Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Detonation Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Detonation Blu-ray Movie Review

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation is the second feature-film in the anime franchise. Created by Masaki Tsuzuki, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation is an action-packed fantasy epic with spectacle aplenty. The film features animation produced by Seven Arcs Pictures. Featuring voice performances by Satomi Satou, Yōko Hikasa, Kana Asumi, Haruka Tomatsu, Nana Mizuki, and Yukari Tamura.

Following the events of the first feature-film, Kirie Florian (Satomi Satou) finds that the dangers of the Book of Darkness being unleashed ultimately brings new threats to the world at large. Her friend, Iris (Yōko Hikasa), managed to trick her into awakening the powers of the book. Iris hoped to seek her revenge against Yūri (Kana Asumi). Unfortunately, the powers awakened by the book are highly dangerous and these new dangers awakened by Iris are a threat to everyone.

Now it is up to Kirie Florian and Amitie Florian (Haruka Tomatsu) to find a solution. Joining the sisters are their allies Fate T. Harlaown (Nana Mizuki) and Nanoha Takamachi (Yukari Tamura) from the Time-Space Administrative Bureau. Can the fate of the world be saved by these fighters? Can the Florian sister’s father still be saved?

The characters are an essential part of the film and the story. The lead characters are charming and a fun part of the journey. These characters are brought to life with compelling character designs by Issei Aragaki (Vladlove, Extreme Hearts), Kana Hashidate (Dog Days'), and Osamu Sakata (Dog Days'': Limone Resort Tenbou Onsen!). The designs add a lot of charm to the film and help these characters to stand out from the crowded sea of anime character designs.

The animation is impressive and one of the highlights of the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation production. The animation features solid art direction by Scott MacDonald (TsukiPro the Animation, Majestic Prince: Wings to the Future). Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation also highlights chief animation direction by Issei Aragaki (ViVid Strike!, Waiting in the Summer), Kana Hashidate (Trinity Seven, Extreme Hearts), Osamu Sakata (Dog Days, The Familiar of Zero: Rondo of Princesses), and Yūki Morimoto (Miss Monochrome, Boarding School Juliet).

The animation is superior to some modern anime series and films and has a creative style that works well for the production. The team of animators did an impressive job of bringing the film to life and showcasing the fine line art and style of the film. The storyboards by Takayuki Hamana (Yo-kai Watch, The Prince of Tennis) are well realized by the animators, too. The entire aesthetic of the animation is sleek, sophisticated, and energetic.

The cinematography by Yui Tanaka (Trinity Seven: Eternal Library & Alchemic Girl, Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls) is a highlight of the filmmaking. Tanaka is a talented cinematographer and the film is beautiful – the cinematography a lush element of the production. The cinematography does an impressive job of highlighting the animation and bringing the best out of the art style.

The score composed by Misa Chūjō (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1^st, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha the Movie 2nd A's) is energetic fun. The score has a sense of action-packed whimsy that is entertaining. The music feels adrenaline- packed and it adds the right quotient of adventure to the filmmaking.

Written by Masaki Tsuzuki (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Dog Days), Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation has a decent script. The storytelling isn’t the best thing about the film but it does have an ensemble of fun characters. Tsuzuki does a decent job with the script and providing some fun moments for the main cast of characters.

Directed by Takayuki Hamana (The Prince of Tennis, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen), Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation is all about the action-packed fantasy. The filmmaking is often non-stop in the action arena and the fight scenes add a lot of excitement to the production. As an action director, Hamana has fun with the characters and concept while showcasing some epic and intense battles, highlighting the film with plenty of thrills. Action fans are the target audience here and the film has balanced these moments well with plenty of intensity throughout the feature.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Detonation Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation on the release is excellent and there are a lot of impressive aspects. An effective sense of depth and detail is present during the transfer. The line art and background art are reproduced well. The encoding quality is good and the action scenes flow well with the quality of the encoding by Discotek handling the presentation well.

The Blu-ray release has a solid bit-rate and the presentation will appeal to anime fans seeking the best possible picture-quality for the release. One of the best things about the Blu-ray format in the age of streaming is knowing that you will get a better presentation compared to streaming services (with video streaming services offering a compressed image with lower bit-rates compared to disc options on the market). For true videophiles, Blu-ray remains the essential way to get the best presentation.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Detonation Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. English subtitles are provided. The sound direction by Toshiki Kameyama (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Non Non Biyori) is well preserved with the lossless audio encoding. The audio presentation has good clarity and detail overall. Dialogue is clear and is well reproduced. The surround sound channels are actively engaged for the presentation and the 5.1 presentation provides plenty of fun channel separation with the sound effects from the big action battles coming through crystal clear on the release. The score is also well reproduced on the release. One of the best qualities of the Blu-ray disc format is the manner in which it provides audiences with superior audio quality to streaming video services. Streaming video platforms typically only offer audio quality in CD quality or lower (often MP3 quality). Audiophiles can feel confident knowing that whatever option there is on a streaming platform is encoding with lower bit-rates compared to the Blu-ray disc option.

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Detonation Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover artwork is the same as the artwork underneath the slipcover but the quality of the o-card still adds some considerable value to the package as a nice collectible. Discotek continues to do an excellent job in this arena and the packaging is impressive.

Unfortunately, as with the Discotek release of the previous entry in the anime franchise, the package doesn't excel in the supplemental arena. The package is lackluster when it comes to on-disc bonus features and leaves a lot to be desired. The release could have benefited from the inclusion of a documentary production, cast and crew interviews, and other behind-the-scenes featurettes. The release also lacks any art galleries highlighting sketches or production art produced during the film's development (which is something appreciable when similar features are provided on  other releases by Discotek).

The on disc supplemental features include:

TV Spots (HD, 2:00) promoting the release of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation.

Comiket Preview (HD, 2:26)

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Detonation Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation is a fun and charming action-packed fantasy. The film is a nice follow-up to the first feature, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Reflection. Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation adds some intense battle scenes and builds on the first film. Fans of the first will be entertained by the sequel and find it was worth the wait. The Blu-ray release provides a nice presentation with quality high-definition video and lossless audio encoding. The release also includes a o-card slipcover (which adds to the collectible value of the package). Fans of the first film will want to see the second film to see how the story progresses and to find out what happens next. Recommended.