Katana Maidens: Toji no Miko - The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Katana Maidens: Toji no Miko - The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

An action-packed anime with giant monsters to battle.

Katana Maidens is an action-packed fantasy anime. The series features animation from production company Studio Gokumi (Phantom of the Idol, Yuki Yuna Is a Hero). The series revolves around a group of heroic girls with blades in-hand. A series for fans of sword-wielding adventures.

Kanami Etō (Kaede Hondo) and Hiyori Jūjō (Saori Ōnishi) are two powerful maidens with unique fighter abilities. The two girls form their own team and take on the task of fighting down a large onslaught of evil monsters who are rampaging across the land. Each maiden holds a rare Toji sword: swords which are more powerful than an average blade.

There is a secret to the success of the Toji swords and it is rooted in a family legacy with unique lore. Can Kanami and Hiyori use the strength of the Toji blades to defeat these evil monsters and emerge victorious? The stakes are high and the demons are all across the land.

The series isn't a top-tier production from an animation standpoint. The art work isn't as impressive as the best action-anime series. Yet there are still noteworthy elements to the production. The series has been ushered in by art director Masaru Satō (Armitage III, Brain Powered). The style of the series is something that feels less original than it could be – yet the style is still solid enough to make this a reasonably impressive anime production. The animators did a solid job with the action sequences.

The original character designs by Yoshinori Shizuma (Grimoire of Zero, The Misfit of Demon King Academy) have been adapted by the anime character designer Yūko Yahiro (RobiHachi, Attack on Titan: Junior High). Yahiro does a solid job of highlighting each of the central characters on the production. Despite the designs being somewhat average looking at best, the designs are still compelling enough to make an impression.

Don't mess with Toji blades.

The action scenes are the bread and butter of the production. The series revolves heavily around these sequences and the spectacle of the fight scenes. Kanami Etō and Hiyori Jūjō are often engaged with battles against the giant monsters. The action is reasonably engaging and does a solid job of showcasing the Toji swords. These elements of the series are central to the production.

The cinematography by Yoshihiro Sekiya (Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, Fantasista Doll) has a crisp and dynamic visual style which befits the production of the series. The art work on Katana Maidens highlights the cinematography by Sekiya well. The visuals aren't as colorful as some anime series. Rather, the art style is a bit laidback and subdued by comparison (which was likely due to a desire to help the series achieve a darker tone).

The original score composed by Yukari Hashimoto (Kanamemo, Mr. Osomatsu) is entertaining. The score does provide a suitable backdrop to the action sequences. The fight scenes are enhanced well by the score compositions. The score isn't one that should be described as being top-tier but it fits the material well and works as background music.

Written by Tatsuya Takahashi (Domestic Girlfriend, The Everyday Tales of a Cat God), Katana Maidens isn't an anime series with a particularly great storyline. The concept is something that is lacking in creativity (with many anime series having a similar story concept to this one). Yet this is nonetheless a series with a decent script to make for modest entertainment.

Directed by Koudai Kakimoto (Cyborg 009: Call of Justice, BanG Dream), Katana Maidens is perhaps best viewed as an action-anime aiming to please viewers with some high-octane thrills. While the spectacle isn't on par with expectations, the anime still offers some decent entertainment for those anime fans who enjoy the genre. Kakimoto is a competent director and he manages to imbue this material with some entertainment.

Katana Maidens: Toji no Miko - The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Katana Maidens is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. Funimation has done a solid job with the presentation of the series. The line art and background animation looks engaging and impressive on the release. Colors are notable and seem suited to presenting and preserving the cinematography by Yoshihiro Sekiya. The encoding handles the action sequences well.

Katana Maidens: Toji no Miko - The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality on the release is quite impressive. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand during the presentation. The soundtrack and score is well reproduced. The surround channels are used well on the English dub to expand the soundstage with more enveloping directional effects and to highlight the music score.

Katana Maidens: Toji no Miko - The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Part One:

Textless Opening Song "Save you Save me" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "Kokoro no Memoria" (HD, 1:32)

Trailers (HD, 3:38)

Part Two:

Textless Opening Song "Shinkakei Colors" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "Mirai Epilogue" (HD, 1:32)

Katana Maidens: Toji no Miko - The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Katana Maidens isn't the best action-anime out there but it does have some decent entertainment to offer fans of the genre. Kanami Etō and Hiyori Jūjō are Toji sword wielding heroes fighting for the future. The animation is produced by Studio Gokumi (Yuki Yuna Is a Hero). The directing by Koudai Kakimoto (BanG Dream) highlights the action spectacle and the significance of the Toji blades. The original score composed by Yukari Hashimoto (Mr. Osomatsu) is one of the series highlights. The Blu-ray release from Funimation features a solid video-audio presentation and a small selection of supplements. Recommended.