I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie Review

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too is an action-packed adventure with plenty of adrenaline for the series fans. Created by Miku, I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too features animation production by Millepensee (Wake Up, Girls! New Chapter, Berserk). The original character designs are by Rein Kuwashima. The series theme song performances are by Tsukuyomi (opening) and Shikao Suga (ending). Featuring the voice work of stars Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Akari Kitō, and Kaori Maeda.

Yūya Tenjō (Yoshitsugu Matsuoka) has a dull and ordinary life in the real world. The real world just doesn’t have anything special to offer him. In fact, Yūya finds himself the constant victim of being harassed and bullied by an onslaught of jerks who gleefully delight in tormenting him. The bullying certainly never seems to stop.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a magic door appears before Yūya. This is no ordinary door. The door transports Yūya to another world altogether.

The door takes Yūya to a magical place where he can escape his torment and bullying. A world where Yūya can live a better life than the one he lives in the real world – one where the bullying falls by the wayside. A world where Yūya earns special cheat skills and abilities. Can Yūya find more happiness with two lives – in two worlds?

Yūya is a compelling lead character for the anime series. After all, who hasn’t been bullied before? It is a nice aspect of the plotline. It is important to explore bullying and the impact it can have on someone. As a youth, I was often bullied. It wasn’t until high-school that bullying (mostly) stopped for me at school and I started to hang out with the “cool kids” (and was no longer tormented by regular bullies). Far too many students lives are lost to suicide because of school bullying.

The fantasy element of I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too explores what someone might feel when trying to escape from bullying – a escape from reality and into another world – a world free from the torment of bullies. That’s an aspect of virtual reality and video gaming that isn’t always talked about. It can be a nice distraction from real world trauma and pain.

The character designs by Hiromi Kimura (Cop Craft) are well-done. The designs certainly add to the series style. Kimura is a solid character designer and the effort here adds to the production value. Certainly, these designs might not feel “top tier” compared to the best anime series but they are nonetheless effective for the production.

The animation on I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too is solid overall. The series features reasonably good animation – not perfect by any means but a decent aspect of the series. The animation features art direction by Masakazu Miyake (Wise Man's Grandchild, Suppose a Kid From the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town). The chief animation direction by Hiromi Kimura (Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, Cop Craft) adds something notable, too.

The score composed by Akiyuki Tateyama (How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Laid-Back Camp) is a decent enough backdrop for the action. Tateyama explores the action with a sense of energy that helps explore the fantastical elements. The score helps to add tension to the action and works as background music.

Written by Shin Itagaki (Ark IX, Takamiya Nasuno Desu!), I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too isn’t the best script but it has some solid ideas. It is an entertaining enough story but it also feels less engaging than expected in other respects. The exploration of bullying was appreciated and the fantasy aspect adds some fun but dialogue is sometimes underwhelming.

Featuring chief direction by Shin Itagaki (Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc and the Alchemist Knight, Wake Up, Girls! New Chapter) and Shingo Tanabe (Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Cop Craft), I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too is a mixed bag. The series has some noteworthy ideas and is decent enough but its also less original than some other series are and it is somewhat average as far as the filmmaking is concerned. Despite decent production values, it still is underwhelming and not a home-run.

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll, I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series features solid high- definition animation. The crisp and vibrant detail adds to the presentation quality. The animation is bold and colorful – making a vibrant impression on the release.

One of the best features of Blu-ray is the superior video encoding compared to streaming video services. Streaming video services tend to provide video with lower quality bit-rates. The lower bit-rates means a more compressed image. For home theater enthusiasts wanting to eek out the best possible picture quality achievable, Blu-ray provides a distinct advantage over streaming.

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too: The Complete Season 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 release capably preserves the sound direction by Ryōsuke Naya (The Aristocrat's Otherworldly Adventure: Serving Gods Who Go Too Far, Drug Store in Another World - The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist) and Shin Itagaki (So I'm a Spider, So What?, Teekyū). Dialogue is crisp and clear on the release.

The English dub has a somewhat more expansive sounding soundstage with a 5.1 surround sound presentation. The English dub allows for more immersion with regards to the rear channels with sound effects and the score. The original Japanese language version will still be preferable for purists seeking the most authentic experience. The English subtitles are well done and are free from egregious grammatical and spelling errors.

The lossless audio encoding is one of the most essential ingredients of the Blu-ray disc format and physical media (both Blu-ray and 4K). Streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio quality with more compression audio quality compared to Blu-ray disc. For example, many streaming services provide MP3 quality audio on video whereas the Blu-ray option is several thousand kbps in uncompressed, lossless quality. For audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts seeking the best possible experience, Blu-ray is a significantly better option for the best presentation.

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a nice o-card slipcover. The slipcover features a cool piece of artwork on the front of the box. The limited-edition slipcover is limited to the first print run. After the first print run, the slipcover might no longer be available. For slipcover fans, the slipcover adds some extra value to the box set and the packaging looks nicer both in hand and on the shelf. For collectors, the slipcover is certainly a nice component of the release.

On disc extras include:

Web Previews (HD, 7:55)

Promo Videos (HD, 3:55)

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:31)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:31)

Unfortunately, the release has a lackluster supplemental package. The release only includes a few standard bonus features. The bonus features aren't particularly special and there isn't much of significance. The extras package could have been more well rounded overall. This is an element collectors might consider when deciding if the set is worth purchasing or not. It certainly is less 'value-oriented' with less bonus features than a feature-packed edition. Collectors care a lot about how many interesting extras are included on a release.

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too: The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too: The Complete Season is a decent enough anime in some respects but in other areas it falls a bit short of its goals. The anime explores a fantasy world in a decent enough manner and fans of the genre may wish to check it out. Certainly not perfect but it has some decent elements.

The Blu-ray release provides a quality high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. The release comes with a small selection of bonus features – including web previews and promo videos. Unfortunately, the bonus features are not more robust. Some extra supplements would have made the set seem a bit more worthwhile for series fans.

The set does include a nice o-card slipcover. Collectors will appreciate the limited print run slipcover. Fans may wish to consider a purchase for ownership and the quality video/audio presentation. Recommended.