New Game!: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

New Game!: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

A comedy series with a video-game spin.

New Game! is an anime series set within the world of video-games and their creation behind-the-scenes. The series is from original creator Shōtarō Tokunō. The animation is produced by Doga Kobo (A Bridge to the Starry Skies, Aria the Scarlet Ammo AA). The series is a blend of offbeat comedy and the slice-of-life genre.

Aoba Suzukaze (Yūki Takada) has been on a search for her dream job. Looking for something special and hoping to fulfill her dreams, Aoba stumbles on to the job of a lifetime for her: a video-game company office-job where she can make friends and explore the world of gaming. The job is a wonderful new venture for Aoba.

Yet the office culture at her new job is one with a lot of daydreaming, goofiness, and poor management. Aoba soon finds herself in over her head while she learns how to excel at the company. Can Aoba survive the video-game business culture? To game or not to game.

The series benefits from having a quirky cast of characters. New Game! is an anime series with some goofball characters who provide the series with a sense of charm that makes the production one that manages to be more noteworthy because of these elements. The central protagonist is on a journey which audiences will find relatable. The character explores a new avenue in her life and this is the manner in which the series character-development builds. Aoba Suzukaze takes viewers along for the journey.

The animation is reasonably impressive and the style of the production fits the tone of the genre well. The animators did a solid job of crafting the landscape of the office culture and the style of the work place environment. The art direction by Shunsuke Suzuki (Yuruyuri - Happy Go Lily, My Senpai Is Annoying) showcases these components and makes the setting comical when it needs to be. While certainly not a top-tier anime production from a design aesthetic, the animation still conveys the production needs well.

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The series benefits from solid character designs by Ai Kikuchi (Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Engaged to the Unidentified). The characters have unique styles which befit the genre of the series. These characters seem suited to the world of the production and the course of the anime. This is a production strength.

The score composed by Hajime Hyakkoku (Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, K-ON!) is one of the best components of the anime. Fans of Hyakkoku will recognize their sensibility as a composer from K-On! and appreciate the style of score music created for the series. This is a decent effort from Hyakkoku.

The cinematography by Takafumi Kuwano (Engaged to the Unidentified, Plastic Memories) fits the genre well. The lighting seems well-suited to the environment of the video-game workplace setting. The series has plenty of bright and colorful sequences. There are also scenes with cinematography which showcases the normality of the office workplace environment.

Written by Fumihiko Shimo (The Prince of Tennis, Amagi Brilliant Park), New Game! is a decent concept for an anime series. The storytelling provides opportunities for Shimo to explore both the characters and the comedy genre. While the storytelling isn't on the same level of anime classics, nonetheless, New Game! is a series which finds moments of comedy to appeal to fans of the genre.

Yoshiyuki Fujiwara (Love Lab, Tada Never Falls in Love) directs the anime. The directing is solid on the series. The production does a good job of balancing out the comedy of the program. The series is one with enough creativity and enthusiasm from Fujiwara to make audiences compelled to check the series out.

New Game!: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, New Game is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation is one with pleasing color reproduction. The series capably showcases the art of the animators. The encoding doesn't struggle with the material and does a solid job of preserving the animated details. As the series revolves around an office environment, there isn't a lot of fast-paced motion to make the encoding struggle: the encode is solid. A good effort from Funimation.

New Game!: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The audio quality on the release is worthwhile. Dialogue remains crisp throughout the program and is easy to understand. The original score composed by Hajime Hyakkoku is well integrated in to the sound mix.

New Game!: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

New Game! –

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:32)

Trailers (HD, 3:09)

New Game!! –

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:31)

Textless Closing Song 1 (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song 2 (HD, 1:32)

Trailers (HD, 5:35)

New Game!: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

New Game! is an anime series set against the backdrop of the video-game industry. The series has an effective animation style with art direction by Shunsuke Suzuki (My Senpai Is Annoying). The series features a solid concept. Written by Fumihiko Shimo (The Prince of Tennis), fans of the comedy genre might want to give the series a spin.

The production will appeal to video-game fans who are interested in both the concept and the comedic approach. Both seasons of the series are included on the release. (Both seasons have been identified by the "!" symbol attached at the end of the series title). The Blu-ray release features a solid video-audio presentation and a small selection of extras. Recommended.