Rail Wars!: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Rail Wars!: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Rail Wars! is an action-drama series exploring the world of railways with a spin. Created by Takumi Toyoda, Rail Wars! features original character designs by Vania 600. Executive produced by Sadakazu Kikuchi (Tokyo Mew Mew New, The Demon Girl Next Door), Rail Wars! was broadcast on BS-TBS and Tokyo Broadcasting System. Featuring production by ProjectRW! and Tokyo Broadcasting System with animation production by Passione (The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy, The Island of Giant Insects), Rail Wars! features theme music performed by Minori Chihara (opening) and ZAQ (ending).

Rail Wars! comes from producers Hiroyuki Tajima (Trinity Seven, Yona of the Dawn), Hiroyuki Yamamoto (The Animal Conference on the Environment), Jun Fukuda (Alderamin on the Sky, Cat Planet Cuties), Junichiro Tanaka (The Demon Girl Next Door, The Quintessential Quintuplets), Kenichiro Sakai, Takeshi Ishigaki (Girls und Panzer, Matoi the Sacred Slayer), Tatsuya Ishiguro (Humanity Has Declined, Spice and Wolf), and Terushige Yoshie (Celestial Method, Tanaka-kun is Always Listless). With voice performances by Jun Fukuyama, Maaya Uchida, Satoshi Hino, Hiromi Igarashi, Ai Kakuma, Mai Nakahara, Masuo Amada, and Yui Horie, Rail Wars! has an impressive cast of voice-actors. A quirky anime series.

Naoto Takayama (Jun Fukuyama) has big dreams and these dreams involve his unyielding passion for trains. A passion since his youth, Naoto finds himself overwhelmed with joy when he is accepted to attending the prestigious Rail Training Academy. Before long, Naoto meets and befriends fellow students Haruka Koumi (Maaya Uchida) and Aoi Sakurai (Manami Numakura). Another friend, muscleman Sho Iwaizumi (Satoshi Hino), also joins the small gang of friends.

The students soon find themselves changing gears from their standard locomotive training to something a little bit different: security training. Now Naoto might not be at the front of the train but at least he plays a big role in the world of trains – taking on dangerous thieves, train robbers, and other villainous criminals. Security!

The characters add some charm and entertainment to the series. The main cast of characters add some bubbly enthusiasm to the series tone and style. The character designs by Makoto Uno (Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World, Witchblade) are fun and compelling and do a solid job highlighting the personalities of the main cast of characters. The designs do add something special to the production. These designs certainly add another element to the story – enhancing the characters. A nice aspect of the series by Uno.

The animation on Rail Wars! is effective and helps the production find better footing. The animation is ushered in by art director Yukihiro Watanabe (SSSS.Gridman, The Asterisk War: The Academy City on the Water) and chief animation director Makoto Uno (Witchblade, Gantz) and Sayaka Koiso (Jujutsu Kaisen, Haitai Nanafa). There are some especially respectable qualities to the production. The background art highlights the trains and the landscape environments in a more naturalistic and compelling way. The background art element makes the production stand out a little more compared to some series. A noteworthy part of the series – enhancing the drama side.

The cinematography by Shigeki Asakawa (Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero, Samurai Girls) enhances the series aesthetic with sleek and modern visuals. Asakawa creates a vibrant style for the cinematography – the series looking compelling. The stye is more upbeat and has a more optimistic style than a series with brooding or dark cinematography might have conveyed.

The score composed by Yoshiaki Fujisawa (Land of the Lustrous, A Place Further Than the Universe) adds some charm to the series. The score by Fujisawa helps to highlight the drama of the series and the fun these characters have on their journey. The music might not standout as one of the best elements. However, the score still works well – bringing something good to the table.

Written by Masashi Suzuki (The Sacred Blacksmith, The Ambition of Oda Nobuna), Rail Wars! takes a concept that is somewhat ordinary on the surface and adds a diverging element to the idea – taking these characters along on a journey with some surprises. While the series is less fantastical than some series, this might also be part of the appeal for some.

Directed by Yoshifumi Sueda (High School DxD Hero, Majestic Prince), Rail Wars! is worth checking out. The series has a fun concept and audiences can explore a world of railways and those who love them while setting out on a different kind of journey – one where security becomes a big part of the main equation. The comedic element intertwines with drama and fans of these types of anime series will certainly find something worthwhile. Sueda likes to imbue the series with some nice backgrounds, highlighting the railway elements – even the blue sky up above.

Rail Wars!: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Rail Wars! is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation on the release is impressive and there are a lot of good qualities to the presentation: excellent color reproduction (with plenty of "pop" to the image) alongside crisp visuals with good definition. The image appears sharp and organic looking.

One thing fans will want to consider is the fact the Blu-ray format continues to rewards audiences with superior video to streaming platforms. The Blu-ray format provides higher bit-rate presentations with greater detail and superior encoding methods compared to streaming services. For those who highly value quality presentations, Blu-ray offers a superior presentation. Fans will be especially pleased.

Rail Wars!: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality on the release is impressive and adds to the experience. The lossless encoding gives superior weight to the presentation. The score is well highlighted on the release. The encoding is excellent. Featuring sound direction by Fumiyuki Go (Battle Girl High School, The Rising of The Shield Hero), the release handles the audio dynamics in a solid way.

The lossless audio encoding will please audiophiles who value the best audio presentation possible for the release of Rail Wars! Streaming video services do not offer lossless audio encoding and this is one of the best things there is about the Blu-ray format – the lossless encoding of the audio. Streaming services typically offer audio in 320kbps or other MP3 quality presentations unless it is an Atmos presentation (and that is more along the lines of CD quality, perhaps 620kbps). Fans can expect a nice difference.

Rail Wars!: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release is barebones in most respects and does not include a more substantial supplemental package. The release could have benefited from having some extra bonus features with special interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, or audio commentaries. Even some art galleries, providing glimpses at the key art work – including early sketches – would have added some nice supplemental value to the package. The release doesn't come with an o-card slipcover, either – a element that would have been a nice design touch for the packaging on the release. Unfortunately, the sparse extras are standard for most anime releases and are as follows:

Clean Opening Animations (HD, 9:12)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

Rail Wars!: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rail Wars! is a decent anime series with a fun concept and some nice production merits. The series has worthwhile animation and a nice aesthetic overall. Directed by Yoshifumi Sueda (High School DxD Hero), anime fans who enjoy the genre will find something to appreciate here. The production is well handled overall. The Blu-ray release provides a solid 1080p high-definition video presentation and lossless audio presentation. Though the supplemental package is somewhat sparse, fans of Rail Wars! wanting to own a copy with the best possible video and audio may wish to consider a purchase even despite the lack of interesting bonus features – the only bonus features are clean opening and closing animations and the release has no in-depth audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes documentaries, or interviews with the voice-cast.