Giant Beasts of Ars: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Giant Beasts of Ars: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Giant Beasts of ARS is an action-adventure epic anime. The series features original character designs by Ashito Ōyari. Giant Beasts of ARS features animation production by Asahi Production (Blue Drop, Sugar Bunnies). The theme music is performed by Penguin Research (OP) and Harumi (ED). Executive produced by John Ledford (After the Rain, All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku), Takayuki Machi (My Senpai Is Annoying, The aquatope on white sand), and Yue Kang.

Giant Beasts of ARS is produced by Cong Cao (Sakugan, Skip and Loafer), Hiroshi Kamei (Land of the Lustrous, My Hero Academia), Norio Fukui (Blue Period, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle), Takeharu Sengoku (The Ancient Magus' Bride), Takuya Matsumoto (Blue Period, Scar on the Praeter), and Toru Iwakami. The series features voice-performances by a cast including Toshiyuki Morikawa and Hina Yomiya. Fans of action series may wish to partake.

The saga unfolds against the backdrop of a mythical time – one of beings of supreme power as Gods. Within the sacred environment of ARS, there is so much at stake – the world has become overtaken entirely by giant creatures and the Beasts aim to ravage the land while fighting the Nagimori. The Nagimori are in a new state of danger with the stakes raised by the second.

Jiiro (Toshiyuki Morikawa) is no ordinary hero and he must face down his fears and fight the good fight while helping out the beautiful girl Kuumi (Hina Yomiya). Jiiro takes it upon himself to help Kuumi out because of the predicament she is in. Kuumi finds herself running from the sinister villains connected with a corporate overload who want her for their own nefarious reasons.

As the journey intensifies, everything becomes more complex as bigger questions are raised – what is the source of their own history? Is there a secret behind their every fiber of being? The fate of these characters is up in the air and the stakes are huge with a war between sides.

The characters add to the Giant Beasts of ARS series. The main characters add to the action-packed adventure. Jiiro is certainly a different kind of hero – and he is a hero who is a bit different from the norm. Jiiro is undoubtedly tossed into situations that are different from what he expected. Jiiro must aid Kuumi and find his path.

These character elements add something interesting to the character dynamics – both for Jiiro and for Kuumi. Even though these characters might not seem like the most original characters one can find in anime, the characters are decent and add to the sense of charm evoked from the production. The character designs are also impressive.

The character designs by Hiroshi Shimizu (The House of the Lost on the Cape, Michiko & Hatchin) and Masato Kato (Namu Amida Butsu! -Rendai Utena-, Peach Boy Riverside) are well-done and are certainly some of the nicest things going for the production. The character designs work well for these respective characters and that is something that enhances the series and its aesthetic qualities.

The animation is one of the best qualities of the anime series. Giant Beasts of ARS is a reasonably good anime series in terms of the animation and its artistic qualities. The series features art direction by Emi Sotoya and animation direction by Junko Matsushita (Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte, Muteking the Dancing Hero). The art style is something that highlights the action-oriented aesthetic qualities. This adds to the backdrop of the production and makes it more effective.

The cinematography by Naho Hasegawa (Salaryman's Club, Peach Boy Riverside) is another key highlight of the series. The visual quality of the cinematography adds something special to the production. The animation looks crisp and colorful and the cinematography helps to highlight these aspects with an impressive sense of flair. The aesthetic works and Hasegawa understands the material and what he needs to bring to the table as a cinematographer.

The score composed by Akinari Suzuki (Redo of Healer, The Island of Giant Insects) and Shūji Katayama (Saga of Tanya the Evil, After School Dice Club) offers audiences a decent soundtrack to the action. A reasonably engaging score and one that highlights the action scenes, there is plenty to appreciate. Suzuki might not be a top-tier action composer but the scoring is still reasonably solid and adds something fun to the production.

Written by Norimitsu Kaihō (School-Live!, Astra Lost in Space), Giant Beasts of ARS is a solid action series and one that has some reasonable scripting. The dialogue is decent enough and the characters are also reasonably engaging. Though Giant Beasts of ARS might not be an all-time classic is does have some decent elements.

Directed by Akira Oguro (Namu Amida Butsu! -Rendai Utena-), Giant Beasts of ARS is a decent action anime series. Fans hoping to find some action-packed adrenaline may wish to check it out. It is well worth a look for anime fans.

Giant Beasts of Ars: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Giant Beasts of ARS is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. Impressive high-definition video highlights the presentation. A good quality presentation.

The action scenes look quite remarkable: colorful and detailed. The background animation and line art are also well showcased on the release, too. The robust encode quality aids the presentation. The Blu-ray release highlights one of the benefits of physical media – the superior encoding quality.

Streaming services offer more compressed video quality compared to physical media – which provides video with less compression and higher bit-rates. For enthusiasts wanting to eek out the absolute best possible presentation quality, Giant Beasts of ARS helps to deliver something satisfying for fans and the effort by Sentai is well-done.

Giant Beasts of Ars: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release does not include an English dub option. The lossless audio presentation is one of the highlights of the disc release. The sound direction by Ryō Tanaka (Mysteria Friends, My Isekai Life) is well reproduced. An immersive soundstage and something that adds to the experience. The lossless audio encoding is something that also highlights the superior quality of the physical Blu-ray disc format.

Streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio quality and it isn't as crisp or detailed as lossless audio provides. For audio enthusiasts seeking the absolute best presentation quality possible, Giant Beasts of ARS is well-reproduced on the release. The only real downside to the release is the lack of an English dub – surprising but at the same time purists will want to opt for the original Japanese language presentation anyway. The English subtitles are well-done and are free from significant issues.

Giant Beasts of Ars: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Japanese Promo (HD, 1:03)

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

Unfortunately, the supplemental package on the release is somewhat sparse and it is not as impressive as expected. There could have been more effort made to round out the supplemental package on the release overall. The Blu-ray set could have benefited by including audio commentaries, making-of featurettes, and more. Perhaps some art galleries with sketches and other illustrations would have added some extra value to the collection.

Giant Beasts of Ars: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Giant Beasts of ARS is a decent action-adventure anime series. Fans of the genre will find it worth checking out. The series has decent animation and characters. Though perhaps not a total home run, Giant Beasts of ARS is still a compelling anime for the target audience. The Blu-ray release features an impressive video and audio presentation.

Unfortunately, the Giant Beasts of ARS release only includes the original Japanese language audio track (which should be fine for purists). The lack of an English dub may still disappoint some viewers. The extras package is sparse as well. Nonetheless, fans of Giant Beasts of ARS who want to own a permanent copy with the best possible quality will want to consider a purchase. Recommended.