Re:stage! Dream Days: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Re:stage! Dream Days: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Re:Stage! Dream Days is a pop-idol “rise to stardom” series. Featuring original character designs by Tsubasa Izumi, Re:Stage! Dream Days explores the world of pop-idol competition. The animation on the release is production by Graphinica (Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Hello World) and Yumeta Company. Fans of high-energy song-and-dance competitive pop idol series will find it worthwhile.

Mana Shikimiya (Amane Makino) wants nothing more than to dance her way to the Prism Stage. The stage is one where young girls compete with each other for the chance to be crowned as the next top music idol! Can she sing and dance her way to overcoming the competition on the stage? As part of her middle school’s Lyrical Tradition Dance Club, Mana is determined to dance and sing her best and push her limits to the test! Yet the club faces its own group of problems.

The club might go kaput though! What would Mana do if the club disappeared? Mana is joined by her close friends Sayu, Mizuhua, Kasumi, Minori, and Kae as the fun game of competitive song and dance heats up the dance-floor one step at a time. With countless in competition (as it seems as though every girls dream is of becoming a pop-idol), who will emerge victorious?

The characters are at the heart of the production. The bubbly personalities of the characters make the series more upbeat and energetic. The girls are all determined to be their best and practice their skills with dance and song to make audiences cheer. The girls personalities are on full display. Each of these girls is invigorated by the possibility of achieving their dreams – and becoming the ultimate pop idols imaginable.

The animation is excellent and it makes a big impression on the production. The animation is ushered in by art director Ken Naito (Gourmet Girl Graffiti, Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story). The art style is bright, vivid, and creative. The animation uses a lot of bright and colorful art in order to make the “pop idol” element find a more compelling voice through the animation.

The character designs by Motohiro Taniguchi (My Sweet Tyrant, RPG Real Estate) certainly fits the unique personalities of these characters as well. These designs are traditional for a pop-girl idol production. However, the designs fit the characters and their personalities well.

The cinematography by Akio Hayashi (Bikini Warriors, Pastel Memories) goes hand-in-hand with the animation style. Cinematographer Hayashi imbues the visuals with colorful hues and the brightly lit environment of the series gives the “pop idol” experience more kick. The results simply work and impress in spades.

The score by Kohta Yamamoto (Attack on Titan The Final Season, Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga) is one of the most effective components of the production. Yamamoto is a strong composer and the efforts here are impressive. The results are effective at bringing the landscape of the animation to life. A solid effort by the composer.

The series is written by yoree. The scripts for the series are nothing out-of-the-ordinary. The scripts are mostly focused on the same tropes of girl-pop anime series (with the girls practicing their dance moves while perfecting their vocals). The writing might not be as good as on some series (and the series isn’t as creative as something like K-On! but it still makes a solid impression.

Directed by Shin Katagai (My Sweet Tyrant, Neo Angelique Abyss), Re:Stage! Dream Days has some unique elements visually and Katagai helps the series to be as effective as possible. The series has enormous fun exploring these characters and their pop-idol quests. Director Katagai has fun with exploring the rise-to-stardom dream and the directorial approach reflects that (with a lot of the sequences focusing on the dance moves).

Re:stage! Dream Days: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Re:Stage! Dream Days is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition. The series is presented in the original television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The encode provided on the release is excellent. Colors are superb and there are plenty of examples of "pop" on the presentation. A quality release by Sentai.

Re:stage! Dream Days: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality is excellent. Dialogue is crisp and clear on the release. The soundtrack is also well preserved. A strong audio encoding.

Re:stage! Dream Days: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

Tokusan (HD, 1:07:23) is a Re: Stage! Special Video. The video is also entitled as KiRaRe's Re:Mount Takao! The special is "live-action" and includes the Japanese voice cast. It is surprising to find an extended supplement such as this on the release. The extra highlights the series behind-the-scenes more and offers a glimpse in to the production. At over an hour long, fans of the series should certainly consider checking out this bonus feature.

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Non Non Biyori Vacation (HD, 1:07), Tamako Market (HD, 1:34), The Demon Girl Next Door (HD, 1:31), and Maid Sama! (HD, 1:31)

Re:stage! Dream Days: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Re:Stage! Dream Days is an entertaining anime series with a emphasis on the pop-idol rise to fame. The series revolves around a group of girls determined to do their best with song and dance to win out all competition and take home the grand prize of super-stardom (fulfilling their dreams of being the best idols around). The release provides an extended bonus feature (at over one hour long) exploring the series more – with appearances from the original Japanese voice-cast. Fans of the series will be pleased with the added bonus feature. The Blu-ray release includes a strong video and audio presentation. Recommended.