Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Future Boy Conan: Part 2 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Future Boy Conan is one of the most beloved of classic Japanese anime. The anime masterpiece is a gem of animation from producers Junzō Nakajima (A Little Princess Sara, Pollyanna) and Shigeo Endo (Locke the Superman, Little Lord Fauntleroy). Executive produced by Kōichi Motohashi (A Dog of Flanders, Anne of Green Gables), Future Boy Conan features animation produced by Nippon Animation (A Little Princess Sara, Anne of Green Gables). Originally broadcast on Bandai Channel and NHK in Japan, the series has long remained unavailable in outside foreign territories. Future Boy Conan was long thought to be a series too difficult to license in the United Kingdom and other countries.

Now available on home media in the United Kingdom for the first time, Anime Limited presents Future Boy Conan with a 4K restoration of the series. Future Boy Conan features theme music composed by Shinichiro Ikebe (OP,ED) with lyrics by Hikaru Kataoka. Theme song performances by Naozumi Kamada (OP,ED) and Yuko Yamaji (OP,ED). Future Boy Conan is the debut directorial work of Studio Ghibli genius Hayao Miyazaki. The release also provides a brand-new English dub of Future Boy Conan.

Conan (Noriko Ohara) is a young boy living a simple life on an island. Conan has the instincts of a hero on this isolated island. A war caused earth to change dramatically twenty years ago. The earth had its axis change and both earthquakes and chaos in the waters led to humanity and civilization as it was once understood to change completely.

Conan is now living with his adoptive grandfather. Lana (Mieko Nobusawa) is a young girl who washes ashore on the island. Trouble ensues as a group of dangerous agents pursue Lana. The agents have a goal in mind and it involves using Lana to take control over the remnants of the entire world. Conan manages to take on a new role as a hero and an epic adventure unfolds with perils left and right. A sweeping epic of old-school adventure.

The series has a wonderful cast of characters. The heroic journey of Conan and Lana is one that helps to showcase the vibrant personalities of these characters. The anime is all the more entertaining because of these compelling lead heroes. The characters are exactly the type of highly spirited heroes one can find in Miyazaki theatrical features produced later in Miyazaki’s career trajectory. The character designs by Hayao Miyazaki and Yasuo Otsuka are exceptional and the design work makes the personalities of the characters shine even more brightly.

The animation is exceptional and far more impressive than a standard anime production. This is no surprise when one considers the involvement of so many high-profile animators who would go on to work with acclaimed animation studio powerhouse Studio Ghibli. The art direction by Nizo Yamamoto (Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies) is first-rate and there is a lot to appreciate about the series artistry.

The animation direction by Yasuo Otsuka (Lupin the 3^rd, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro) is beautiful and the background animation is gorgeous. The fantastic world-building visuals enhance the animation. There is an epic scope to the production and the animators made the series look bigger in budget than most television productions. The mecha designs by Hayao Miyazaki showcase some of the same great and fundamental elements of later-works by Miyazaki. The design attributes clearly helped inspire efforts by Miyazaki on Castle in the Sky and other Ghibli works.

The animators brought to life the storyboards of Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Keiji Hayakawa, Noboru Ishiguro, Seiji Okuda, Takayoshi Suzuki, and Yoshiyuki Tomino. With such an impressive animation team behind the scenes, the results were fantastic. Outstanding.

The cinematography by Katsuji Misawa (Jarinko Chie, Akira) is sublime and the type of cinematographic work rarely seen in television. The effort is cinematic – no surprise with the cinematographer of Akira involved with the project. Future Boy Conan has an incredible visual aesthetic and the colors have a sense of majesty enhanced by the cinematography.

The score composed by Shinichiro Ikebe (Mirai Shōnen Conan Tokubetsu-hen - Kyodaiki Gigant no Fukkatsu, Winter Days) adds to the series adventurous spirit. The music is energetic, fun, and breathtaking. Ikebe is a brilliant composer here and the music adds a lot of charm to the series.  

Chief director Hayao Miyazaki (Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away) leads the series production. As the debut directorial work of Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli enthusiasts should consider seeing this beloved classic. Future Boy Conan: Part 2 also features direction by Keiji Hayakawa (Urusei Yatsura, Sherlock Hound), a director with a larger role in the second half of the series production. With episodes directed from both filmmakers, Future Boy Conan is well worth discovery. The scripts by Akira Nakano (Miimu Iro Iro Yume no Tabi, Manga Aesop Monogatari), Satoshi Kurumi (Fūsen no Doratarō), and Sōji Yoshikawa  (Time Bokan, Lupin the 3^rd) provide plenty of excitement to the series as well. Future Boy Conan has an important reputation as an anime classic and with good reason – not only is it the directorial debut for Miyazaki, it’s a showcase for a bevy of other Studio Ghibli artists as one of the early works that later led to the famed animation studio being formed.

Future Boy Conan: Part 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on 4K UHD from Anime Limited, Future Boy Conan is presented in 2160p 4K UHD in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. Now available with a stunning new 4K restoration, Future Boy Conan has never looked better before and the series has received its first disc release in the United Kingdom. The animation is gorgeous and well-reproduced on the 4K presentation. The colors are vibrant and stunning in 2160p. The 4K encode is first-rate and the bit-rates are healthy during the video presentation. An excellent encoding effort from Anime Limited.

Future Boy Conan: Part 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality is crisp and engaging on the 4K UHD release. Dialogue is clear and voices are easy to understand. The dialogue is certainly well reproduced. The score is well highlighted in the sound mix. The energetic sound direction by Shigeharu Shiba (Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky) makes a big impact as well. A new English dub is provided for dub fans and the voices are engaging for the dubbed presentation. The Japanese version is my preference and is suggested for purists seeking the most authentic experience in tune with the original presentation. Nonetheless, English dub fans will be pleased with the dub effort for Future Boy Conan.

Future Boy Conan: Part 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

88-page booklet designed to fit inside the collector's edition art-box for Future Boy Conan: Part One. The booklet was designed so it will fit perfectly beside both Part One and Part Two housed in the collector's art box. After purchasing both volumes, it makes one complete collection set.

The booklet for the box set is penned by Jonathan Clements and Andrew Osmond. The pair delve in to the history of Future Boy Conan, its production, and the landmark achievement of the series as the directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki.

Trailer (HD, 1:20)

Future Boy Conan: Part 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Future Boy Conan is one of the most acclaimed anime series of all time. The series is the directorial debut of master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke). The tale of young heroes fighting for survival in a new era following an apocalypse, Future Boy Conan is entertaining, engaging, and creative fun. Miyazaki fans will want to own the release and to put it on their shelf alongside the entire Studio Ghibli collection.

Available for the first time on home media in the United Kingdom, Future Boy Conan received a stunning new 4K restoration and the 4K UHD discs have made a worldwide debut with the release from Anime Limited. The collector's edition includes an impressive 88-page booklet. Despite the lack of extensive on-disc supplements, Future Boy Conan is well worth owning for the excellent presentation and to own one of the great anime series – the introduction to director Hayao Miyazaki. A must own release. Highly recommended.