Fuuka: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Fuuka: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Fuuka is a comedy-drama with elements of romance and even music. Created by Kouji Seo, Fuuka features animation production by diomedéa (Action Heroine Cheer Fruits, Squid Girl). Produced by Gouta Aijima (Clockwork Planet, The Quintessential Quintuplets), Ikuno Iida (Magical Sempai, Prison School), Jun Fukuda (Alderamin on the Sky, Cat Planet Cuties), Masao Fukuda (Aria the Scarlet Ammo AA, BEM: BECOME HUMAN), Tetsuya Endo (Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry), Toshihiro Maeda (Classroom Crisis, Domestic Girlfriend), Toshio Iizuka (A Silent Voice, Tanaka-kun is Always Listless), Yōko Tanaka (The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Noragami), Yutaka Endō (The Price of Smiles, Berserk), Fuuka features voice-performances by Lynn, Yūsuke Kobayashi, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Mikako Komatsu, Saori Hayami, and Sōma Saitō.

Yū Haruna (Yūsuke Kobayashi) might be shy but that doesn’t mean he can’t find some unexpected adventure where he least expects it. Yū finds the possibility of love in the air – or perhaps that is something else? Yū stumbles into Fuuka Akitsuki (Lynn) while beginning his new life as a transfer student in Tokyo.

Is it more than a chance encounter? An opportunity for love? Or could there be something else lurking beneath the surface? Lu and Fuuka are in for a wild ride! Perhaps education isn’t the only thing Yū will discover as a transfer student after all. Music might be the answer.

Fuuka features character designs by Yoshino Honda (Ahiru no Sora). The designs add to the series aesthetic. The characters are vibrant and full of personality. The designs aid the series tone well.

The animation is solid and adds to the aesthetic. Fuuka features art direction by Yoshika Matsushita (Action Heroine Cheer Fruits, Katana Maidens: Mini Toji). The chief animation direction by Masakazu Ishikawa (The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess, World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman), Mayuko Matsumoto (The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess, The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent), Naomi Ide (Domestic Girlfriend, The Lost Village), and Yoshino Honda (Ahiru no Sora, Handa-kun) is a significant part of the production, too. The team of animators certainly do well with the aesthetic and provide colorful and robust animation for the production.

The cinematography by Yasuyuki Itou (The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess, The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent) is an essential ingredient. Fuuka has a colorful and bright animation style. The series doesn’t appear overly dark or foreboding and goes in a different direction altogether. The aesthetic tone is certainly achieved well through the cinematographic style of Itou.

The score composed by Takurō Iga (Aria the Scarlet Ammo AA, I've Somehow Gotten Stronger When I Improved My Farm- Related Skills) and WEST GROUND is reasonably engaging and compelling. The original score adds to the series charm. The music provides solid background music for the series animation.

Written by Aoi Akashiro (KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World, KonoSuba – God’s blessing on this wonderful world!!), Fuuka might not be a perfect series but it is a solid one with some worthwhile characters and dialogue. Akashiro is a decent writer and does a solid-enough job with the series.

Directed by Keizō Kusakawa (Parallel World Pharmacy, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's), Fuuka is a light and charming anime with some decent production elements. Director Kusakawa enjoys playing in the sandbox. A decent anime for audiences looking for something fun to pass the time.

Fuuka: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Funimation (now Crunchyroll), Fuuka is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation provides a crisp and colorful aesthetic with plenty of robust art. The background art and line art are impressively reproduced. The encode quality is solid on the release.

Fuuka: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (with English subtitles). The sound direction by Jin Aketagawa (Aria the Scarlet Ammo, Daphne in the Brilliant Blue) is engaging and well-done. The English dub offers an expanded surround soundstage and the original Japanese language version may be somewhat comparatively limited with 2.0 audio but purists will prefer the original version nonetheless. An impressive lossless encoding is what matters most. Subtitles are well- done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

Fuuka: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Textless Opening Song "Climber's High!" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "My World" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song Episode 6 "Snow Fireworks" (HD, 1:32)

Fuuka: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fuuka is a solid anime with some fun elements at play. Fans of light and airy anime series with an emphasis on characters may find it worthwhile. The production values are decent and the art is noteworthy. The Blu-ray release provides a solid high-definition presentation and lossless audio. Supplements are sparse. Fans of the series may wish to consider a purchase. Recommended.