Magical Girl Raising Project: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Magical Girl Raising Project: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

A magical-girl experience.

Magical Girl Raising Project is a fantasy series in the magical-girl anime genre. Created by Asari Endō, the program will primarily appeal to fans of magic-girl series such as Sailor Moon. Produced by Emi Kashimura (Ascendance of a Bookworm, Katana Maidens: Mini Toji) and Ken Minami (Tentai Senshi Sunred, Btooom!), the series provides the ingredients fans look to find in a fantasy genre series. The production was broadcast on Tokyo MX. The animation is produced by studio Lerche (Classroom of the Elite, Unbreakable Machine-Doll). Strike a pose.

Koyuki Himekawa is an ordinary girl with no special abilities or powers. Yet Koyuki finds herself in new territory when she becomes the lucky recipient of magical powers and is transformed into the classic hero, Snow White (Nao Tōyama). Joined by the enchanted Ripple (Manami Numakura), the girls are quickly engaged in a new game testing their skills. Who will win the crown as the best fighter in the tournament? As Snow White flips open her magic phone to save the day, the stakes get higher and higher.

The central protagonist leads the production forward. Himekawa explores her powers and her unique abilities in a manner that builds upon the concept of the production. The magical-girl element is one component of the series that is effective and the transformation into Snow White makes the epic journey all the more compelling as an exploration of magical-girls and their super-heroic qualities.

The animation is excellent and one of the best elements of the production. The animation direction by Ayano Fujita (Classroom of the Elite, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!) and Kōji Yukino (The Knight in the Area, Seven Senses of the Reunion) enhances the series. The background animation finds a balance of tonal qualities that fits the genre and the magical girl sensibilities. A production that is certainly enhanced by the colorful animation and the efforts of the team of animators.

Magic in the air.

The character designs by Yukiko Aikei (Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, Your Lie in April) are worthwhile. The designs certainly fit the genre and work well for the production. Fans of the popular magical-girl anime genre will find the designs created for Magical Girl Raising Project to be effectively brought to life. These character designs are also complimented by effective costumes befitting these characters.

The cinematography by Tomoyuki Kunii (Black Clover, High Card) is commendable and one of the most impressive components of the production. Kunii handles the visual elements at play in a creative and energetic manner. The cinematography enhances the magical-girl elements and provides a brighter visual aesthetic to the forefront of the series.

The score composed by Takurō Iga (Aria the Scarlet Ammo AA, The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting) isn’t quite as engaging as expected. Unfortunately, the score provided by Iga seems to lack the kind of memorable components one would hope to find in a magical girl series. Certainly, the score isn’t comparable to something like Sailor Moon or other more memorable scores. Even so, merely as background music for the production, the score evokes the emotions necessary to fit the action sequencing.

Written by Takao Yoshioka (Ikki Tousen, Demon King Daimao), Magical Girl Raising Project isn’t a home run. The series concept is interesting enough and it plays with the usual tropes of a magical girl series. These elements are certainly compelling enough for a decent program. Yet it lacks the originality or creativity as some of the best magical girl series have provided audiences. There is a sense that the production could have been even more creative.

Directed by Hiroyuki Hashimoto (Classroom of the Elite, Slow Start), Magical Girl Raising Project is a reasonably entertaining series. However, it also lacks the imagination present within the best magical girl programs and it doesn’t manage to exceed in every arena of the production. There are some aspects which might feel too familiar to some anime fans used to the genre.  Hashimoto creates an effective anime experience nonetheless but it also doesn’t manage to be an outright classic in the genre.

Magical Girl Raising Project: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation, Magical Girl Raising Project is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation capably handles the action sequences. The encoding is solid and showcases the action sequences in a effective manner. Color reproduction looks excellent and provides deep colors for the lighter and darker elements of the animation. This is a solid effort from Funimation.

Magical Girl Raising Project: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The Japanese language audio will be preferrable for purists seeking the most authentic experience. Dialogue is clear and the score sounds crisp. However, the English dub does provide audiences with a surround sound experience with some added ambiance. The surrounds expand the music soundstage and are a bit more involved than a stereo soundtrack.

Magical Girl Raising Project: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Promo Videos (HD, 6:53)

Web Previews (HD, 10:56)

Nemurin Messages (HD, 3:22)

Textless Opening Song "Sakebe" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "Dreamcatcher" (HD, 1:32)

Magical Girl Raising Project: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Magical Girl Raising Project is a fantasy magical-girl anime series which will appeal to its primary fan-base. The series might not be an outright classic but it does have fun playing with its concept. There certainly is an audience for the series. Fans of the program will appreciate that the release has an impressive video and audio presentation. The release includes a small but appreciable selection of extras. Recommended.