Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Kimagure Orange Road Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 6, 2019

For longtime Anime fans, Kimagure Orange Road needs no introduction. Illustrator/Author Izumi Matsumoto's original manga and the anime show to follow, which is only "loosely based" on it, are amongst the standard-bearers for their respective types, the anime in particular one of the bonafide classics that both introduced a generation of fans to anime and that remains a revered example of what the style has to offer. The show follows three high school students, one boy and two girls, who are engaged in a particularly difficult love triangle, a triangle made of the often indistinct lines of romantic interest and deeply held friendship. The relationship is complicated but approachable, and the story, which also folds in a few Sci-Fi elements which are not particularly vital to the plot in the macro and in the aggregate, remains both fun and emotionally engaging to the end (the movie I Want to Return to That Day, or Ano Hi ni Kaeritai, is required viewing for anyone wanting to see the story through to its conclusion).

A hat in the wind, a girl in the heart.

Official synopsis: It can be hard moving to a new school, and fifteen-year-old Kyosuke has it harder than most. He's fallen head over heels for his classmate Madoka, a girl who won't even give him the time of day, and unintentionally ended up dating her best friend, Hikaru, instead. Worst of all, Kyosuke and his family have amazing supernatural powers, but he has to keep them hidden from the rest of the world! How is Kyosuke ever going to balance the affections (or lack thereof) of two girls, schoolwork, and his secret abilities all at the same time?

The opening introductory lines of dialogue succinctly summarize the show. Kasuga says, “as one encounter led to a double romance...three beating hearts...played gentle melodies. I Kasuga Kyosuke, 15 years old...am living the best years of my youth!” Ah, young love! What a feeling, even if it's not reciprocated, at least in kind. Kimagure Orange Road takes precious little time to set the wheels in motion. It quickly introduces Kasuga, his and his family's powers, and his crush on Madoka Ayukawa, a girl he meets in the first episode's opening minutes, a chance encounter that finds him in possession of her windblown red hat and in a somewhat heated argument about the number of stairs he just climbed. There are 100, he insists. Only 99, she says. They (he) finally settle on 99 1/2, and it's love at first sight, at least in Kasuga's mind. He dreams about her but quickly relates that she may not be the ideal girl he believed her to be. She has a...reputation...and it certainly precedes her, and Kasuga feels a responsibility to guide her out of her shell and look towards the future, all the while trying to win her over, romantically. In one of their first meetings, he uses his powers to explode her cigarette, already feeling a connection to her, warning her against the health risks of her (their?) future children. One of the show's draws is how she gradually changes and grows, for the better, over the course of the run with Kasuga in her life.

But she doesn't like like Kasuga. That's Hikaru, who finds herself, first, enamored with Kasuga when she sees him make a basket from across the basketball court, nonchalantly, when he thinks he's alone and uses his ESP ("espers," he and his family are called) to guide it to nothing but net. Hikaru's fascination becomes a romantic draw. But as their relationship develops, Kasuga sees her much in the same way Madoka sees Kasuga. He sees Hikaru as a close friend, almost a sibling. But he's uncomfortable rejecting her. Hikaru and Madoka are longtime friends, partners in playing the part of social outcasts, and hurting Hikaru means hurting Madoka, which is out of the question. To complicate matters, Hikaru's overt affection for Kasuga ("pretty awesome" she says when she first sees him; "darling!" she subsequently calls him) means Madoka is all-in on making sure Kasuga falls for her friend. It's a jumble of feelings at work, a jumble which the show isn't in a rush to untangle. It thrives on the comic mischief and heartfelt emotions that result as the relationships develop and evolve over 48 wonderful episodes. And there are, of course, a number of terrific secondary characters who boost the show's excellence in their own ways.

The entire thing might sound like it's been firmly built around anime trope. To an extent, it is, particularly in hindsight now decades removed from its original broadcast. Yet no matter how deeply one wants to dissect various character traits, plot lines, and the show's general atmosphere and flow, there's no denying that Kimagure Orange Road was, and remains, a groundbreaking anime that does not simply drop three characters into a love triangle but instead creates some of the most carefully considered character beats the genre has to offer. The show balances the complexities of romance, hormones, high school, friendship, and the larger world around three very well defined characters and their evolutions throughout the show. Granted, it can go to a few strange places, and not every episode or storyline absolutely works, but Kimagure Orange Road settles into a comfort zone of character and narrative excellence from the beginning. Supported by tremendous voice work, agreeable animation, and some unforgettable 80s beats, this is hands-down one of the finest anime series ever released.

Kimagure Orange Road Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kimagure Orange Road makes its Blu-ray debut with a wonderful 1080p transfer. The image is presented in its original 4x3 (1.33:1) aspect ratio, placing vertical "black bars" on either side of the HD 1.78:1 display, replicating the original broadcast parameters from the 1980s. The picture is very attractive overall, boasting crisp, well defined lines and wonderful clarity, offering a much more stable and detailed image than older standard definition presentations, boosted by the added resolution Blu-ray affords the material. Whether character models or environments, the picture's total clarity is very impressive. The Blu-ray image features an overlaid grain structure. There has been some debate as to its point of origin, but it has a natural look about it, a complimentary texture that maintains a steady level of visibility and density throughout. Colors are pleasing, appearing well saturated and natural. Contrast finds a sweet spot that is nether pushed too hard nor allowed to drain the image of depth. Whether clothes, colors around the school, eyes, or hair, the color palette appears consistently accurate. The occasional pop and speckle make an appearance but do not greatly interfere with the presentation. No significant encode anomalies are evident. Fans are in for a treat with his revelatory Blu-ray presentation of an old 1980s anime favorite.

Kimagure Orange Road Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Kimagure Orange Road arrives on Blu-ray with an LPCM 2.0 uncompressed soundtrack in the native Japanese language. English subtitles are included: yellow for in-show dialogue and light blue translating opening and closing music lyrics. The presentation is fairly straightforward, a no-frills type that carries the material well but without a flair for the sonically dramatic. That opening and closing music images primarily to the center and doesn't play with wide front-end stretch. On the other hand, it doesn't necessarily sound cramped, either, offering good flow and definition in the localized space it fills. Music is seemingly just unwilling to offer the sort of width one would expect, particularly of those opens and closes. In-show music likewise remains imaged to the center, too, and sound effects rarely stretch out with any kind of front-end envelopment, either. Even applause in episode two, which so desperately wants to reverberate around the stage, remains in the front-center. Despite the center focused placement, clarity and detail of instrumentals, effects, and dialogue alike are highlights. Dialogue does find a natural, steady home in that imaged front-center location, so much so it nearly sounds like the center speaker is engaged. Prioritization is never at fault, either. Despite the spacial limitations and the lack of a low end to really carry the most prominent music and effects, the track is good in terms of satisfying the show's essential needs.

Kimagure Orange Road Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Kimagure Orange Road contains supplements spread throughout the five disc set, but none of them are particularly noteworthy and only disc five offers more than the "Translation Notes" text-based extra. No DVD or digital copies are included, but the set does ship with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Translation Notes (1080p): Paragraphs of text that on page one of disc one offer a brief history of, and a few fun facts about, the show. Subsequent pages across all five discs offer more anecdotal details about each episode (also listing the original air date), mostly as they relate to various examples of slang, cultural references, school life, and the like as such things are depicted in thew show. These are best explored after watching each episode. These appear on all five discs.
• Clean Opening 1: Night of Summer Side (480i, 1.78:1, 1:44): The opening sequence without overlaid text, in standard definition.
• Clean Opening 2: Orange Mystery (480i, 1.78:1, 1:36): Another opening sequence without overlaid text, in standard definition.
• Clean Opening 3: The Actress in the Mirror (1080p, 4x3, 1:49): A third opening without overlaid text, in high definition.
• Clean Ending 1: Summer Mirage (480i, 1.78:1, 1:22): The closing sequence without overlaid text, in standard definition.
• Clean Ending 2: Fire Love - My Sad Heart Is Burning (480i, 1.78:1, 1:40): Another closing sequence without overlaid text, in standard definition.
• Clean Ending 3: Dance in the Memories (1080p, 4x3, 1:22): A third closing without overlaid text, in high definition.
• TV Broadcast Promos (480i, 1.78:1, 6:23 total runtime): A string of Japanese language promos for the show. With English subtitles. Beyond basic voiceover advertising for the show, the characters discuss things like theme song changes and themselves urge audiences to tune in.
• Music Collection OVA: "Their Love Repertory" (480i, 1.78:1, 33:36): Music video-style highlights. In Japanese with English subtitles.
• Design Works Gallery (1080p): This begins with art pieces inspired by the show. The full image is shown, followed by several close-ups focusing on different areas. That is followed by simple character sketches, background art drawings, and prop art renderings.

Kimagure Orange Road Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Time has been kind to Kimagure Orange Road. The show remains a classic, its story and characters (and even 80s music) hold up extremely well, and the show translates gracefully to Blu-ray. This is a flagship release for Discotek. The 1080p picture quality is terrific and the two-channel uncompressed sound is adequate. The supplements are a little on the thin side (albeit fairly standard for an anime release). This five disc set is an essential buy for all anime fans. Very highly recommended.