Nozo x Kimi: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Nozo x Kimi: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Nozo x Kimi is a sex comedy created by Wakoh Honna. Produced by Hiro Torimitsu, Ryo Oyama, and Tomokazu Iizumi, the anime series is a short program which wasn’t a runaway success when it first premiered on television in Japan. Featuring original animation production by studio ZEXCS (Chrome Shelled Regios, A Dark Rabbit Has Seven Lives), Nozo x Kimi delivers more over-the-top sexcapades. Licensed for home media release by Sentai Filmworks in North America, Nozo x Kimi will appeal squarely to its target audience.

Kimio Suga (Yūsuke Kobayashi) hides away in a girls locker-room while hoping to gleam some beautiful bosoms. Yet the peeping tom fantasy turns chaotic when Kimio begins to fear the possibility of being caught in the locker! Yet he finds solace when discovered by the sexy Nozomi Komine (Ayaka Suwa), who decides to enlist Kimio for some personal “services” in her bedroom (rather than simply have peeping- tom Kimio get embarrassed). As the blackmail ensues, the sexual escapades get more complicated by the minute. Can Kimio survive the games of Nozomi?

The series could have been a bigger success if it had achieved a better cast roster than the end product provides audiences. The core leading characters aren’t particularly interesting. The characterizations given to both Kimio Suga and Nozomi Komine fall flat and never deliver something of particular importance. Nothing is particularly memorable about these anime characters and that is one of the biggest flaws of the production.

The animation is average-at-best and doesn’t seem to ever aim for perfection. The art direction by Masaru Amamizu (Thunderbirds 2086, Ultra B: Dictator B.B. from the Black Hole) simply seems to provide modest animation and there is never a sense of the series being as thoughtful in its art direction. The overall approach is underwhelming and seems rather low-budget by nature. This production element (regarding the budget) may have been a strong contributing factor to the series failing to achieve more success.

The character designs by Hiromitsu Hagiwara (Saint Beast ~Ikusen no Hiru to Yoru Hen~, Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc) are decent enough. Yet these character designs are non-distinct. These character designs seem acceptable for the type of series Nozo x Kimi is but there also is certainly nothing particularly special about the end results.

The score composed by Kanō Kawashima (Anyamaru Tantei Kiruminzū) is sub-par and fails to make any meaningful impression. The series music is below-average and simply sounds like bland background music. The end result is certainly underwhelming. There is not much to celebrate about the score composed by Kawashima.

The cinematography by Takashi Yanagida (Dusk maiden of Amnesia, Everything for Demon King Evelogia) is reasonably engaging. The colors look bright and cheery and the lighting on the animation looks nice. Though it certainly lacks as much imagination as better series, the cinematography by Yanagida is a decent-enough effort. It fits the tone of the series.

Written by Hideki Shirane (Date A Live, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?), Nozo x Kimi is less inventive than some might hope to find. The concept doesn’t bring anything new to the table and simply repeats the same over-the-top scenarios some audiences have come to expect from this type of anime production. The writing is bland. The characters are dull. The story has nothing to say.

Directed by Masato Jinbo (Legend of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal, Restaurant to Another World), Nozo x Kimi is an underwhelming anime production. Though it has some decent direction, the overall effort is nonetheless sub-par (especially given the weak concept and storytelling). Director Jinbo didn’t have much to even work with. The results are sub-par and only die-hard fans of the genre will find this worthwhile at all.

Nozo x Kimi: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Nozo x Kimi is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation of the series is impressive. Color reproduction is excellent on the release. The encoding is superb. The animation is certainly well showcased. The character designs, line art, and background animation look good. An impressive encoding that capably preserves the modest animation. A strong effort by Sentai.

Nozo x Kimi: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). There is no English dub option provided on the release. English dub fans will have to watch the series in the original Japanese. While there is no doubt in my mind that anime fans hoping for an English dub option on this release will find the final product to be somewhat disappointing by default, the lossless Japanese audio certainly still sounds impressive. Dialogue is clear and crisp. The score is well integrated in to the sound design. A solid encoding by Sentai.

Nozo x Kimi: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Alice in Borderland (HD, 1:32), Say "I Love You" (HD, 1:36), Peter Grill and the Philosopher's Time (HD, 1:34), and Magical Girl Site (HD, 1:33).

Nozo x Kimi: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nozo x Kimi is an average-at-best anime series which was short lived and only had three episodes. Though the series is far from being a memorable experience, those looking for a silly and over-the-top sex-comedy anime may find it worth checking out if expectations are low. Unfortunately, that's about all there is to it. Nozo x Kimi is dull and the characters are uninspired. The Blu-ray release has a strong video and audio presentation. The release has no supplemental features (aside from some promotional trailers for other Sentai Filmworks releases). Fans will find the release worthwhile but most audiences will find Nozo x Kimi to be underwhelming and worth skipping.