Saint Seiya: The Heated Battle of the Gods Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Saint Seiya: The Heated Battle of the Gods Blu-ray Movie Review

The Heated Battle of the Gods is the second theatrical feature-film in the Saint Seiya – Knights of the Zodiac motion-picture franchise. The theatrical feature debuted in Japan at the Toei Manga Matsuri festival in March 1988. Created by Masami Kurumada, The Heated Battle of the Gods is executive produced by Chiaki Imada (Galaxy Express 999, Taro the Dragon Boy). The animation by Toei Animation (Digimon Adventure, Sailor Moon) is breathtaking. The Heated Battle of the Gods features vocal talents from Kōichi Hashimoto, Keiko Han, Hirotaka Suzuoki, Tōru Furuya, Ryo Horikawa, Hideyuki Hori, and Iemasa Kayumi.

The anime film was so popular with audiences that Toei Animation created a new television arc in the anime entitled the Asgard saga, this arc was not in the original manga series and the arc takes place between Sanctuary and Poseidon story arcs.

Cygnus Hyouga (Kōichi Hashimoto) is on a new adventure in Siberia. During the journey in Siberia, Hyouga finds unexpected surprise as a hero to someone who needed to be saved during a vicious, violent, and adrenaline-fueled attack. Following the unexpected heroic act by Hyouga, Saori (Keiko Han), Dragon Shiryuu (Hirotaka Suzuoki), Pegasus Seiya (Tōru Furuya), and Shun (Ryo Horikawa) set forth on a new mission and go investigate what has happened.

A new stage of adventure is set in Asgard. An evil and dangerous reign by Loki may be in the future. The journey of the God Warriors is one that has an abundance of surprises in store for everyone. Who will gain control of Asgard and can the heroes be victorious this time around?

The character designs by Michi Himeno (Saint Seiya, The Rose of Versailles) and Shingo Araki (Cutie Honey, Galaxy Express 999) are excellent during the theatrical feature. The design works bring an element of vitality to the production. Himeno is a great character designer and the work here is fantastic. The effort is all the more rewarding as a result.

The animation is simply stunning. The animation features art direction by Tadao Kubota (The Rose of Versailles, Captain Harlock: Mystery of the Arcadia) and animation direction by Shingo Araki (The Rose of Versailles, Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato). The animation quality on the release is one of the great strengths of the production. The effort here is tremendous. The end result is something colorful, organic looking, and engaging. A good showcase for the efforts of the animators.

The score composed by Seiji Yokoyama (Saint Seiya, Space Pirate Captain Harlock) is a highlight of the film and the music brings some sense of vitality to the action sequences. The action component is an aspect that is well enhanced by the score. The music brings excitement to the table. A great score by Yokoyama.

The cinematography by Masahide Okino (Venus Wars, The Big O) is exhilarating and fun. The visual element in the film brings forth some compelling elements. The cinematographer helps to highlight the animation. Okino has a good understanding of the visuals in the film and how to enhance the aesthetic of the animation with the cinematography.

Written by Takao Koyama (Dragon Ball Z, Saint Seiya), The Heated Battle of the Gods is one of the most entertaining entries in the film franchise. The brisk and exciting pace is relevant and fun. The script has great moments for all of the main characters. The storytelling is adventurous and thrilling. A fast-paced action thrill-ride.

Directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi (One Piece, Saint Seiya), The Heated Battle of the Gods is a must-see film in the saga. Director Yamauchi handles the production extraordinarily well and there is so much worth appreciating in the filmmaking. A great action-adventure spectacle for anime fans.

Saint Seiya: The Heated Battle of the Gods Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, The Heated Battle of the Gods is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in a theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The picture quality is fantastic. The high-definition visuals look superb during the presentation. Color reproduction is outstanding. A fantastic effort from Discotek with top-notch encoding on the release.

Saint Seiya: The Heated Battle of the Gods 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 audio sounds crisp and clear. Dialogue is well reproduced. The score is well integrated in to the sound mix. The surrounds are actively used on the release as well. The sound mixing on the surround channels brings some vitality to the experience.

Saint Seiya: The Heated Battle of the Gods 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: The Heated Battle of the Gods Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Heated Battle of the Gods is a must-see entry in the anime franchise. The action beats are outstanding. The animation is beautiful and colorful. The filmmaking is exhilarating with good spectacle. There is so much to appreciate about the high-quality filmmaking apparent throughout the production. The Blu-ray release features an excellent presentation with superb video and audio quality. Highly recommended.