6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Black God
Starring: Noriko Shitaya, Daisuke Namikawa, Yumi Tôma, Sayaka Ôhara, Yukari TamuraAnime | 100% |
Foreign | 95% |
Action | 36% |
Comic book | 29% |
Comedy | 17% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Kurokami: The Animation is an anime adaptation of the “Black God” Japanese manga series published by Square Enix. Interestingly enough, the series was written and illustrated by an all-Korean team, reflecting a growing trend in Japanese manga production. The resulting 23-episode anime series was licensed and produced by Sunrise animation studio, and directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi (The Twelve Kingdoms). Initially released throughout Japan and North American during the first half of 2009, the series has been chosen by Bandai as their first anime television production to be released on the Blu-ray format within North America. This initial volume contains the first four episodes of the self-contained series, with further volumes expected every other month (in theory, we could witness the conclusion of the series by the end of 2010).
It's go time!
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 15Mbps), Kurokami: The Animation looks impressive on Blu-ray despite the inherent budgetary limitations of the production. I suppose I've been spoiled by the number of higher-end anime productions lately (Eureka Seven and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn), so going back to the animation restrictions of a television series became quite noticeable. When you remove the aspects attributable to the source material, this is a fine transfer with little room for complaints. Hand-drawn lines remain crisp, avoiding any stair-stepping, aliasing, or blurring, and background art reveals adequate texture and shading, bringing a nice sense of balance to the environmental designs of the artists. Regarding the color palette of the series, this is fairly standard material, with naturalistic tones emerging from the real-world setting, and hues which never strive for an overly saturated spectrum. Black levels avoid ascensions into dark-gray territory (certainly a good thing), and contrast provides a nice balance between the lighter and darker elements within the image. All in all, this is a strong visual presentation for the opening chapter of the series, which I hope is maintained through future volumes.
This is the one area that might be a deal breaker to some anime fans. If your taste is similar to mine, you prefer the native language track on most anime series. As such, I was notably disappointed to learn Bandai would be releasing this volume with only a dubbed English version available. Given the nature of licensing rights in various international territories and varying pricing structures within "Region 1" countries, I'm left to assume this is one of those situations where Bandai had little choice. However, I still recognize the potential disappointment that will undoubtedly arise in some of the more hardcore anime fans. For those of you who are still with me at this point, I'll assume you're at least willing to hear an assessment of the English dub, and give it the benefit of the doubt.
First and foremost, Bandai assembled a talented pool of English voice actors to play the various roles in Kurokami, and the result is quite remarkable. Despite preferring the native language, I've listened to plenty of dubs over the years, and Kurokami definitely ranks within the top 10%. Each actor easily nails the tone of the character they portray, and the timing of the vocal delivery matches up nicely with the facial movements within the animation. Stepping away from the dialogue delivery within the show and moving toward an assessment of the actual audio presentation, I can't say I'm nearly as delighted. As commendable as it is to receive a lossless audio presentation, the fact that the show only encompasses a 2-channel track is somewhat of a let-down. Not all television series are produced with a surround sound focus, but considering Kurokami was released in 2009, I would have expected more than simply a stereo mix. As such, we end up with an audio experience that's well-balanced and crisp, with solid fundamental framework, but merely adequate in comparison with other productions currently on the market.
The only extras included on the disc are a title-free opening song, a "clean" ending, and a collection of trailers for other Bandai releases (Freedom, Gurren Lagann, and Sword of the Stranger).
Although my exposure to Kurokami is limited, I'd be willing to offer a casual recommendation of the first volume in the series to most anime fans. There seems to be a complex story in the making, and the show incorporates a nice blend of several genres over the course of the first four episodes (action, fantasy, romance, and comedy). Time will tell if my opinion changes when future volumes are released, but at least the show is off to a worthwhile start.
Episodes 5-8 / Black God
2009
Episodes 9-12 / Black God
2009
Episodes 13-16 / Black God
2009
Episodes 17-20 / Black God
2009
Episodes 21-24 / Black God
2009
黒神
2009
(Still not reliable for this title)
2009
2010
けいおん!
2009-2010
2009
コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ / コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュR2
2006-2008
2013
2005
ガールズ&パンツァー / Gâruzu ando Pantsâ
2012-2013
S.A.V.E. Edition
2005
1992-1993
Episodes 168-195
2008
2023
2022
2010
2022
Complete Collection / Includes OVA 1 & 2
2019-2020
Gekijouban Bureiku bureido Dairokushou: Doukoku no toride
2011
Gekijouban Bureiku bureido Daiyonshou: Sanka no chi
2010
Gekijouban Bureiku bureido Daisanshou: Kyoujin no kizu
2010
Gekijouban Bureiku bureido Daiisshou: Kakusei no koku
2010