Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Guyver The Bioboosted Armor: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

I'm still suppressing memories of the live-action adaptations.

Reviewed by Dustin Somner July 9, 2010

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.

When a test subject escapes from an experimental laboratory owned by the mysterious Kronos Corporation, a team of covert soldiers are sent to track him down and recover three stolen Guyver units. During the hunt for this human/monster hybrid, a lethal explosive is detonated, sending the three prized objects hurtling into the surrounding area, where one is discovered by a 17-year-old high school student named Sho Fukamachi. Unknowingly activating the device, Sho joins with the alien armor during a violent organic union, creating a bioweapon with incredible strength and power. Confused by what has occurred, Sho is quickly faced by monstrous beast known as a Zoanoid, who demands the armor for his masters at Kronos. This confrontation sets in motion a series of encounters with increasingly dangerous minions of the Kronos organization, who threaten the lives of anyone Sho care’s for. This eventually forces the reluctant young student to pursue further knowledge on the history of the suit, and befriend several allies with their own vendetta against the leaders of Kronos. Revelations abound at each turn, as we learn of humanities true purpose and the puppet-master role Kronos continues to play in our evolving future.

Guyver is a surprisingly entertaining series considering the deceptively simple plot. During the course of the initial six episodes, I began to worry the entire series would focus solely on encounters between the Guyver units and increasingly powerful Zoanoids. Thankfully, there’s still a fair bit of character building interspersed within the early story arch, but they emerge as a secondary focus next to the lengthy showdowns that dominate the latter half of each episode. Once we pass into episode seven, the series take a turn for the better, revealing weaknesses in the Guyver armor and placing various characters in life-threatening situations. This modest adjustment doesn’t entirely remedy the show’s focus on sci-fi action, but it presents a welcomed change of tone to the protagonist’s early confusion in each fight, and allows him to emerge as a competent hero (capable of protecting his friends).

Above all else, the area of greatest strength in the series is the underlying science fiction storyline involving humanity’s origin, and the Zoalord plan for an army of subservient monsters capable of further galactic conquest. It takes a bit too long for the series to move into a thorough explanation of this history, but once we’re privy to the epic undertaking bestowed on the Guyvers and those that oppose Kronos, it lends profound weight to the production and provides the lasting impact the series needs. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this falls in the upper echelon of anime storytelling, but considering the slow start and a tendency for initial episodes to play out in typical Dragon Ball Z fashion, the story injects fresh legs into a series that could’ve remained abundantly subpar.

From an animation standpoint, Guyver is one of the better-looking anime series I’ve witnessed in recent months. From the incredible monster designs to the extensive use of lighting effects, the animators perform a commendable job in delivering an above average visual experience that complements the sci-fi storyline. There wasn’t a single moment when I was pulled out of an episode by the incorporation of shoddy animation, and I was continually impressed by the smooth character movement during the lengthy fight sequences. If we’re ranking the series on pure eye-candy alone, Guyver deserves two thumbs up.

Guyver The Bioboosted Armor: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Guyver The Bioboosted Armor: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Guyver The Bioboosted Armor: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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

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.