Handyman Saitou in Another World: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Handyman Saitou in Another World: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Handyman Saitou In Another World is a fantasy anime series aimed at fans of video-game worlds and other otherworldly settings. Created by Kazutomo Ichitomo, Handyman Saitou In Another World features animation produced by C2C (Reincarnated as a Sword, Wandering Witch - The Journey of Elaina). Originally broadcast in Japan on AT-X and Tokyo MX, Handyman Saitou In Another World aired between January 8^th, 2023 and March 26^th, 2023. Licensed for home media release in North America by Crunchyroll, Handyman Saitou In Another World features voice performances by Ryōhei Kimura, Fairouz Ai, Chō, and Nao Tōyama.

Saitō (Ryōhei Kimura) might not seem like someone special at first glance. In fact, Saito is an ordinary handyman and this is his job around the clock. Saito is starting to feel as though he is not being as appreciated in life as he should be because of his skills as a handyman. Because of this sense of underappreciation by others around him, Saito decides to enter a new fantasy world: one that comprises a wide variety of beings – fighters and wizards.

As Saito explores the fantasy world, something peculiar happens. As it turns out, handymen are quite useful in magical realms and something about having a good handyman at standby helps a great deal! Maybe those days of feeling underappreciated by everyone around him will soon be a thing of the past.

The handyman aspect of the central protagonist is one of the interesting elements of the series and the manner in which it explores the fantasy anime realm. Saitō is a reasonable leading character and he is someone who might be a bit in-over-his-head in some respects but he also manages to find a way to actually fit in within the fantasy world. The series features character designs by Yōko Tanabe (How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer). The designs fit the characters well and are a big part of the series. An impressive part of the series production and one of the reasons the anime has worked well with its fanbase.

The animation is a reasonably engaging part of the series. Though the animation might never manage to feel as creative or ambitious as the best anime productions – either in terms of comparing it to classic series or other modern fantasy series – the series nonetheless offers decent animation for the genre. Worthwhile.

The series art direction by Asuka Kashimura (Special 7: Special Crime Investigation Unit, The Rising of the Shield Hero) is a big part of the anime. The chief animation direction handled by Yasuyuki Noda (Chivalry of a Failed Knight, Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!) and Yōko Tanabe (Record of Ragnarok, Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu) add a lot to the series production. The artistic approach handles the fantasy elements. The animation team delivers a decent animation landscape with solid art for the background animation and line art. Though it is perhaps not as creatively ambitious as the best series, there are some good things on display and the animation team did a good job overall.

The cinematography by Noriyuki Murakami (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, House of Five Leaves) is a highlight of the production. The cinematography showcases the bright and vivid visuals of the production. The aesthetic is something that works well for the fantasy setting. The emphasis on brighter colors and highlighting the aesthetic of the animation team is something that helps the cinematography make a bigger impression.

The score composed by Tomotaka Ohsumi (Bibliophile Princess, Dagashi Kashi) adds some decent background music to the series. The score fits the fantasy setting well. The music adds to the fun. Despite being an average score in some respects, the music is still fun and better than on some fantastical anime series.

Written by Kenta Ihara (Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Uncle From Another World), Handyman Saitou In Another World is an average anime without a great story. An average quality concept and one that has been seen time and time again in one form or another. Despite these average qualities to the story, the concept of exploring the handyman aspect in a fantastical world is still a decent enough idea for some interesting results – even if the story of transporting away to a fantasy world with strange creatures and wizards is all-too-familiar.

Directed by Toshiyuki Kubooka (Harukana Receive, Wandering Witch - The Journey of Elaina), Handyman Saitou In Another World is a decent anime and one that may appeal to fans of fantasy anime series. The series isn’t going to fill the kind of void left by finishing one of the best anime series around but for an audience looking for some light fun to have and pass the time, Handyman Saitou In Another World is a fantasy anime with some decent elements and the director has fun exploring the characters and setting.

Handyman Saitou in Another World: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll, Handyman Saitou In Another World is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation features a solid high-definition presentation and one that shines throughout – showcasing the wonderful vivid colors of the production. The deep color reproduction helps the series to look more robust and the animation landscape to make a bigger impression on the release.

Crunchyroll delivers a solid encode. Blu-ray disc continues to offer a superior picture to streaming video services (which only provide video with lower quality bit-rates). For someone seeking the absolute best possible picture quality presentation, the physical media format continues to reward with a more robust image. A noteworthy and essential detail of the physical Blu-ray format.

Handyman Saitou in Another World: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding on the release is excellent. The quality sounds terrific and makes a good impression on the release. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The soundtrack is well reproduced on the release. The sound direction by Yuichi Imaizumi (The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic, Kubo Won't Let Me Be Invisible) makes a solid impression as well.

The audio encoding is good overall and manages to improve on the presentation. It is worth noting that the Blu-ray disc format continues to reward audiophiles with the best possible audio quality available. Streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio quality and for anyone seeking the absolute best possible audio quality available, the physical format continues to deliver and outshine streaming video platforms.

Handyman Saitou in Another World: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover features unique key art that is different from the key artwork highlighted underneath the slipcover. The additional key artwork is something that adds an extra element of collectability to the release. The package is well designed overall.

On disc extras include:

Promo Videos (HD, 3:09)

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:33)

Unfortunately, the package is somewhat close to barebones and doesn't have a more in-depth extras package. The release could have benefited from having a selection of audio commentaries, behind the scenes material, featurettes, and interviews with the cast and crew. Even a selection of art galleries with more art showcased would have helped to round out the package and added something nice for fans of the series.

Handyman Saitou in Another World: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Handyman Saitou In Another World is a fantasy anime with a sense of charm for fans of the fantasy genre seeking something light to enjoy. The series explores the world of a handyman and how he manages to go from underappreciated handyman to a success story within a fantasy world. An interesting twist on the genre.

The Blu-ray release includes a solid video and audio presentation. Physical media continues to surpass streaming services in regards to both video and audio quality for the presentation. The release comes with a small package of bonus features. The set features an o-card slipcover with unique key art from the art underneath the slipcover. Fans of the series may wish to indulge. Recommended.