7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Anime | 100% |
Foreign | 94% |
Comic book | 20% |
Action | 16% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (2 BDs, 2 DVDs)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
One might be prone to ascribing some deep psychological rift in the Japanese soul that accounts for so many anime featuring bizarre children who are often some type of what might be termed almost automaton killers. Is this some kind of compensating for all those clubs Japanese have to join in their school lives, or what Westerners often perceive to be an overly regulated, proscribed way of life? Don’t go looking for any deep answers in Jormungand, a kind of lightweight knockoff of Black Lagoon: Complete Collection Season 1 and 2 that features, yes, a wide eyed child who just happens to be a rather skilled marksman (marksboy?). Jormungand is a kind of odd mash up of action and comedy, but it is also one of the most relentlessly talky anime in recent memory. Even some of its admittedly exciting shoot ‘em up escapes are bookended by incredibly long monologues that various characters pronounce, as if trying to invest the series with some incredibly meaningful subtext. It’s mostly for naught, though, as the series never really gains much traction as anything other than a noisy, chaotic bunch of gunfight skirmishes interrupted by supposed character beats that unfortunately never add up to much. Jormungand has a certain style, and truth be told some of its goofier comedy bits (which are frequently quite short) are at least amusing, but there’s a certain tonal imbalance here that keeps the viewer off kilter and also at arm’s length from ever really caring about any of the characters, least of all an emotionless little boy who goes around destroying things with a variety of guns.
Jormungand is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Funimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is a really oddly animated series that has an admittedly distinctive look but which often fails to pop in high definition for a number of reasons. The first of these is the perhaps peculiar decision to animate several key characters with virtually no defining characteristics or even much color, aside from some nicely lushly hued eyes (Koko's deep blue orbs are probably her most distinctive feature, for the rest of her, including her hair, is bone white—see screenshot 2 for an example). Jonah at least has dark brown skin (his ethnic origin is briefly alluded to in the series), but even he is weirdly desaturated a lot of the time (see screenshot 1 for a typical example). Many of the backgrounds are similarly monochromatic, though as the series goes along, color starts to become more vivid (see screenshots 11 and 13). The series utilizes some nice looking CGI elements for things like steam surrounding a ship or some high tech arms like fighter jets. Line detail is sharp and precise throughout the series. There's some small but noticeable spiking of noise in some darker scenes, which is the only artifact of any major concern in this transfer.
Jormangund features Dolby TrueHD 2.0 mixes in both English and Japanese. Toggling between the two reveals very little difference in terms
of amplitude, overall mix, or anything other than the expected differences in voice work. Fidelity is fine on both tracks.
Note: The review disc I was provided with years ago when this review was first published had different audio specs than what was evidently
ultimately released. The review has been updated to reflect the retail version of the release.
Jormungand never quite settles down into any reasonably consistent pattern in its first season. There's the action element, which is admittedly often incredibly visceral, if also awfully bloody and even disturbing at times. But then there's the kind of patently weird "parenting" aspect with Koko and her chums helping Jonah—who is, after all, a sniper—have something of a "normal" life (something that given the rest of the series is just flat out ridiculous). Things perk up considerably in the final third or so of this season's episodes, with some hints that larger plot arcs will finally come to fruition. This first season, though, is a hit or miss affair and is too slapdash to maintain much interest. Technical merits here are generally very strong, and the voice casting featurette is quite good as well.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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