Nyanbo!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Nyanbo!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Nyanbo! is a cute and charming animated science-fiction fantasy. The series was created by Kiyohiko Azuma. The series features animation produced by Shirogumi Inc. (Antique Bakery, Baby Gamba). Featuring theme music composed and performed by Trio Ōhashi (featuring lyrics by micca), the production is a nice family-friendly series for fans of charming anime series.

Kotora (Rie Kugimiya) and Tora (Romi Park) are close siblings and the brother-sister are inseparable from one another. The siblings are also close friends with Mike (Junko Takeuchi), Shiro (Yui Horie), and Kuro (Yuko Sanpei). These cute-as-a-button characters are not technically cats (or of the feline species) but these characters are sweet-as-pie and look a lot like cats – the resemble is almost uncanny.

With the intergalactic characters stranded on Earth, the characters must band together to repair their space-age UFO, return home, and be at peace. Playing in the sun and spending time together while handling fun-and-games, the characters work to repair their spaceship.

A bevy of other intergalactic space-age characters join in on the fun: Sabatora (Ayaka Suwa), Blaze (Kazutoshi Hatano), Alpha (Kenichirō Matsuda), Magpie (Kiyohiro Yamaguchi), Zeta (Kiyohiro Yamaguchi), Kijitora (Sachika Misawa), and Socks (Yūji Kameyama). The characters have an overwhelming amount of work to do. Can the heroes return home?

The animation is beautiful and charming. The animation style is simplistic in design but the charm of the animation is vibrant and engaging. The character designs for the series are adorably cute and show an abundance of distinct creativity. The aesthetic is wonderful for the series.

The art style is unique for an anime and is a bit of a blend of traditional animation styles with modern CG animation. The animation is often overlayed over live-action footage as well (as part of the background). Great animation helps to make the series all the more compelling.

The score composed by Trio Ōhashi (Fruits Basket -prelude-) is charming and lighthearted fun. The score is remarkably cute and delightful as background music. The score certainly enhances the entire tone of the production. The music adds a lot of heart to the series. An upbeat and sweet background score.

Written and directed by Akira Iwamoto (Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture), Nyanbo! is an entertaining series with a good sense of creative fun. Iwamoto is a talented director and the scripts are handled in equally compelling fashion. The scripting is comedic fun and there is a sense of charm to the cast of characters and their goofy quest to return home via UFO. The production is all the more fun with a talented filmmaker at the helm. A nice family anime series.

Nyanbo!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, Nyanbo! is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series uses an interesting overlay of live-action and animation. The animation and live- action footage are both exceptionally crisp looking. The art style is vibrant and beautiful. The detailed animation looks impressive in high-definition and Discotek Media capably handled the series encoding.

Nyanbo!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release does not provide an English dub option. The lossless audio quality on the release is excellent and sounds remarkably crisp and clear during the presentation. The dialogue is well reproduced. The score is perfectly clear and well balanced in the stereo sound mix. Though dub fans might feel a little disappointed by the lack of an English language audio option, the Japanese audio is great.

Nyanbo!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release does not provide any on-disc supplemental features. The release could have benefited from some photo galleries. The only extra (of sorts) is the inclusion of a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover provides unique key artwork that is different from the artwork on the inner art sleeve. The package design is nice and the release looks great in hand.

Nyanbo!: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nyanbo! is a charming and delightful anime. The cute-and-cuddly animated characters are charming and engaging. The series has a nice family-friendly vibe and fans of kawaii anime will undoubtedly be impressed by the cute-as-a-button aesthetic.

The Blu-ray features a strong presentation with excellent video and audio quality. The release does not include any on-disc supplements but the release provides a nice o-card slipcover. Recommended.