Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Outbreak Company: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Terrific. Ignore assumptions, expectations and that cover and give Outbreak Company a spin...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown April 22, 2015

One look at Outbreak Company's cover art tells you exactly what kind of anime it is. Except, wait. Hold on. It's... not that anime? It's really, really... good? Yep, you read that right. Outbreak Company is remarkable on a number of fronts, none more crucial to the series' appeal and charm than its subversion and deconstruction of everything from genre tropes to otaku culture, anime and manga contrivances, racism and bigotry, Japan's hot-button political issues, and the relationship between fantasy, obsession and real-world expectation. Even the director Kei Oikawa and writer Naruhisa Arakawa's light, initially stereotypical fan service is more complex than it first appears, continually putting the viewer in a difficult yet strangely comfortable position of examining and reflecting on his or her tastes, preferences, perversions and chosen fandom. It's smartly penned, cleverly conceived comedy, and it isn't afraid to embrace satire, parody and social commentary to plunge deeper than other anime of its ilk and explore considerably relevant topics with a fun, often hilarious, always pleasant, never mean-spirited wink-and-a-knowing-nod.

Shinichi Kanou's father writes novels and his mother illustrates erotic video games, so it's not unsurprising that he'd turn out a fan of comics and science fiction. However, rather than channeling his efforts into creating like his parents, he has instead become one of the world's foremost experts on "moe," with an encyclopedic knowledge of all things cute and adorable in every conceivable form of animation and media. This sort of explains Shinichi's recruitment as an ambassador for moe to the Holy Erudanto Kingdom, a parallel world where things that previously only existed in anime actually exist! How will a hot blooded young otaku react when dropped into a world with actual cute and adorable elf maids and dragons? More importantly, how will they react to this drooling devotee with diplomatic credentials? And even more to the point, exactly why does the Japanese government feel that sending someone to represent Japan's moe interests is a good idea in the first place?

Outbreak Company makes no apologies or excuses in its 12-episode run, instead flipping anime convention on its head and taking a close look at everything that makes it and its fans tick. Shinichi is one of those fans, and his love of manga and anime give him unique insight into the Eldant Empire's problems, offering him up as a messiah of sorts only to strip away his authority and confidence, bit by bit, piece by piece, as misadventures, bad judgment, a disingenuous government, and shattered expectations teach the teacher a thing or two. Slowly but surely, fantasy gives way to reality as Shinichi discovers just how human his newfound inhuman friends really are, and how much more impossible -- and manipulative -- his task of forging peace in an unknown land may be. Watching him stumble oh so eagerly and enthusiastically into situations he's only dreamed of and fantasized about sets up each punch, while the disappointment, disillusionment and, ultimately, revelation that follows connects with welcome power. Shinichi isn't just an anime fan's gateway into Erudanto and the series; he's everything an obsessive fan hopes to be, actually is, and eventually becomes, just through a more hands-on string of lessons that your average otaku is likely to find in a room crammed full of manga and anime on Blu-ray.

The other characters are equally amusing, and oftentimes endearing. There's no real villain to point to, other than perhaps the shortsighted government opportunists, and even less in the way of world-ending, apocalyptic conflict. The war Shinichi encounters is one of deep-seated ideas, principles and prejudices, and his ability to relate to the fantasy creatures and companions he meets is only as strong as his willingness to adapt and change. His selfish pursuits get him nowhere, his humbler attributes waver on occassion, and his friends rarely compromise as quickly or as easily as he'd like. It's this role of anointed everyman (or everyotaku), not to mention his lack of magic spells or superpowers, that make Outbreak Company work as well as it does, that allows its satire to resonate, its jokes and references to hit home, and its point to resonate. I'm still shocked how much of the series clicks into place -- despite a hurried, neat-n-tidy conclusion -- and how much of it has something legitimately interesting to say. Obviously the more in-tune with anime and manga culture you are, the more you'll get out of Outbreak Company. Not that newcomers and casual fans will be lost. They might miss a punchline or two here or there, but they'll come away with an education of sorts, plenty to think about, and a nice assortment of laughs (subtle and not-so-subtle), all via a snappy, well-crafted story that's home to a wonderfully likeable cast of characters. Not too shabby.

The Blu-ray release of Outbreak Company features twelve episodes spread across two BD-50 discs:

• I Landed in Another World: Kanou Shinichi, a hardcore otaku, suddenly loses conciousness during a job interview. When he wakes up, he finds himself in the Holy Eldant Empire, a world right out of fantsy. There he meets Myucel Foalan, a maid hired to take of him, and Koganuma Minori, his new personal bodygaurd, but he still doesn't understand his situation. Still confused, the man who interviewed him visits his new residence to reveal a shocking truth.
• I-I'd Better Watch It: After safely(?) finishing his audience with Petralka Eldant the Third, Empress of the Holy Eldant Empire, Shinichi recieves permission to conduct business as General Entertainment Firm: AmuTec. When he asks Matoba for the details of his mission, his only reply is "To be frank, we don't really know, either." He decides to start by selecting works the people of Eldant are likely to go crazy for and teaching Myucel Japanese, but then Petralka comes to inspect his work.
• Though Art Invaders: It's been one month since Shinichi came to another world. With the mansion growing too small for his study sessions, work on constructing a school to teach Otaku culture was steadily under way in Eldant. Everything seemed to be going well for AmuTec, but a mysterious shadow began to approach once the school was complete.
• Furry Spy: With Myucel safely recovered from the injury bore in the terrorist attack, matters began to settle and the school opened for classes. Still, the words of Alessio, the leader of the terrorists, echoed in his mind. "Am I an invader?" As Shinichi searches for the answer to this question, he begins teaching classes. Then one evening on his way home from school, Minori's smart phone alerts them to a trespasser--Elbia Hernaiman, a spy from a neighboring nation.
• This Really is Another World: Setting his sights on Elbia's talent, Shinichi manages to hire her as AmuTec's personal illustrator. While the rapid pace at which his students absorb his lessons surprises him, Shinichi continues to enjoy teaching them and begins a passionate lecture on his specialty, bishoujo games. Minori is just as happy to the students enjoying her introduction to BL. Yet when Shinichi heads for the classroom again, he hears the sounds of elves and dwarves getting into an argument.
• Soccer... Soccer?: Shinichi has been hoping to find a way to resolve the racial tensions at their school, and when he uncovers a soccer ball within the goods brought in from Japan, he comes up with the idea of strengthening their bond through sports.
• Maid in Japan: The Japanese government has been frequently mistaking Shinichi's orders for anime Blu-Rays and DVDs. Finally his patience has run out, and Shinichi demands to return to Japan so he can gather the lesson materials himself. However, Myucel manages to sneak along, and the two of them enjoy some unexpected time alone together.
• The Melancholy of Her Imperial Majesty: Petralka has stumbled into the hikikomori lifestyle, and the only way for Shinichi to bring her back is to dive in head first. But what he finds may challenge him, and what he tries to accomplish may challenge everyone around him.
• Swimsuits of the Dead: "This is amazing! It really is my own swimsuit episode!" To burn up Minori's accrued vacation time, Galius arranges for them to stay at the Imperial Villa, and Shinichi is surrounded by several beautiful girls in swimsuits.
• Magical Girl Petralka: Footage taken by the SDF of the previous friendly soccer game has leaked, and Matoba is panicking. Certain otaku on the internet have already managed to identify the SDF squad using their emblems and equipment as hints.
• Plot Silent, Plot Deep: The otaku culture being brought into Japan has begun to permeate Eldant, and one student is finally starting to write his own light novels while the other students are fighting over the new works being imported from Japan.
• Shoot the Invaders!: After Shinichi proposed that Eldant become self-sufficient and create its own otaku culture, the Japanese government begins to plot his assasination. However, thanks to Eldant guards, the assasination attempt is thwarted, and peace returns to his life. The Japanese government even lifts the restrictions on importation, ending his shortage of works for his lessons. Meanwhile, Bahalaim makes a move to invade, attacking Eldant and causing an explosion at their school.

Outbreak Company: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Outbreak Company's 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode is rather soft, yet doesn't exhibit any signs of an inadequate presentation. Faithful to Studio Feel's animation and diffuse lighting, the series fares quite well, with bright, sunny colors, vibrant primaries, satisfying black levels, and consistent contrast and clarity. The series' line art isn't razor sharp, but there also isn't any indication that noise reduction or other unwelcome techniques are involved. Backgrounds are lovely, the animators' character art is disarming, expressive and, above all, represented respectfully, and the encode is notably proficient. There are hints of banding here and there -- all of which trace back to the source animation -- but no other significant anomalies invade the presentation. Sentai's high definition image is as perfectly pleasant as the show itself.

Outbreak Company: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Outbreak Company offers two lossless options: a Japanese-language DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track and an English dubbed DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix. Both are excellent, with clear, intelligible voicework, engaging sound effects, and roomy, carefully prioritized soundscapes, and the only disappointment to be had is with the lack of LFE support and rear speaker activity.

Outbreak Company: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Aside from Clean Opening & Closing Animations and a handful of Sentai Filmworks trailers, the two-disc Complete Collection Blu-ray release of Outbreak Company doesn't include any special features.

Outbreak Company: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Outbreak Company is one of the most surprising and refreshing anime's I've encountered in some time, and I genuinely relished the chance to dive into the next episode. Things get a little convenient near the 12-episode season's endgame, but the series was smart, funny and caught me off guard on more than one occasion, subverting, deconstructing, and flipping tropes on their head in an effort to provide actual fan service. (Rather than the anime dictionary's usual definition of "fan service.") Sentai's Blu-ray release is excellent too, with a strong AV presentation. I would have liked to see more supplemental material, but don't let that factor into your decision whatsoever. Outbreak Company was an unexpected treat. Be sure to sample it for yourself.