Rage of Bahamut Genesis: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Rage of Bahamut Genesis: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Rage of Bahamut Genesis is an action-packed adventure anime. The series is produced by Yuito Kimura (Idoly Pride). The animation production comes from MAPPA (Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 3, Hajime no Ippo Rising). The series has a blend of exciting action and suspense for fans of the genre. Featuring a world of bounty hunters and winged demons, Rage of Bahamut Genesis is a series aimed squarely at genre enthusiasts.

It’s cool to be a bounty hunter (sometimes)! Yet being a bounty hunter also has more than a few quirks alongside the bundle of perks. The tough and confident Favaro Leone (Hiroyuki Yoshino) is a skilled bounty hunter with plenty of experience in his field. Yet can that experience save Leone from unexpected troubles?

Leone is soon dragged in to a journey he never expected to go on and things spiral out of control from this point. A giant one-winged demon named Amira (Risa Shimizu) manages to hear of Leone’s skills as a bounty hunter (when he brags loud-and-clear) and soon Leone is forced by the winged demon to join her on a mission to become reunited with family. Yet this is far from the end of the journey for Leone. The final destination could end up being the destruction of the entire world. Can the planet be saved from annihilation?

The characters are a huge component of the production. The central protagonist is a bounty hunter with a sense of ambition and confidence. The bounty hunter finds himself in one tricky situation after another. Despite these circumstances, the character pulls through time and time again. As the supporting character to Leone, the winged demon Amira plays a big role as well and adds to the fantastical qualities of the series.

The animation is creative and there are a lot of compelling elements to the production. The art direction by Hideki Nakamura (King of Thorn, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt) makes an impression with great cinematic colors on display. The art style is then further enhanced by the chief animation director, Naoyuki Onda (Hiiro no Kakera - The Tamayori Princess Saga, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: A New Translation).

The character designs by Naoyuki Onda (Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I - The Egg of the King, A Detective Story) add something unique to the experience as well. The designs seem creative in numerous ways: providing the bounty hunter approach with something new for audiences to chew on. A good effort provided by Onda.

The cinematography by Hiroo Yoshioka (Samurai 7, Yukikaze) makes an impression as well and provides plenty of interesting visuals for the production. Yoshioka adds a sense of ethereal and dark aesthetics. These components help to establish the genre approach to the production.

The score composed by Yoshihiro Ike (Ergo Proxy, Cobra The Animation) adds something special to the series. Composer Ike provides a solid score. The music provides a nice background to the fantasy and adventure elements. A good fit for the series.

Written by Keiichi Hasegawa (Happy Lucky Bikkuriman, SSSS.Gridman), Rage of Bahamut Genesis isn’t one of the best anime series from a script standpoint but the concept is interesting nonetheless. The effort is still commendable and there is something to appreciate for genre enthusiasts.

Directed by Keiichi Satō (Tiger & Bunny, Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul), Rage of Bahamut Genesis provides action, adventure, and intrigue. While not an outright gem, Rage of Bahamut Genesis is an action series with plenty of interesting and exciting visual cues nonetheless. Fans of action-oriented series will want to check it out.

Rage of Bahamut Genesis: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Rage of Bahamut Genesis is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The video presentation is excellent on the Blu-ray release. Colors are superb and the presentation showcases an abundance of detail. The encode handles the action capably and looks impressive in high-definition. A solid effort from Funimation.

Rage of Bahamut Genesis: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of audio options: Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound (with English subtitles) and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound. Both options are provided with 24 bit depth lossless audio encoding. Dialogue is crisp and exhibits plenty of detail on the release. The score is well reproduced as well. An excellent lossless audio presentation.

Rage of Bahamut Genesis: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1:

Episode 1 Audio Commentary

Disc 2:

Episode 6.5 – Roundup (HD, 23:51)

Episode 6.5 – Roundup Preview (HD, 00:12)

Episode 12 Audio Commentary

Textless Opening (HD, 1:31)

Textless Closing (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing for Episode 12 (Full Screen) (HD, 1:01)

Preview for Episode 1 (HD, 00:12)

U.S. Trailer (HD, 1:29)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from the distributor: Tokyo Ghoul A (HD, 1:18), Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie (HD, 1:48), Assassination Classroom (HD, 1:31), Tokyo ESP (HD, 00:49), Terror in Resonance (HD, 2:03), Black Butler: Book of Murder (HD, 1:08), Psycho-Pass (HD, 1:37), and Eden of the East (HD, 1:02).

Rage of Bahamut Genesis: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rage of Bahamut Genesis is an entertaining action-packed anime with an interesting concept. The series benefits from excellent animation and a compelling cast of characters. Fans of genre storytelling will certainly find the anime to be especially appealing and worthwhile. The Blu-ray release has a strong video presentation and a quality lossless audio sound mix. The Blu-ray release also comes with a nice selection of bonus features (including episode 6.5). Fans will want to pick it up and add it to their anime collection. With plenty of exciting adventure, Rage of Bahamut Genesis is a series with mainstream appeal.   Recommended.