7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
While investigating a mysterious explosion near his school, Sho Fukamachi happens upon the Chronos Corporation's greatest weapon: a techno organic suit of bio armor known as "the Guyver". But Chronos is determined to conceal its secrets at any cost. Sho soon finds himself relentlessly pursued by its army of horrific bio-monsters. With nowhere to run, Sho is forced to call upon the fearsome power of the Guyver and rip his opponents limb from limb in a desperate struggle for survival.
Starring: Kenji Nojima, Kôsuke Takaguchi, Nana Mizuki, Katsuyuki Konishi, Gou ShinomiyaAnime | 100% |
Foreign | 98% |
Action | 62% |
Sci-Fi | 43% |
Comic book | 34% |
Adventure | 11% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p (upconverted)
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor is a 26-episode anime production, originally released during 2005 and 2006. The show is based on a manga series by Yoshiki Takaya, which premiered in 1985, and currently comprises 27 volumes (with no end in sight). Up until the release of this anime series, my exposure to the Guyver universe was limited to the two live-action adaptations from the mid-90’s, which left plenty to be desired and failed to do the original story arch justice. Thankfully, the anime adaptation sets the record straight by faithfully presenting the initial ten volumes of the manga in the manner they were originally written, and dispenses with significant tampering to the core plot. The end result is a fantastic science fiction production full of extensive alien mythology, heavy action, and inventive weaponry.
A perfect example of the rich color palette and the smooth shade transitions within the visuals.
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 15Mbps), Guyver contains a surprisingly strong visual presentation for an upconverted transfer. Those who've grown accustomed to the non-HD sourced material courtesy of FUNimation will know what I'm referring to when I mention the hit or miss nature of these television offerings. In many cases the image offers greater consistency and less compression-related tampering, but provides only a marginal increase in detail with the move to a higher resolution. In the case of Guyver, the source elements are in rock-solid shape, without a hint of haze or blurring. There are still instances of stair-stepping diagonal lines to be found (especially when watching the series on a 100 inch screen), but it's difficult to complain about trivial nuances that can't be helped when we're given such a clean image. Adding to the proficiency of the visual presentation, black levels descend into inky hues when needed, affording contrast a wide spectrum of differentiation even in the darkest of scenes. Oftentimes, the setting of the series lends a cold, metallic nature that paints certain scenes in a series of monochromatic hues that run the risk of melding together. Even when faced with such difficult material the transfer rarely skips a beat, reproducing the subtle tonal shifts with care. This heightened accuracy in color stability and contrast depth should offer fans adequate reason to upgrade from their prior DVD copies, especially when you account for the disappearance of nearly all compression artifacts, banding, or macroblocking within the image.
As promised, FUNimation continues their dedication to offering a lossless audio presentation on both the English and the native Japanese track. Those of you who gravitate toward the English dub receive the red carpet treatment in the form of a 5.1 surround option, while those of us who prefer the native language on anime endeavors are provided a less robust 2.0 option. This practice has become the norm for most anime series that find their way onto western shores, since the typical Japanese television release often incorporated a 2.0 mix rather than the immersive experience most home theater enthusiasts have come to expect (though there's been a shift in recent years). All things considered, I was quite pleased with the clarity and robust design of the Japanese mix, which never rose to the heights of the English offering, yet still managed to incorporate some excellent sonic effects within the limited spatial separation. In the case of most prior FUNimation boxed sets I'd turn my attention to a full endorsement of the English dub over the Japanese technical presentation, but it this case we have the introduction of some perplexing balance issues that crop up from time to time. In essence, the dub felt a little weak by my estimation, and demonstrated an odd tendency for the center channel to drop off substantially. In several scenes, I found myself straining to make out what should be primary dialog between characters, often leading to manual volume adjustments on the fly. When the track is at its best, everything aligns to make for a fantastic action-packed production, but those interested solely in the dubbed offering should temper their expectations accordingly.
Episode Audio Commentary: Various members of the English cast and crew are selected to provide commentary tracks for episodes 1, 13, 23 and 26. If you've listened to prior tracks on FUNimation releases, you'll have a good idea of what to expect here. Each contributor discusses character motivations, story elements, and their experience working on the English dub for Guyver. For the record, these are the same commentary tracks that appeared on the prior DVD release (in case you already own them).
Manga to Anime Comparisons (480p, Dolby Digital 5.1, 1:06:50) Running just over an hour in length, this split-screen supplement presents specially selected scenes from the anime series and displays the corresponding manga artwork as a side-by-side comparison. The end result is similar to what's often addressed in storyboard comparisons of this sort.
Rounding out the extras, we have clean opening and closing animation, and a collection of trailers for other releases from FUNimation.
Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor isn't anime at its best, and surely won't find its way onto many top-ten lists, but for a series that relies heavily on action it remains an intriguing endeavor. The action is visceral, the characterization is spot on, and the overall plot of the 26-episode story arch provides plenty of reason to revisit the show in the future. I don't typically possess a desire to restart a series immediately after it concludes, but Guyver is one entry I could easily take a second helping of, which truly says something about the show's ability to pull you in. If you love science fiction and anime, do yourself a favor and add this title to your growing anime collection.
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