Maria Watches Over Us: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Maria Watches Over Us: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

An anime classic arrives in a complete series set.

Maria Watches Over Us is a romantic-drama exploring an all-girl Catholic school and the unique journeys of the students. The story is set against the backdrop of Musashino, Tokyo. Produced by Kouta Sugiyama and Shinichi Ikeda, Maria Watches Over Us is a popular anime classic based on the original novels by Oyuki Konno.

Yumi Fukuzawa (Kana Ueda) is a shy and timid young student attending the Lillian Girls' Academy school. The all-girl Catholic school tradition is for older students to help guide and teach younger students about the school and its activities. Yumi finds herself surprised when the gorgeous Sachiko Ogasawara (Miki Ito) soon expresses an interest in her as a mentor. As the two become close, rumors circle around the school about their unique relationship. Could Yumi and Sachiko be lovers? A unique journey of the heart unfolds.

The animation of Maria Watches Over Us is impressive. The series backdrop works well and helps the storytelling. The character designs by Akira Matsuhima (Demon Slayer, Rave Master) are unique and well-suited to the production. The character aesthetics work well with the material.

The art direction by Nobuto Sakamoto (Slam Dunk, Hunter X Hunter) helps the overall animation to soar. The art direction explores the school, the church, the park, and other connected locations in the series story. The church location is well animated and the design seems effective: providing ample opportunity for the animators to create the saga.

The journey of the heart begins.

The music is one of the highlights of Maria Watches Over Us. Featuring a theme song composed by Mikiya Katakura, the music provides a lush background to the art. The score composed by Mikiya Katakura (.hack//Roots, CLAMP School Detectives) is creative and works like a charm. The score certainly seems to fit the tone and atmosphere of the production.

Written by Reiko Yoshida (Aria: The Animation, The Cat Returns), Maria Watches Over Us is a interesting take on a anime with religious backdrops. Exploring romance between the girls, the storytelling will appeal to the LGBTQ crowd. The characters are uniquely compelling.

Directed by Yukihiro Matsuhita (Gravitation, Hunter X Hunter), Maria Watches Over Us is worth checking out. Fans of period-piece anime series will want to take a look. There is a compelling backdrop for the story and the animation is worthwhile.

Maria Watches Over Us: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Maria Watches Over Us is presented in the original television broadcast aspect ratio. Seasons 1 and 2 are presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. Seasons 3 and 4 are presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. Each season in the series appears to be sourced from a standard-definition (SD) upscale. The animation never appears to be in native high-definition and the image-quality is inherently soft. The picture-quality shows signs of artifacts at times – and is never as crisp as one would want for a standard production. Colors look a bit drab and muted – never leaping off of the screen. A rather underwhelming presentation.

Maria Watches Over Us: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 with English subtitles. The audio quality is decent sounding but not as remarkable as one might hope it to be. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand but the sound design is rather limited and uninspired. The music is the only element that really shines (though it does sound relatively clear). A decent sound mix.

Maria Watches Over Us: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Season 1:

Don't Tell Mother Maria Shorts (HD, 9:55)

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:10)

Season 2:

Don't Tell Mother Maria Shorts (HD, 9:55)

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:07)

Season 3 (OVA):

Don't Tell Mother Maria Shorts (HD, 7:39)

Clean Opening Animations (HD, 10:35)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 8:40)

Season 4:

Don't Tell Mother Maria Shorts (HD, 9:57)

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

Maria Watches Over Us: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Maria Watches Over Us is worth checking out for anime fans interested in romantic-dramas. The production has a unique backdrop with an all-girls Catholic school. The complete series set is impressive (with all four seasons) and a decent selection of extras for an anime release. The presentation quality does leave a bit to be desired – with average PQ/AQ (as a standard-definition upscale). Nonetheless, fans of Maria Watches Over Us will want to own the series.