My Isekai Life: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

My Isekai Life: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

My Isekai Life (with the lengthy sub-title: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World! ) is an action-adventure with a fast-paced sense of rhythm. Created by Shinkoshoto, My Isekai Life features original character designs by Huuka Kazabana. With animation production by Revoroot (FLCL Alternative, I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level) and original music production by Pony Canyon (Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail), My Isekai Life offers fans of the genre some exciting energy and fast-paced action.

Yūji (Chiaki Kobayashi) isn’t an experienced Monster Tamer in the slightest. Far from being a master of taming monsters at the start, Yūji is nothing more than an ordinary novice from the land of Japan (a different world in this realm, if you will). Nonetheless, Yūji has a stroke of unexpected luck with an interesting dungeon party shaking things up.

The party is one that leads to Yūji being able to absorb a bunch of slime which ultimately provides Yūji with the all-powerful abilities of an important Sage and the abilities only known to those in the second class. Yūji also gets help from a powerful forest spirit known as Dryad (Azumi Waki) and a magical wolf. Now in a new role with a mission to succeed, Yūji faces off against a band of cults, slavers, and even giant rock dragons.

The characters on the series help to propel the action-adventure forward. Yūji must face the difficulties of learning to be a monster tamer and the journey isn’t one that is easy. There is a lot at stake with Yūji facing some of his biggest battles to date. My Isekai Life explores that component of the character.

The risks are high for the protagonist. Alongside forest spirit Dryad, the characters embark on a big journey with perils against dragons and more. This is how the characters explore their own mission along the way. Featuring worthwhile anime character designs by Keisuke Kojima, My Isekai Life offers character designs that help to fit the genre.

The animation on My Isekai Life isn’t as good as on some productions but it is reasonably engaging and offers some nice artwork for an action-adventure series. The chief animation direction by Keisuke Goto (I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level) and Norihito Saitama (I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World) works reasonably well and there is something noteworthy about the style of art and the artistic style ushered in by Goto and Saitama. The art direction by Aiko Taira (Kandagawa Jet Girls, Strike the Blood II) contributes to the spectacle of the experience as well. The team of animators had some fun exploring the landscape of an action-adventure series and the genre roots that this sort of production entails. The result is something that has a bigger canvas from which to work from.

The cinematography by Shunsuke Kobayashi (Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace) is one of the strengths of My Isekai Life. The cinematography looks impressive and has a colorful and vibrant aesthetic style. The tone of the action-adventure series is certainly enhanced by the effort from Kobayashi. This was a nice component of the anime – the sleek cinematography plays a nice role in the series sense of fun.

The score composed by Gin (Pop Team Epic, This Art Club Has a Problem!) is engaging and fits the action template of the series. While the score by Gin is not as top-notch as the best action-adventure anime scores, the results are still engaging enough to help carry the adrenaline-packed action forward. The score provides a good backdrop to the series and finds the right notes to keep things moving. While perhaps not as epic in scope as something like My Hero Academia or One Piece, the score for this production still works well enough for the anime.

Written by Naohiro Fukushima (I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, Dai - Shogun - Great Revolution), My Isekai Life doesn’t have as imaginative a story as some anime series. The writing doesn’t feel as ambitious as it could be. The concept is compelling but the execution leaves a little to be desired as the script could have been a bit more well- rounded. Nonetheless, the writing is decent enough and contributes to the action-backdrop of the series.

Directed by Keisuke Kojima (Psycho-Pass 2, ACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Dept.), My Isekai Life isn’t a total home run as a production but it is a genre series that action fans will want to check out for the vibrant animation and the spectacle that it offers. My Isekai Life provides the adrenaline for action-adventure crowds seeking something new. This may big the biggest draw for some – simply the big action sequencing and what these genre elements can offer to fans who are seeking something fun. Kojima proves to be a competent director with these action elements.

My Isekai Life: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, My Isekai Life is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release has impressive high-definition visuals. The animation looks robust on the release. Color reproduction is excellent and manages to preserve the color spectrum of the animation. This is one of the strengths of the video presentation.

The animation shines with good detail for the line art and background animation. The encoding is solid as well (with good compression). Unlike streaming alternatives, the Blu-ray has superior bit-rates and this allows for some extra breathing room on the release. A reasonably good presentation and one that was handled well by distributor Sentai Filmworks.

My Isekai Life: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding on the release offers an impressively crisp and detailed soundstage. The stereo audio option provides solid dynamics for both English and Japanese presentations. The English subtitles are solid and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors. Streaming options only offer a lossy audio soundtrack without as much depth to the audio presentation and the fidelity is certainly superior with the Blu-ray format (something that is of huge importance to audiophiles seeking the best quality presentation).

My Isekai Life: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The one area of the release that could have used some improvement is the supplemental package. The release does not provide much in the way of bonus features. The package comes in a standard Blu-ray case and does not include an o-card slipcover.

The set might have been more well rounded with audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and photo galleries. Unfortunately, the release is almost barebones and there is not much content included for the supplemental package. On disc extras include:

Clean Opening Animations (HD, 3:04)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 20:55)

Japanese Promos (HD, 3:22)

My Isekai Life: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

My Isekai Life isn't a total home run as an action-adventure series but it does offer genre enthusiasts some more adrenaline- packed fun. The series has a colorful aesthetic and the animation looks nice overall. The series features direction by Keisuke Kojima (Psycho-Pass 2) and chief screenwriting by Naohiro Fukushima (I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level). Even though the script isn't as strong as on some action anime series, action fans may wish to check out the series just for the action sequencing.

The Blu-ray has impressive video and audio. The lossless audio is provided in both English and Japanese (with English subtitles). The supplemental package is a bit underwhelming and the one area that might deter fans from purchasing the set. Nonetheless, fans of My Isekai Life seeking a nice physical copy to put on the shelf will be pleased with the quality of the presentation. Recommended.