Joshiraku: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Joshiraku: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

A wildly imaginative and entertaining anime gem!

An often manic and hyperactive anime series produced in 2012, Joshiraku is a remarkably entertaining anime series which is bursting with non-stop energy and zany creativity. The series is an adaptation of the original manga series by author Koji Kumeta (The Sun's Solider Poka Poka, Go!! Southern Ice Hockey Club) and features art by Yasu (Dobutsu no Meido-san, Itsukasei Metsubo Syndrome). The production features 13 fun-tastic episodes of zany hilarity which keeps the series robustly entertaining in spades.

The core concept of the series revolves around a group of girls who are considered rakugo performers. For those unfamiliar with that concept, such performers do comedic acts on a stage where the primary focus of the comedy comes from their verbal performances. As such, the series is largely focused on the comedian girls as they sit around their beloved table and discuss a variety of topics with gleeful abandon with the quirky animation bursting into creative displays of energetic anime randomness.

Topics range from what the girls like to wear (and whether or not one of them is actually a crossdresser in disguise), whether or not cats or dogs are the superior animal beings, how each of them would spend money if they happened to win the lottery someday, glasses-wearers stereotypes, and how to popularize rakugo with kids. Each and every episode seems off-the-wall and kooky but it helps the series feel even more charming and entertaining (and the end result is a series that often feels like a Adult Swim cartoon meeting an anime production).

Joshiraku has such a manic energy to it as these lovable characters build their intense friendships and camaraderie. Marii Buratei is the sleepy-eyed redhead whom the other girls suspect is actually a boy cross-dressing just to mess with them (and she often misses out on the group's tasty desserts due to randomly falling asleep), Kigurumi Harōkitei is a total blonde (also the youngest of the bunch) and everyone treats her like Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls (but she is actually more of a badass than meets the eye).

Funky Funky Fun Time!!!

Tetora Bōhatei stands out as the sweetest of the entire group with her thick brown hair (and she likes to wear her bright yellow kimono while coming up with some of the anime series most comedic lines). Gankyō Kūrubiyūtei is the nerdy girl in the group with her thick eyeglasses and her affection for painting. Kukuru Anrakutei has long black hair (as thick as Sadako's from The Ring) and she is emotionally off-the-wall and the Japanese equivalent to an “emo” kid.

The manga series that inspired the anime was primarily about the girls simply hanging out and making some fun comedy together. While that might sound like an unusual idea for an anime series on some level (but really isn't too unusual in reality), the show manages to be massively enjoyable even without a true plotline or evolution over the course of the series. There is no real ongoing arc or storyline to follow but each episode has such a wondrous burst of energy and comedy that I found myself regularly being entertained by the laugh-out-loud humor on display. This series is seriously funny and that's more than enough reason to let it entertain you.

The music score composed by Masaru Yokoyama (Arakawa Under the Bridge, Queen's Blade Rebellion) was a nice highlight to accompany the beautiful animation. The character designs are fantastic and each of these five zany anime girls has a distinctive style which befits their respective personalities. Throughout the entire series run, the art looks fantastic and helps the series to give off a beautiful energy. The direction and scriptwriting is never boring or over-done. Simply put, Joshiraku is a first-rate anime production which combines superb comedy with memorable characters, fantastic art, and great music. This is a must-see anime series that deserves accolades.

Joshiraku: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The zany Joshiraku arrives on Blu-ray from distributor Maiden Japan (a sub-division of Sentai Filmworks) with a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation. The anime series is presented in the original 1.78:1 widescreen broadcast aspect ratio. The series is such a beautifully animated production that the fantastic artwork and distinctive character designs transition beautifully with this superb high-definition transfer. Colors look altogether robust with great hues from robust reds to bright yellows. The artwork looks clean and crisp throughout the entire presentation. Even during the series action-packed comedic scenes (such as during some surprising sequences spoofing the work of Stanley Kubrick), the encode quality is superb and capably handles the material.

Joshiraku: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio is presented with a Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo audio track. The release is a Japanese audio only release and there is no English dub provided by Sentai. The release includes non-removable English subtitles which are free from spelling or grammatical errors. The lossless audio mix included on this edition sounds terrific and has crisp highs and superb dynamics. For a comedic series, Joshiraku has a surprisingly playful audio track which has fun with its sound-design and the use of music as well (including some surprising cues from the music to 2001: A Space Odyssey). Both the opening and ending themes sound robust and had me tapping me toes along to the great music.

Joshiraku: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

Trailers for other releases available from Maiden Japan (a sub-division of Sentai Filmworks): Yumeiro Patissiere (SD, 1:31), Natsu no Arashi! (HD, 1:31), This Art Club Has a Problem! (HD, 1:32), and Asura Cryin' (HD, 1:33).

Joshiraku: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Anime enthusiasts looking to find a high-quality anime gem can look no further than this inspired gem. Joshiraku is a first-rate anime production with memorable characters, fantastic animation, and side-splitting comedy. It constantly finds new ways to keep the series entertaining and after each consecutive episode one simply cannot wait more than a few milliseconds to experience what happens next with these lovable girls. A fantastic series that has received a superb Blu-ray release with exceptional picture-quality and pristine lossless audio. A must-own for anime fans.