S-CRY-ed: The Complete TV Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

S-CRY-ed: The Complete TV Series Blu-ray Movie Review

S-cry-ed is a compelling science-fiction action-adventure anime series. Broadcast in Japan on the Bandai Channel and TV Tokyo, S-cry-ed is a remarkable achievement as an anime series. Featuring planning by Sunrise, S-cry-ed features animation production by AD Cosmo and Nakamura Production. Broadcast in North America on Cartoon Network and the Adult Swim action-anime block, the series gained a cult following. The series also features compelling English dubbing from Bang Zoom! Entertainment and featuring the voice talents of Jason Spisak and Steven Jay Blum. Featuring a story by Hajime Yatate, S-cry-ed is produced by Takashi Kochiyama (Samurai Champloo, Ergo Proxy) and executive produced by Hisanori Kunisaki, Keisuke Iwata, and Shinichiro Kobayashi. Action-adventure anime fans will want to experience this exciting production.

Tokyo underwent a seismic shift when a massive earthquake caused chaos and commotion in the land 22 years ago. The giant earthquake caused the destruction of Tokyo. The land was at first abandoned. Becoming known as the Lost Ground, Tokyo eventually helped the rise of powerful Alter Users. These unique individuals are gifted with incredible psychic capabilities. The powers are amazing and cause many new changes to the land.

The elite police force HOLO was created in order to try and bring some new law and order to the Lost Ground. The HOLO group was formed using Alter Users. These Alter Users go up against other native alters who are considered rebels to everyone else. One of these rebels is the spirited Kazuma (Sōichiro Hoshi). Going up against Kazuma is the HOLY’s most important and talented Alter User: Ryuhou (Hikaru Midorikawa). Which Alter User will win the battle of tomorrow?

The character designs by Hisashi Hirai (Fafner, Heroic Age) are excellent and are a wonderful part of the production. The designs are certainly creative fun. These designs help to highlight the characters well. The aesthetic aids the production and fits the main protagonists.

The animation is one of the central highlights of the series. The animation is exquisite and helps the series to achieve a remarkable aesthetic for action anime fans. Under the art direction by Akira Suzuki (Lupin III: Swallowtail Tattoo, Sky Girls) and animation direction by Eiji Nakada (Brain Powered, Turn A Gundam), S-cry-ed achieves something special with the animation highlighting the wonderful science fiction element.

The mecha designs by Kōji Itō (Cybuster, Dominion Tank Police) are essential to the production as well. The mecha aesthetic is an important part of the production. The mecha elements play a big role and help the action scenes to be that much more immersive. A terrific effort in this regard.

The CGI direction by Masato Miyoshi (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion) gives the series a more modern aesthetic compared to older hand-drawn anime series. The series digital effects by Toshio Hasegawa (Cowboy Bebop, Inuyasha) enhance this element of the production as well. The creative production team involved with S-cry-ed help to make this a more futuristic slice of action-packed anime fun.

The score composed by Kotaro Nakagawa (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Hayate the Combat Butler) adds to the experience. The original music certainly fits the tone of the action sequencing enormously well. The series finds a greater sense of energy and depth because of the score. The sensational score makes the series more compelling.

Featuring scriptwriting by Yōsuke Kuroda (My Hero Academia, Trigun), S-cry-ed is a production with an intelligent and fun sense of storytelling energy. Kuroda has a lot of fun with the series concept and explores the characters with equally compelling measure. A strong screenwriting effort.

Directed by Goro Taniguchi (One Piece Film Red, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion) and Rion Kujo (Naruto, Tokyo Underground), S-cry-ed is well worth exploring. The series has such a fun sense of energy, drama, and style. Taniguchi and Kujo explore the series with compelling voices as series directors. The action is always a central part of the experience and the directors know how to keep these essential elements at play while also exploring a more dramatic backdrop inherit in the story as well.

S-CRY-ed: The Complete TV Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, S-cry-ed is presented in 1080i MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The high-definition presentation makes a solid impression. Though the interlacing isn't a perfect part of the viewing experience and sometimes makes the video look slightly choppy by comparison to nicely encoded progressive video, the high-definition visuals still look solid overall and help to enhance the visuals. Certainly, the animation looks nice on the release and fans can rest assured that this release offers a superior viewing experience to the standard definition DVDs. Though not a perfect video presentation, Discotek has done a solid job handing the release. Color reproduction is another key strength of the video presentation.

S-CRY-ed: The Complete TV Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles), Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound (with English subtitles), and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The lossless audio encoding on the release is excellent sounding. Viewers will be pleased with the nice assortment of audio selections provided on the release. The best option for some may be the original Japanese language track in 5.1 surround sound. The sound design is impressive. Sound direction by Yasuo Uragami (After War Gundam X, City Hunter) makes an impression and helps the series achieve a greater sense of energy during the action sequences. The surrounds are actively used to enhance the experience. An impressive option for viewers –an audio selection that is well appreciated.

S-CRY-ed: The Complete TV Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The cover-sleeve underneath the slipcover includes unique art (with owners getting nice key art that is unique on both the slipcover and the art sleeve being a nice bonus to owning the release). On disc supplements include:

Disc 3 – Bonus Features:

Textless Openings 1-26 (HD, 40:50)

Textless Ending (HD, 1:25)

Trailers and Commercials:

Premiere Promo (HD, 00:30)

Promo Clip (HD, 4:34)

Music Commercials (HD, 1:01)

Home Video Commercials (HD, 1:01)

Character Videos (HD, 15:37)

Music Score Collection (HD, 36:12)

Audio Dramas with Official Artwork (HD, 12:37)

Sound Comics:

9. Chance Meeting (HD, 5:29)
10. Alters (HD, 4:30)
11. Unshakable Conviction (HD, 4:16)
12. Radio Woman (HD, 4:45)
13. The Past (HD, 4:41)
14. Fixed Age, 19 Years Old (HD, 4:15)

S-CRY-ed: The Complete TV Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

S-cry-ed is a compelling action-adventure anime classic. The series has some compelling artistic elements – including breathtaking animation and heart-pounding action scenes. A series that includes impressive scriptwriting and direction. Fans of classic action anime series will be pleased with the results and there is plenty to appreciate here. The Blu-ray release from Discotek Media features solid video and audio alongside a bevy of special features. Recommended.