Saint Seiya: Evil Goddess Eris Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Saint Seiya: Evil Goddess Eris Blu-ray Movie Review

Evil Goddess Eris (also known as Saint Seiya: The Movie) is the exciting and action-packed feature-film debut in the Saint Seiya – Knights of the Zodiac theatrical film series. Created by Masami Kurumada, Evil Goddess Eris is a great starting point for newcomers to the franchise. Evil Goddess Eris offers a gateway to the anime franchise. Executive produced by Chiaki Imada (Fist of the North Star, Galaxy Express 999); Evil Goddess Eris is a fun start to the theatrical origins for the film franchise. Featuring great animation production by Toei Animation (Digimon Adventure, Sailor Moon). Featuring the voice talents of Tōru Furuya, Kōichi Hashimoto, Ryo Horikawa, Toshiko Fujita, Hideyuki Hori, and Hirotaka Suzuoki.

The epic journey of Saint Seiya begins. The seven senses have begun in Seiya and the quest of a lifetime is one that is set to unfold. Pegasus Seiya (Tōru Furuya), Cygnus Hyouga (Kōichi Hashimoto), and Andromeda Shun (Ryo Horikawa) have set forth on a quest to visit the Star Child Academy. The characters journey is one with adventure and intrigue. The school is also an orphanage. As the beginnings of the journey come to a close, the characters encounter new dangers when Eris (Toshiko Fujita) enters the equation. Eris has an evil plan to control the world and everyone in it.

As Eris sets out with this plan, the Ghost Five enter the picture. The ghosts include Sagitta Maya, Orion Jager, Southern Cross Kristos, Scutum Jan and Lyra Orpheus. The battle stage becomes more intense as the characters become intertwined in an epic action-stage between sides. Can the planet survive the new threats that arrived on the scene or will the entire planet be destroyed as Eris sets out for world domination?

The character designs by Michi Himeno (Saint Seiya, The Rose of Versailles) and Shingo Araki (Cutie Honey, Galaxy Express 999) are exceptional and act as one of the highlights of the production. The designs are fantastic and these designs fit the characters to a tee. The results are first-rate and bring vitality to the filmmaking.

The animation is top-notch. The animation features art direction by Tadao Kubota (Captain Harlock: Mystery of the Arcadia, The Rose of Versailles) and animation direction by Shingo Araki (Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato, The Rose of Versailles). The animation style is one of the greatest strengths inherit within Evil Goddess Eris. The art style is so vital and energetic – the action scenes are so much more fluid and exciting as a result of the efforts of the team of animators.

The score composed by Seiji Yokoyama (Space Pirate Captain Harlock, Saint Seiya) is engaging fun and there is so much to enjoy about the score. The music has energy and gusto. The music brings forth an abundance of excitement to the action scenes.

The cinematography by Toshio Shirai (Armored Trooper Votoms, GoShogun) is a highlight of the series. The lush visual quality of the film is fantastic to behold. The cinematographer understood the style of the film and helped to showcase the animation style wonderfully.

Written by Yoshiyuki Suga (One Piece, Ranma ½), Evil Goddess Eris has a fun script and good pace. The script has fun dialogue for the characters. The script also emphasizes the action beats of the story. An outstanding effort by Suga. Wonderful and engaging.

Directed by Kozo Morishita (UFO Robo Grendizer, Video Warrior Laserion), Evil Goddess Eris is a great start to the franchise. Director Morishita is a talented filmmaker and the director was a good choice regarding the ushering in of the theatrical saga. A fun thrill ride with plenty of big action sequences.

Saint Seiya: Evil Goddess Eris Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, Evil Goddess Eris is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in a theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The picture quality on the release looks excellent. The video quality is crisp and clear on the release. The print has good color reproduction. The print has little in the way of print wear or damage and the cell-based animation looks great. A quality encode and presentation from Discotek Media. 

Saint Seiya: Evil Goddess Eris Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless Japanese audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with English subtitles) and Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release doesn't include an English dub option.  The lossless surround sound audio is crisp and engaging. Dialogue reproduction is excellent on the release. The score is well integrated in to the sound mix. Surrounds are active and exciting. The clarity of the surround channels is impressive on the release.

Saint Seiya: Evil Goddess Eris Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a nice o-card slipcover.

The supplements are standard across all films in the collection. The four feature-films are presented on one Blu-ray disc (because of the short run- time of the feature-films). The on-disc supplements include:

"Evil Goddess Eris" Trailer (HD, 00:21)

"The Heated Battle of the Gods" Trailer (HD, 00:28)

"Legend of the Crimson Youth" Trailer (HD, 1:15)

"Warriors of the Final Holy Battle" Trailer (HD, 00:44)

Clean Opening – "The Heated Battle of the Gods" (SD, 1:26)

Clean Opening – "Legend of the Crimson Youth" (SD, 1:29)

Clean Ending – "Legend of the Crimson Youth" (SD, 2:37)

Clean Opening – "Warriors of the Final Holy Battle" (SD, 1:24)

Clean Ending – "Warriors of the Final Holy Battle" (SD, 1:32)

Saint Seiya: Evil Goddess Eris Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Evil Goddess Eris (also known as Saint Seiya: The Movie) is an entertaining and exciting action-packed entry-point to the Saint Seiya – Knights of the Zodiac film franchise. The film has a great sense of adventure. The film offers plenty of action-packed fun. The animation is breathtaking. The Blu-ray release provides a strong video and audio presentation. Highly recommended.