Lovely Complex Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Lovely Complex Blu-ray Movie Review

Lovely Complex is a sweet and charming romantic comedy anime series. Created by Aya Nakahara, Lovely Complex is an enjoyable and fun series wearing its big heart on its proverbial sleeve. Executive produced by Munehisa Higuchi (Nouvelle Fantasia Gulliverboy), Lovely Complex features beautiful animation production by Toei Animation (Digimon: Data Squad, Dragon Ball Z).

Lovely Complex features main series production by Shueisha, Toei Animation, and Tokyo Broadcasting System. Produced by Hiromi Seki (Digimon Adventure, Marmalade Boy), Junko Abe, and Yoshiyuki Ikezawa (Knights of the Zodiac, Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac - Battle for Sanctuary -), Lovely Complex is a fun series for fans of big- hearted anime comedies. The Lovely Complex voice-cast includes Akemi Okamura and Akira Nagata.

Risa Koizumi (Akemi Okamura) and Atsushi Ootani (Akira Nagata) might seem like enemies at first glance. After all, Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Ootani bicker and fight on a regular basis and both are constantly teasing one another left and right. Yet the truth is that both of them share feelings for each other and the relationship is only just starting.

Risa is tall for a girl and Atushi is short for a boy – causing these two goofy airheads even more disparities. Yet the two continue to care for one another and things might be more serious than originally expected. Can Risa find the confidence to confess her love and can these two never-ending flirts find a way to bring their love together before graduation?

Of course, the central characters are essential to the heart of the series and why it resonated so well with fans. The characters are charming and goofy and this quirkiness is what appealed to fans of the series. Risa and Atsushi are offbeat heroes in their own way and the pairing of the two makes things more enjoyable. A good romantic comedy series has to have strong protagonists and Lovely Complex is no exception to this rule.

The character designs by Hideaki Maniwa (Buddha: The Great Departure, One Piece: Dream Soccer King!) are a lot of fun and the style is enormously creative. The style feels right out of a manga and it works well with the production. These designs are quirky and charming and help the narrative, too.

The animation is one of the highlights of Lovely Complex. The art is handled by art directors Eiko Sawada (Ashita Kirarin, Hanitarou Desu), Takao Shimizu, and Yukiko Iijima (Lupin III: Seven Days Rhapsody, Lupin III: Sweet Lost Night). The chief animation direction by Hideaki Maniwa (Buddha: The Great Departure, Kamisama Kazoku) is something special to behold. The animators did a great job bringing the original artistic style to life with the art work having great artistry and fun vibes.

The score composed by Hironosuke Sato is one of the highlights of the series. The music adds some nice charm and laid-back vibes to the series. The score is certainly an enjoyable element. There is a good amount of heart with the music.

Written by Isao Murayama (One Piece, Thriller Restaurant), Midori Kuriyama (Heartcatch Precure!, Ojamajo Doremi), Mio Inoue (Is the order a rabbit?, World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman), Takashi Yamada (Between the Sky and Sea, Humanoid Monster Bem), Yōichi Takahashi (Marie & Gali, Toriko), and Yumi Kageyama (Fortune Quest L, The Prince of Tennis), Lovely Complex is a series for audiences who appreciate slice-of-life and romantic-comedy anime series. The characters are fun, highlighting one of the essential strengths of the series. Audiences who enjoy charming series – absolutely will find warmth in the writing on the series.

Directed by Kōnosuke Uda (One Piece, Sailor Moon S), Lovely Complex became a hit with its sweet charm and style. Uda does a great job with the series and bringing the manga to life for the anime. Uda has fun with the concept and brings a nice aesthetic to the production. Lovely Complex is certainly going to fill a certain role with fans of the genre and there is something wonderful about that.

Lovely Complex Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Lovely Complex is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The Blu-ray release features a surprisingly exceptional upconversion to high-definition. Upconversions can sometimes bit hit or miss, sometimes only providing marginal-at-best improvements over standard-definition counterparts.

In this case, Discotek Media did a superior job with the upconversion and the quality of the encoding. As a result, the animation looks incredible on the release for an upconversion, with excellent colors and surprisingly good clarity for the animation. The line art is well highlighted and the art work certainly shines.

Sometimes the presentation is near native high-definition quality and that is saying something great about the process used by Discotek to create the master. The encode certainly shines and fans will feel pleased with the presentation quality. The release doesn't suffer from egregious encoding issues that sometimes are prevalent on standard-definition DVDs either.

Lovely Complex Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding sounds impressive with nice clarity and overall detail. Dialogue is easy to understand. While a somewhat reserved sounding soundtrack, the clarity sounds nice and the sound mix works well the production. Subtitles on the Japanese language presentation version are solid with good translation and the subs impress by not having egregious spelling or grammatical errors. Certainly, a nice encode by Discotek Media on the release.

Blu-ray continues to reward audio enthusiasts with a superior audio option compared to streaming platforms – the audio quality on streaming services remains more limited with lossy (non-lossess) encoding and physical media continues to provide a higher-quality option for those who want to eek out the absolute best possible quality in their media. Every 'bit' counts and can make a difference in audio appreciation. Sometimes the difference is subtle – other times, not so subtle – but regardless it can impact enjoyment of music and the audio recording.

Lovely Complex Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a beautiful o-card slipcover. The slipcover design features unique key artwork that is different from the artwork highlighted underneath the slipcover (on the main cover-sleeve). A nice design touch by Discotek Media. These types of design choices always make the release feel more special compared to a standard release. The package looks great in hand and will also look great when it is displayed on the shelf.

Disc 1:

English Dub Staff Commentaries:

Episode 3 with ADR Directors Marissa Lenti & Brendan Blaber, and Tom Laflin (Voice of Haruka)

Episode 5 with ADR Directors Marissa Lenti & Brendan Blaber, and Oz "Siv" Ryan (Voice of Seiko)

Disc 2:

Clean Opening #1 (HD, 1:14)

Clean Opening #2 (HD, 1:30)

Clean Ending #1 (HD, 1:35)

Clean Ending #2 (HD, 1:19)

Final Episode Clean Ending (HD, 1:30)

Dub Bloopers (SD, 13:24)

Lovely Complex Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lovely Complex is a charming anime and one that will appeal to fans of slice-of-life anime series with an emphasis on characters and their journeys. The series is not for the action-crowd and it has a joyful quality to it that is delightful. The animation is one of the great highlights of the series and the animators certainly made something special. The Blu-ray release has a stunning high-definition upcoversion and this is a great upgrade for fans of the series to cherish.

The release also has a surprisingly decent supplemental package with some audio commentaries. The release also provides fans with a superb slipcover with unique artwork (different from the sleeve artwork under the slipcover) – adding a nice touch of collectability that makes the release feel even more special in hand. Recommended.