Queen's Blade: Rebel Warriors Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.0

Queen's Blade: Rebel Warriors Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

A fan-service fest for action-anime fans.

Reviewed by Neil Lumbard February 20, 2022

Queen's Blade Rebellion is an action-packed anime produced by Kazuaki Morijiri (El Hazard – The Magnificent World, Tenchi Universe), Masaaki Yokota (Demon King Daimao, Infinite Dendrogram), Shinsaku Tanaka (Samurai Girls, Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny), and Tetsuya Dobashi (Date A Live, Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero). The action series is made by animation production studio Arms. From original creator Hobby Japan, Queen's Blade Rebellion is released by Sentai Filmworks in North America.

Annalotte (Aya Endo) leads the way with a group of scantily clad and busty women engaged in the Queen's Blade fight tournament. As Annalotte and the other fighters find themselves engaging in intense combat (while wearing the most convoluted armor imaginable), the women seek out new adventures after the battle concludes.

Fighting sea monsters, witches, and one another in a series of epic battles – the entire femme fatale group is in for a whirlwind of brand new adventures. Taking down the thrown of a diabolical queen is next up on the epic agenda. Can the Queens Blade fighters take up their swords once more and stop the evil queen?

The series is aimed squarely at action fans who want to enjoy a series with plenty of over-the-top thrills. The production is not one that explores a deep story or characters – it is a typical action production with an emphasis on well-endowed and scantily clad women fighting villains. The production features fast-paced animation. As the heroes take up their blades and fight for justice, Queen's Blade Rebellion spins through its wheels and brings what fans are looking for – simply entertaining battles.

The battle is on.

Queen's Blade Rebellion features worthy animation direction by Hiroya Iijima (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Kaleido Star), Hong Keun Park (Samurai Bride, Bartender), Hye Jung Hue (Pandora Hearts, Sankarea: Undying Love), and Yukiko Ishibashi (Shattered Angels, Destiny of the Shrine Maiden). The action scenes are brought to life partly because of the effort made with the animation. Queen's Blade Rebellion does showcase the sultry character designs by Rin-Sin (Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny, Wanna Be the Strongest in the World), Takayuki Noguchi (Cinderella Nine, Girls Beyond the Wasteland), and Yukiko Ishibashi (Gaist Crusher, Vanquished Queens).

While Queen's Blade Rebellion is not the best looking anime series around – and it has non-distinct qualities that give it a somewhat generic feeling at times – the production still showcases the sleek efforts of the animators. The team of animators do their best to bring fans action-packed fun while under the art direction of Koichi Monma (A Bridge to the Starry Skies, Kokoro Connect) and Maho Takahashi (Amagami SS, My Bride is a Mermaid). The background art-work is reasonably engaging (though never in the same class as truly great anime productions).

One of the more entertaining elements of the production is the score composed by Masaru Yokoyama (Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches). The music has energy and excitement. The score is decent background music and fits the action-packed energy of Queen's Blade Rebellion well. The scope and scale of the production is immense and there is a lot going on with the dynamics of the score.

Written by Hideki Shirane (Aria the Scarlet Ammo, Date A Live), Queen's Blade Rebellion doesn't aim to be profound or complex. The writing isn't ever in the same league as the best anime series (and the audience doesn't really expect for it to). The main goal of the screenwriting is simply to showcase action scenes as well as possible. The script does well in that regard and the action scenes work. Everything else is window-dressing for Shirane.

Directed by Yosei Morino (Yamato 2520, Watt Poe to Bokura no Ohanashi), Queen's Blade Rebellion doesn't break any new ground. It offers anime fans who love fan-service productions a series with some interesting enough elements in the action realm. The series is hyper-stylized and aimed at fans looking for action-packed fan-service. If that sounds appealing, Queen's Blade Rebellion is decent enough.

Queen's Blade: Rebel Warriors Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Queen's Blade Rebellion is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release has a strong encode that is well authored by Sentai Filmworks. The presentation has engaging color reproduction. The release looks crisp, clear, and dynamic. The series is relatively sharp looking and manages to showcase the action sequences well. There isn't much in the way of banding and other slight imperfections.

Queen's Blade: Rebel Warriors Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio presentation is reasonably engaging. Dialogue is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The music soundtrack is well presented. The score is well integrated in to the sound mix. While not as dynamic as a full surround sound presentation might have offered, the stereo dynamics are surprisingly good and work well for the action scenes.

Queen's Blade: Rebel Warriors Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The best supplement to the package is in the inclusion of the six-episode OVA series Queen's Blade: Beautiful Warriors. The inclusion of the OVA's (rather than limiting them to a separate release) is noteworthy and appreciated.

Queen's Blade Audio Dramas – Presented in Japanese with English subtitles.

Training to be a Lady (HD, 9:57)

Identifying Heresies with Newlyweds (HD, 9:52)

Entertainment Rebellion (HD, 10:35)

The Hidden Treasure of Shai-Fang (HD, 10:58)

The Hidden Hot Springs of Gemstone Mountain (HD, 12:51)

The Mushroom Girl Meeting (HD, 11:36)

Queen's Blade Omake:

In Training! Annalotte's Holy Poses (HD, 4:15)

The Vibrations! Mirim's Armor Comes Off (HD, 4:30)

Humiliation! Branwen is Broken (HD, 4:08)

Hot Springs! The Elegant Liliana (HD, 4:14)

Charge! Aldra Next Door (HD, 4:26)

Melee! Annalotte & Her Stepsisters Intertwined (HD, 3:52)

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 4:43)

Queen's Blade OVA's:

Faith! Elina's Unshakable Bond (HD, 30:08)

Difficult Parting! The Thousand Year Farewell of Alleyne (HD, 29:21)

Depression! Airi's Duplicity (HD, 28:22)

Restoration! Menace Joy Palace (HD, 30:03)

Fallen Angel! Nanael's Pleasure (HD, 30:41)

Secret Technique! The Journey Escorted by Summoned Danger (HD, 30:38)

Queen's Blade: Rebel Warriors Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Queen's Blade Rebellion is a decent action-anime with plenty of over-the-top fan-service. The series doesn't break new ground but for audiences looking for a simple action series with bosom ladies, it delivers what fans of such series want to experience. The Blu-ray release has a strong video-audio presentation. The release comes with a wide assortment of extras – far more so than a typical anime package. The set even provides fans with the Queen's Blade: Beautiful Warriors OVA (with six unique episodes).