding all around, even if the supplemental package is on the slight side. Highly recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Standard Edition
2011
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1992
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2007
1995
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Combo Pack
2010
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1998
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2008-2009
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2009
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2006
1983
1991-1992
Limited Edition
2019