Princess Principal: Crown Handler - Chapter 3 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Princess Principal: Crown Handler - Chapter 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 is an entertaining action-adventure spectacle for fans of the popular feature- film series. Produced by Hirotaka Kaneko (Dimension W, Land of the Lustrous), Toshikazu Sugimoto (Healer Girl, Momokuri), Yōhei Hata (The Misfit of Demon King Academy II, The Demon Girl Next Door), Yoko Baba (How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord, My Roommate is a Cat), and Yoshinori Hasegawa (Classroom For Heroes, The Misfit of Demon King Academy), Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 features animation by Actas (Girls und Panzer, Classroom For Heroes). Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 also features additional animation production by Shunpei Maruyama (Girls und Panzer, Regalia: The Three Sacred Stars). Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 also features original character designs by Kouhaku Kuroboshi.

Executive produced by Kazumi Kawashiro (Midori Days, Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike), Tomonori Furusako (Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory, Magical Sempai), Toshiyasu Hayashi (Flip Flappers, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), and Yoshikuni Murata (Princess Principal, Love and Lies), Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 is an ambitious production. Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 features opening theme song performances by Void_Chords and Yui Mugino. Ending theme song performances are by Akari Kageyama, Akira Sekine, Aoi Koga, Nozomi Furuki, and Yō Taichi. Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 features voice performances by Akira Sekine, Aoi Koga, Yō Taichi, Akari Kageyama, Miyuki Sawashiro, Nozomi Furuki, Takaya Hashi, Takayuki Sugō, and Yūko Iida.

Princess (Akira Sekine) and Ange (Aoi Koga) are back on a new adventure. Following the recent assassination of Crown Prince Edward, the question arises as to who will fill the shoes of the assassinated Prince. Who will become the new leader of the throne?

As Chapter 3 unfolds, the truth surrounding the assassination comes to light. The secret of who was in control of the assassination – who carried it out – is underway. The Control group also begins to search for more information on everyone in the Royal Family.

Ange and Dorothy (Yō Taichi) go undercover on a new mission. Meanwhile, Albion and the Kingdom are put to the ultimate test. Team White Pigeon has new stakes as the Control agents continue their spy missions in style.

The supporting cast of characters includes Beatrice (Akari Kageyama), 7 (Miyuki Sawashiro), Chise (Nozomi Furuki), the Duke of Normandy (Takaya Hashi), L (Takayuki Sugō), and Gazelle (Yūko Iida). Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 has an expansive cast of characters as the story delves further into the Control group and into the Albion kingdom. The journey of Team White Pigeon leads to more supporting character moments highlighted in Chapter 3.

The character artwork is one of the essential elements of the production. Featuring excellent character designs by Kimitake Nishio (Regalia: The Three Sacred Stars, Yutori-chan) and Yukie Akiya (Celestial Method, Healer Girl), Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 is an excellent showcase. The character designs are well-done and manage to stay true to the designs highlighted in the previous feature-film installments. The aesthetic works well alongside the other chapters (features) and the original anime production, too.

The mecha designs by Fumihiro Katagai (Sakura Wars the Animation, Trigun Stampede) add something special to Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 as well. The mecha elements in Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 are sometimes subtle but are highly appreciable. The designs are well-done and add to the sense of scale provided to the feature-film.

The animation is stunning and one of the best qualities of the production. There is so much to enjoy and appreciate in regards to the animation. Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 features superb animation overseen by chief animation director Kimitake Nishio (Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch, Classroom For Heroes). Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 also features noteworthy art direction by Miho Sugiura (Buddy Complex, Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East). The animation team managed to do some fantastic work with the production. The production showcases beautiful artistry throughout – from the background animation to the detailed line artwork.

The feature-film has a bold animation aesthetic and it feels more robust and larger in budget compared to typical productions. The animation team assembled clearly brought something special to the table with this third installment in the film series. The animators provide crisp artwork throughout and the results are outstanding – the impeccable sense of depth and wonder to the filmmaking is well worthwhile. The animators also do excellent work in bringing the action sequences to life – the intricacies of the animation do well in showcasing these visual qualities.

The cinematography by Yū Wakabayashi (EUREKA SEVEN AO, Ghost in the Shell: Arise Alternative Architecture) is a beautiful aspect of the feature-film production. Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 features gorgeous visuals in spades. The cinematography highlights the animation quite well and evokes the strengths of cinematic visuals. The cinematography is above-and-beyond with ambitious cinematographic flourishes that help to highlight the big budget quality of the anime feature- film.

Featuring a score composed by Yuki Kajiura (Noir, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba), Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 highlights beautiful music. The score is one of the best qualities of the feature. The music soars with fantastic vibrancy and detail. The music adds layers to the film and production. There is so much energy in the music and the score perfectly highlights the action and spectacle. The score works well for the character moments as well as the foundational aspects of the storytelling. Kajiura is one of the best anime film and television composers – with some of the best music in the entire medium. There is always something engaging and dependable about the great composer.

Written by Noboru Kimura (Solo Leveling, AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline), Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 is another entertaining installment in the franchise. The third entry has more fun with the central cast of characters. The journey of the saga continues to unfold with exciting action, adventure, and spectacle. The script does a solid job highlighting the characters. The dialogue is well done. The saga is fun and engaging. Perhaps the character storytelling isn’t as fleshed-out as the best scripts, but the level of care to the action scripting helps elevate the scale of the feature-film and the installment.

Directed by Masaki Tachibana (Blue Thermal, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0), Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 is another worthwhile entry in the popular film series. Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 has plenty of spectacle. The sense of energy apparent in the production is on display in spades. Director Tachibana has a great visual sensibility and the sense of dedication to the feature production is something to appreciate. Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 continues to provide excitement via robust action sequences and with high-octane energy. First and foremost, Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 is worth seeing for the action and the animation highlighting these splendid sequences. Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 feels enormously ambitious in scope and scale – well-suited for the theatrical-feature. Fans of the franchise will be quite thrilled by the continuing adventure.

Princess Principal: Crown Handler - Chapter 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation is superb and there is much to appreciate about the video quality on the release. The colorful and robust animation is well-highlighted. The cinematography shines on the release. The background animation and line artwork look superb and well detailed. The presentation provides robust clarity and detail. The colors "pop" with a good sense of visual fidelity that allows the efforts of the animators to be seen with the pop quality possible.

One of the many strengths of physical media and the Blu-ray disc format is the ability to have a consistent and pleasing encoding quality. Streaming video services sometimes fluctuate in presentation quality and are not as consistent as physical media presentations can provide. For home theater enthusiasts wanting the best possible experience, the Blu-ray disc format has distinctive gains. Enthusiasts often cherish these details and the higher bit-rates often found on disc.

Princess Principal: Crown Handler - Chapter 3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with English subtitles). The release capably preserves the soundstage. The sound direction by Yoshikazu Iwanami (Ah! My Goddess, The Demon Girl Next Door) is well highlighted on the release. There are wonderful qualities in the soundstage that are brought to life by the encoding.

The 5.1 sound mixing is exceptional and some of the best sound mixing for theatrical anime features. The surrounds are actively engaged throughout and there is a sense of immersion, depth, and detail that is phenomenal. The sound mixing is fantastic and the robust spectacle of the surround sound mix creates a more immersive presentation. The score and soundtrack is also highlighted well with the release.

The lossless audio encoding is top-notch. One of the best aspects of physical media is the lossless audio encoding on Blu-ray discs. Lossless audio allows for a more immersive and detailed soundstage. The lossless audio experience provides theater quality sound – the same level of lossless audio detail provided in cinemas. For audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts, the lossless audio is often the most substantial gain. The lossless audio can sometimes make a significant difference and in this case this was a top-notch release.

Princess Principal: Crown Handler - Chapter 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes in a standard Blu-ray case. The release does not include an o-card slipcover. The release does not include a digital copy. There are no pack-in items or physical collectables added.

On disc supplements include:

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 2:43)

"Cost of Custom Car" Short (HD, 8:22) is the best addition the release. Fans of short animated films will appreciate the addition. It is always nice to see some extra animation. Enthusiasts will love the added bonus.

Unfortunately, the supplemental package is lackluster and is lacking in many other respects. The release could have benefited from the inclusion of some audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, making-of documentaries, cast/crew interviews, roundtable discussions, photo galleries, art galleries, and other similar bonus features. Sometimes a nice supplemental package can make or break a release for some physical media fans when it comes down to deciding between a one-time stream and physical ownership.

Princess Principal: Crown Handler - Chapter 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 is another entertaining installment in the popular anime film franchise. The third installment of the film series continues to reward fans with exciting action sequences and plenty of high-octane spectacle. The animation is robust, bold, and creative. The animators delivered something special in spades. Well-directed by Masaki Tachibana (Blue Thermal), Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3 is well worthwhile for fans of the anime film series.

The Blu-ray release provides exceptional high-definition video and lossless audio encoding. The lossless 5.1 mix is exceptional and a major highlight of the release. The release also includes a bonus animated short film. Unfortunately, the other on-disc supplements are sparse and the release could have used some more extras. Fans of the film series may wish to consider a purchase. Recommended.