Ragna Crimson Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Ragna Crimson Blu-ray Movie Review

Ragna Crimson is an action-adventure fantasy anime. Created by Daiki Kobayashi, Ragna Crimson features theme music performances by ulma sound junction (opening one), saji (opening two), and Watashi Kobayashi (endings one and two). Ragna Crimson features animation production by SILVER LINK (Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon, Yurikuma Arashi).

Ragna Crimson is produced by Hiroyuki Aoi (Blade of the Immortal, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer), Kazumi Saito (Uta no Prince-sama - Maji Love 1000%, Devils' Line), Shōta Komatsu (Happy Sugar Life, The Case Study of Vanitas), Tomoyuki Ōwada (The Demon Girl Next Door, The Duke of Death and His Maid), and Yuki Ogasawara (The Marginal Service, Love Flops). Executive produced by Akihiro Narita (The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic, Peach Boy Riverside), Akihiro Sotokawa (Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night, My Senpai Is Annoying), Gō Nakanishi (Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls, Knights of Sidonia: Battle for Planet Nine), Hiroo Maruyama (Attack on Titan, Gundam Reconguista in G), and Yasutaka Kimura (Horimiya: The Missing Pieces, Mr. Villain's Day Off), Ragna Crimson is aimed at genre fans. Featuring the voices of Chiaki Kobayashi and Ayumu Murase in the leading roles.

Ragna (Chiaki Kobayashi) seems to have a cursed life with nothing but bad things happening to him over the course of living his tumultuous life. Ragna has lost most of his family to dragons and life has been a constant struggle over the years. With a haunting past, Ragna pushes himself forward and tries to overcome the grief of losing so many to the killer dragons.

 Working as a dragon hunter, Ragna aims to become a better fighter and an important leader in the skill of dragon hunting. Even so, Ragna has a lot left to learn and he pushes to continue his dreams and become the best dragon slayer around. Can any of the dragons survive to face up against the determined Ragna?

Ragna is a solid leading character for the production. The character has a sense of adventure and a strong determination to succeed. The energy and thirst for success is something that makes this a compelling lead. The result is an anime series that is more likely to appeal to Shonen action-anime fans – audiences who have come to appreciate genre hits like Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, My Hero Academia, Yu Yu Hakusho, Fairy Tail, and others.

The series features solid character designs by Shinpei Aoki. The character designs are effective for the central cast of characters and the supporting cast of characters, too. The attention to detail for these character designs is something that adds to the genre element. A solid effort by Aoki.

The animation is one of the most noteworthy elements of the production. Ragna Crimson features art direction by Asuka Komiyama (My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Sugar Bunnies Chocolat!) and animation direction that enhances the production aesthetic. The team of animators involved with the series made sure to add to the compelling fantasy-adventure setting while also highlighting the action through the compelling art work – background art and line art are well done.

The score composed by Kōji Fujimoto (Tearmoon Empire, Music My Awkward Senpai) and Osamu Sasaki (The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious, Mission: Yozakura Family) is engaging and adds some exciting energy to the production. The music by Fujimoto is solid and works well as background music to the big action scenes and spectacle. The score works as a building block to the action set-pieces and the genre elements at the core of the series.

The cinematography by Atsushi Satō (The Girl in Twilight, Non Non Biyori) is a highlight of the production. The series has sleek and well-done cinematography. The visual essence of the anime production is something that adds gloss and glamour to the production. The colors are well-highlighted with the cinematography and the visual style can be both dark and action-oriented.

Written by Deko Akao (Assassins Pride, The Case Study of Vanitas), Ragna Crimson provides the ingredients for action and suspense. The series has an action-packed backdrop. The story has an emphasis on action and fighting dragons. There is a sense of adventure that is inherently a part of the series. Akao explores the characters and the journey in a way that is aimed at action-anime fans more-so than other genres.

Ragna Crimson is aimed squarely at the Shonen anime crowd above all else. Directed by Ken Takahashi (Sword Art Online: Alicization, Masamune-kun's Revenge), Ragna Crimson is an anime with a significant emphasis on action sequences and blitz. The emphasis is on the energetic action and how the central characters play a role in one battle after another. Fans of the action genre will appreciate the style of director Takahashi and his solid-enough approach to the material. Ragna Crimson might not be a classic but it does offer some decent entertainment for a rainy day.

Ragna Crimson Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Ragna Crimson is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The anime series has an impressive high-definition presentation. The presentation is crisp and engaging. The visuals are well highlighted through the cinematography. The animation looks bold and robust on the release. Colors pop with excellent depth and overall clarity. The release will please fans of the series. With excellent detail to the background animation and line art, the release plays to the strengths of the physical media format.

One of the strengths of Blu-ray discs is the excellent encoding capabilities. Streaming video services often have lower video bit-rates and more compression compared to physical media. Home theater enthusiasts can appreciate having a good option on physical media with solid video quality for fans.

Ragna Crimson Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release capably preserves the sound direction by Fumiyuki Go (Battle Girl High School, The Rising of The Shield Hero). The lossless audio is a huge part of the equation. The series has a crisp and satisfactory soundtrack. Dialogue is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The sound effects are well integrated into the sound presentation. The action scenes are also well-defined and the clarity adds to the presentation soundstage. The English subtitles are handled well – free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

Blu-ray has a distinct advantage over streaming video services. Streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio quality. For home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles seeking the best possible audio quality, the physical format rewards with lossless audio – providing better bit-depth, clarity, and higher bit-rates. Enthusiasts will be comforted knowing that they have the best possible audio option available.  

Ragna Crimson Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The limited-edition collectors release comes packaged in a deluxe steelbook. The steelbook limited edition is high-gloss and features stunning artwork. The steelbook release also includes an o-card slipcover over the steelbook and the booklet. The steelbook fits snugly inside of the package. One of the best things is that high gloss steelbook print quality, which is significantly better than average-quality matte steelbook releases. The high gloss finish allows the release to both look and feel even more premium in hand.

A wonderfully sized booklet accompanies the release. The 104 page booklet is expansive with a lot of ground to cover: the booklet includes a character guide, an episode guide, an interview with director Ken Takahashi, an interview about the music with Koji Fujimoto X Osamu Sasaki, an interview with storyboard artist and episode director Masamune Hirata, an interview with props designer Yoshihiro Ujiie, and manga selection: The Argentum Corps vs. Dornea Part One, The Argentum Corps vs. Dornea Part Two, and bonus manga/comic selection – Hard- Working Inferior Dragons.

On disc supplements include:

Clean Opening Animations (HD, 4:34)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 4:37)

Pre-Airing Emergency Broadcast Program: Dawn of the Dragon Hunters (HD, 33:10)

Special Program: The Path to Ultimate Power (HD, 35:26)

Production Documentary (HD, 42:14)

Japanese Promos (HD, 7:10)

Ragna Crimson Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ragna Crimson is a decent action-adventure anime with plenty of fantasy elements to keep audiences entertained. The anime series has a sense of fantasy-storytelling that is also compelling and adds an element of intrigue to the production. The series has impressive animation and production merits. Sentai Filmworks provides a sold high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. The set also includes an exclusive bonus disc loaded with extras. The first print run limited edition release also comes packaged with a special high-gloss premium steelbook with an extensive booklet (over 100 pages of content) and a o-card slipcover. A high-end premium product for fans. Recommended.