Laidbackers Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Laidbackers Blu-ray Movie Review

A fun and action-packed adventure fantasy in the magical-girl anime genre.

Laidbackers is a theatrical anime feature-film with action and adventure. The animation was produced by Studio Gokumi (A- Channel, Yuki Yuna Is a Hero). Featuring a theme song by Kizuna Ai.

Kumi (Yumiri Hanamori) moves back to Kyoto in order to help run a sweets shop owned by her grandmother. Soon she meets a group of young girls living in the adjacent building to the shop: energetic Harami (Rina Hidaka), K (Yo Taichi), and Mai (Himika Akaneya). Even a small dog!

Reincarnated girls with superpowers, the team waits to fight a demon lord but the demon never arrived! So fun and games were had on the sidelines. Yet when a mysterious girl, Ran (Maria Naganawa), enters the equation, the team realizes she was a former demon lord. A new threat arises. Can the girls team up and save the day?

The animation production is one of the best elements of the feature-film. The animators at Studio Gokumi did excellent work with the production. The action scenes are fluid and well animated throughout. The art design by Mitsuaki Takabe (Attack on Titan, The Ancient Magus' Bride) is exceptional and manages to imbue the film with a sense of fun. The well-done character designs by Kei Tsuchiya (Aruvu Rezuru: Kikai Jikake no Yosei-tachi, Shonen Hollywood: Holly Stage for 50) are also impressive.

Time to party.

Another compelling element to Laidbackers is the music score by kz (Oreimo, Ascendance of a Bookworm). The score is energetic and never seems to skip a beat. The score highlights the epic adventure and action scenes well. Fans of high octane scores will enjoy the effort by kz.

The sound direction by Takayuki Yamaguchi (Girls Beyond the Wasteland, Anonymous Noise ) is enormously compelling. The surround staging is well realized and the action scenes have superb fidelity. An outstanding effort that feels big in scope. The entire sound production design is impressive and enhances the experience.

The screenplay by Makoto Uezu (Space Brothers, Kamisama Dolls) is charming (if somewhat simplistic). The characters are entertaining but have little-to-no character development. Yet the impressive action scenes are well staged and written. The pace and rhythm works.

Hiroyuki Hashimoto (Slow Start, Magical Girl Raising Project) capably directs Laidbackers and the results are terrific. Laidbackers is a fun action-packed anime movie. Though it lacks depth or added emotional-weight, the film has a fun time with the concept and the magical girls are badass. Worth watching.

Laidbackers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Laidbackers is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The picture-quality on the release is top-notch. The encoding is well-done. The colors are vibrant and enticing. Line art and character designs are well realized. The presentation never struggles with banding or compression artifacts.

Laidbackers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound (with English subtitles). The lossless audio sounds crisp, clean, and dynamic throughout the presentation. A powerhouse surround sound track that never loses momentum and which helps the storytelling unfold with a sense of energy and excitement. The score is well integrated in to the surround staging as well. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The action scenes are all the more intense because of the expert sound design.

Laidbackers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Japanese Promos (HD, 2:59)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Kids on the Slope (HD, 1:33), Karakuri Circus (HD, 1:30), Kandagawa Jet Girls (HD, 1:34), and Gourmet Girl Graffiti (HD, 1:31).

Laidbackers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Laidbackers is a entertaining and action-packed anime film. Fans of magical girl anime series will certainly want to check out this effort. With solid direction, animation, music, and storytelling, the production has a lot to offer audiences. The Blu-ray release has a strong video-audio presentation. Recommended.