Real Girl: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Real Girl: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

A romantic drama with plenty of heart.

Real Girl is an enormously charming and creative anime series with a fun concept about first love. The series is from creator Mao Nanami. Produced by Atsushi Kirimoto, Gen Yagi, Hiroyuki Inage, Keiko Tamaru, Shunsuke Matsumura, and Sōta Yoshio, Real Girl delivers a romantic story and plenty of exuberant charm. Fans of romantic anime series will want to explore the show.

Hikaru "Tsuttsun" Tsutsui (Teppei Uenishi) is one of the geekiest guys attending his school. Even though Hikaru is a rabid otaku with an affection for anime and manga he finds himself in a surprising scenario: the brash but beautiful Iroha Igarashi (Yū Serizawa) becomes interested in going out with him. Hikaru has no experience with girls at all (and only ever interacts with them while playing otaku video games). Being face-to- face with a real-life girl is almost too much for otaku Hikaru to handle.

Yet the popular girl with a naughty side takes an interest in Hikaru nonetheless – and the events that follow are sure to give Hikaru some memories he never expected. The only downside? The gorgeous Iroha plans on moving out from the area in a manner of months and warns Hikaru that the relationship won’t last beyond her going away. Can Hikaru and Iroha find happiness together in their six months together?

The concept has been done before: geek boy meets popular girl. Yet the concept doesn’t always work and it requires creativity in the characterizations to be noteworthy. The characters are at the heart of the series. Real Girl is an anime with a great cast of characters. Hikaru is a likeable and unexpected protagonist with a passion for being an otaku. Unlike some other film or television series with this concept, Real Girl has a more likeable protagonist and the series is all the better as a result. The romantic pair of Hikaru and Iroha is a compelling one. Iroha is a badass girl with plenty of cool attitude: providing her own charms to the series and to the storyline. Iroha is certainly a compelling character and her enthusiasm for being a kind outsider (despite being a “popular” girl) makes the characterization all the more believable and compelling.

The animation is stunning and helps to make the series all the more enjoyable. The chief animation direction by Masazumi Matsumiya (Grimm's Fairy Tales, My First Girlfriend is a Gal) is exceptional. The background animation is one of the most artistic and compelling aspects. Detailed art highlights the beauty of the environments and provides a more artistic and “slice of life” anime art style.

"Time to kiss."

The character designs by Satomi Kurita (Peach Boy Riverside, Princess Connect! Re:Dive) make a solid impression as well. These designs are reminiscent of more creative manga series and there is a nice sense of style to these designs. The characters are more charming as a result. The series is all the better because of the efforts of Kurita.

The original score composed by Akiyoshi Yasuda (Osamake: Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won't Lose, For Whom the Alchemist Exists) is exceptional. The music is light and airy and doesn’t fail to give the series a charming sensibility. The score fits the slice-of-life style of production and there is often nothing better than that for a romantic anime series.

The cinematography by Mitsuhiro Kuno (Val x Love, Vermeil in Gold) showcases the colorful artistry and the creative art style. The cinematographic approach of Kuno certainly helps to enhance the viewing experience. There is plenty to appreciate about the visuals of the series and the manner in which the production excels due to the efforts of Kuno behind the scenes. A good cinematographic effort that certainly deserves accolades.

Written by Deko Akao (After the Rain, Flying Witch), Real Girl is especially noteworthy because of the charming storytelling. The heart of the entire series resides in the story and its concept. As a huge fan of After the Rain, another series penned by Akao, Real Girl is certainly a production with similar creative sensibilities. The storytelling is heartfelt and genuine.

Directed by Takashi Naoya (Luck & Logic, Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru), Real Girl is a terrific anime with gusto and heart. The story is one that will sweep audiences off for an entertaining and romantic ride. The results certainly impress and Naoya handles the story nicely. Fans of slice of life anime won’t be able to resist it.

Real Girl: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Real Girl 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 an outstanding presentation quality. The encoding is exceptional. Colors are bright and crisp throughout. The animation looks wonderful and showcases the nice efforts of the team of animators. The background animation, character designs, and line art are all exceptional and well encoded by Sentai. The high definition presentation is sharp, crisp, and engaging without compression errors.

Real Girl: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality is wonderful. The dynamics of the lossless audio presentation are engaging. Dialogue is clear and concise. An incredible audio presentation and one that handles the original score.

Real Girl: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 7:40)

Japanese Promos (HD, 2:59)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls (HD, 1:33), Food Wars! The Third Plate (HD, 1:33), Tsurune (HD, 1:33), and Golden Time (HD, 1:32).

Real Girl: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Real Girl is a charming and delightful romantic anime series. It has a compelling story that will pull at the heartstrings. The series has great characters and a fun concept to boot. The animation is breathtaking. The production has excellent direction. There's a lot to enjoy about it. The Blu-ray release features a strong video and audio presentation. A release sure to please fans of the series. Recommended.