Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

An action-packed anime for genre fans.

Moribito is an action-packed saga from animation studio Production I.G. (FLCL, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence). The anime series is produced by Akio Matsuda (Ergo Proxy, Someday's Dreamers), Hisako Matsumoto (Morizo and Kiccoro, Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE), Shinjiro Yokoyama (Outlaw Star, Tenchi in Tokyo), and Tomoyasu Nishimura (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society, Library War). Fans of exciting adventure sagas may wish to check it out.

The Second Empress (Emi Shinohara) hires a legendary spear-bearing warrior known as Balsa (Mabuki Ando) for a special mission to protect her son from threats of murder. Balsa is tasked with protecting the son, Chagum (Naoto Adachi), from assassins sent to murder him (before a “foretold” drought believed to come from him causes havoc on the entire empire). Can Balsa save Chagum's life and redeem herself of her own troublesome past?

The series animation is impressive to behold. The animation team produced a series with exceptional artwork and design. The character designs are impressive as well. Background art work makes the biggest impression, with the landscapes looking extremely colorful and creative: making this a production which is more cinematic in approach. Featuring stellar art direction by Yusuke Takeda (Sword Art Online, Giant Robo: The Animation), Moribito is a series that certainly manages to have a distinct visual style.

A journey awaits.

The cinematography by Koji Tanaka (Ghost in the Shell Arise, Eden of the East) is evocative and stylistically rewarding. Moribito is a series with colorful grandeur: the lighting having shades of exuberant light and solemn darkness (which enhances the tone and mood of the production). The cinematographic style is worth noting for its creative embellishments.

The music score composed by Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence ) is one of the best elements of the production. Kawai is one of the most gifted composers in anime history. A composer with a strong sense of creativity, Kawai imbues the music with his renowned style. The production has themes enhancing the filmmaking.

Under the head direction of filmmakers Kodai Kakimoto (BanG Dream!, Cyborg 009: Call of Justice), Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Eden of the East), and Tomoki Kyoda (Fullmetal Alchemist, Eureka Seven), Moribito is a compelling anime series. Director Kamiyama contributes as the lead screenwriter. The artistic approach to the production is creative: this is a inventive series with a unique stylistic approach. The filmmakers imbue something unique to the production in this regard. Fans of sword-and-sandal stories will find Moribito worth checking out.

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Moribito is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series has beautiful encoding. The native high-definition presentation is impressively detailed. Colors are one of the best elements of the presentation. The series explores both light and dark visual styles: with the colorful animation heightening the mood of the production (and the encoding preserving these fine details). A strong high-definition presentation.

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with English subtitles). The English subtitles are non-removable on the Japanese language presentation provided on the release. The lossless, high resolution audio sounds impressive on the release. Dialogue is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The music score composed by Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell) benefits from the high-fidelity audio as well. The sound effects are well integrated in to the surround mix. There are some interesting sounding effects: the push of a blade or the gentle breeze of the wind. The score is well highlighted by the surrounds as well.

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:34)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:37)

Moribito Panel Discussion (SD, 10:03)

Japanese Promo (SD, 2:48)

Japanese Trailers (SD, 6:47)

Cast Press Conference (SD, 7:29)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II (HD, 1:31), Beyond the Boundary (HD, 1:31), Z/X Code Reunion (HD, 1:33), and Bodacious Space Pirates (HD, 1:33).

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Moribito is an interesting series with a compelling concept. When The Second Empress (Emi Shinohara) learns that her son might be murdered by assassins due to a foretold drought that is believed to be caused by him in the future, the Empress hires the spear-wielding Balsa (Mabuki Ando) to help protect her son from murderous savages. An epic journey begins.

The series has beautiful animation and nice production values. The animation is one of the key elements that makes a strong impression. Under the art direction of Yusuke Takeda (Sword Art Online, Giant Robo: The Animation), Moribito is a compelling anime series.

The original music score by Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence) is a highlight. The series has plenty of action-adventure for fans of the genre. Worth checking out.