Saiyuki Reload: Zeroin - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Saiyuki Reload: Zeroin - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Saiyuki Reload Zeroin is an action-adventure anime in the popular long-running franchise. The series comes from creator Kazuya Minekura. The production features original animation by LIDEN FILMS (The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches). Fans of previous entries in the franchise will be pleased to return to the anime universe established in past outings with the fan-favorite characters returning for more adrenaline-packed action.

An epic battle once ensued between a legendary war god known as Nataku and the giant monster Gyumaoh. After the epic battle unfolded, Nataku emerged as the victor and imprisoned the giant creature in the castle of Houtou. Though the momentary victory against Gyumaoh provided the environment with a sense of tranquility for a good period of time, peace is not always something guaranteed.

The once serene aftereffect of defeating Gyumaoh is overcome with new threats as a dangerous attempt to bring back Gyumaoh causes a tidal wave of chaos within the world. Causing a whirlwind of disaster, the once peaceful yokai spirits are now running amok and the fate of everyone now hangs in the balance. In order to try and stop Gyumaoh once more and to return a sense of calm serenity to the land, a clan of four heroes emerges to fight for human kind: Son Goku (Sōichiro Hoshi), Cho Hakkai (Akira Ishida), Sha Gojyo (Hiroaki Hirata), and Genjo Sanzo (Toshihiko Seki).

The four strong heroes are brought together once more by Kanzeon Bosatsu. Now with a hero’s mission, the four warriors head west with their main mission – defeating Gyumaoh once and for all. Can the land return to the peaceful state it once existed in or will the yokai never again be at peace with humankind? Only time will tell as Son Goku, Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojyo, and Genjo Sanzo fight for the future once step at a time.

The central cast of characters remain essential to the formula. The franchise brings back the leading heroes and these characters continue to provide a fun and exciting sense of energy to the saga. As another intriguing entry in the saga, Son Goku, Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojyo, and Genjo Sanzo continue providing the right balance of heroics and comedic charm. These strong-willed characters make entertaining leads and Saiyuki Reload Zeroin remembers to showcase the comedic side of the cast.

The character designs by Noriko Ogura are excellent and remain faithful to previous installments in the franchise series. The designs for Saiyuki Reload Zeroin are effective and continue to showcase a zany, creative, and engaging design aesthetic. These character designs have a bit of a rebellious tone and these elements keep the designs memorable.

The chief animation direction by Noriko Ogura (Log Horizon, Arata The Legend) is an excellent part of the equation. The series art direction by Erika Fukai (Love and Lies, Magical Sempai) is notable too. A fantastic stylistic effort and the results speak volumes to the team of animators involved with the production. The animation is fluid and creative looking and has a nice showcase of darker colors: providing a more enveloping color palette. The end results certainly work well for the series.

The cinematography by Haruka Gotō (Classroom Crisis, Poco's Udon World) is wondrous fun as well. The cinematography highlights the grungy element of the series. The use of lighting is effective and this is something that helps the visuals stand out more. The cinematographic process looks beautiful here.

The score composed by Yūsuke Shirato (In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki, Kimi to Fit Boxing) might not stand out as much as some of the other ingredients in the production but the score still offers some charm. The fun music works as a solid backdrop for the action sequences. The score highlights the production and its more ambitious scenes.

Written by Aya Matsui (Dragon Ball Z, Pokémon Advance) and Michiko Yokote (Children of the Whales, Teasing Master Takagi-san), Saiyuki Reload Zeroin offers series enthusiasts more fun with the central characters. The writing is solid enough and the characters are just as charming as on previous anime series in the Saiyuki franchise. Matsui and Yokote certainly provide fans with more of the successful formula that has made the long-running franchise so successful. Much of this is due to the character personalities and how the dialogue helps to showcase this for the cast – and some of it is the finely balanced comedy. A solid effort.

Directed by Misato Takada (Goblin Slayer, Midnight Occult Civil Servants), Saiyuki Reload Zeroin has an abundance of action-packed fun for series fans. There is little doubt in my mind that this remains the primary reason why audiences enjoy the Saiyuki anime franchise so much. The action sequences are entertaining and provide some sleek fun – a nice distraction. Saiyuki Reload Zeroin continues these elements and amps up the action quotient with the journey west. Saiyuki fans will certainly feel compelled to check out the series and see how it fits in alongside the other Saiyuki installments.

Saiyuki Reload: Zeroin - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Saiyuki Reload Zeroin is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation is excellent on the release. This is a great showcase for the animation utilized on the production.

 This is a colorful and vibrant looking encode and it capably reproduces the animation. Featuring a native high-definition encoding, Saiyuki Reload Zeroin looks better than some previous entries in the franchise (as some have been sourced from standard-definition masters rather than the high-definition masters provided on this quality release). This is a great looking encoding and the action scenes are well showcased with a sense of fluidity and detail – there are no significant compression woes.

Saiyuki Reload: Zeroin - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of 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 sounds crisp and engaging on the release. The series dialogue sounds crystal clear and engaging on the release. The score similarly sounds dynamic and well detailed.

The soundstage is surprisingly good for a stereo audio sound mix. The lossless encoding capably handles the audio soundstage. Fans can feel confident this is a quality audio presentation. It is worth noting that streaming options typically offer a much lower bit-rate and are not available with lossless encoding so the Blu-ray presentation offers the best option for audio purists.

Saiyuki Reload: Zeroin - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a small supplemental package. Unfortunately, the release lacks more in-depth bonus materials (such as audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and art galleries). Collectors hoping for a more in-depth bonus features package will have to make do with the underwhelming scraps tossed together for this mediocre bonus features package.

On disc supplements are as follows:

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

Summer Memories (HD, 2:58)

Saiyuki Reload: Zeroin - Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Saiyuki Reload Zeroin is an entertaining and exciting installment in the franchise. Fans of the saga will be pleased to return to the world of these characters and their action-packed adventures. The animation is outstanding and one of the greatest strengths of the production. Action scenes are exciting and are well handled. Director Misato Takada (Goblin Slayer) understands that the action remains one of the main reasons audiences continue to enjoy the franchise and turn up.

The Blu-ray release features a strong video and audio presentation. The video presentation is sourced from native high-definition materials. The lossless sound quality is clear and dynamic sounding. Fans should be pleased with either the lossless English dub or the original Japanese language audio. The release is a bit average in regards to bonus features (with only clean opening and closing animation alongside the "Summer Memories" feature) but on the whole the package offers a solid presentation and fans of the anime series may wish to add the release to their Saiyuki collection. Recommended.