Sakura Trick: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Sakura Trick: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Sakura Trick is a romantic drama anime. Produced by Eriko Aoki (Junjō Romantica, Shomin Sample), Hiroyuki Kobayashi (The Demon Girl Next Door, Castle Town Dandelion), Junichiro Tanaka (Hidamari Sketch, The Quintessential Quintuplets), Masashi Takatori (Place to Place, Busou Shinki), Nobumitsu Urasaki (Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok, Sankarea: Undying Love), Sakura Trick benefits from nice animation produced by Studio DEEN (Diamond Daydreams, Fantastic Detective Labyrinth). Created by Tachi, Sakura Trick will appeal to romantic anime fans.

Haruka Takayama (Haruka Tomatsu) and Yū Sonoda (Yuka Iguchi) have been close friends since junior high school. The two girls have always spent a lot of time together and love to be a part of each other’s world. Yet when the two girls begin a new school year and find that they no longer are able to sit right next to each other in their classroom, the girls don’t have as much time to spend hanging out during class. What’s a friend to do?

To make a pact to stay close friends no matter what their schedule becomes, the girls decide to share an innocent kiss with each other. Yet after the girls exchange a kiss, something clicks and changes in them. Perhaps these girls are more than just school friends.

Could it be that Haruka and Yu were destined to be girlfriends instead? As the girls find a new and adventurous side to themselves, both girls begin to kiss more frequently than they first expected. The future is full of unknown mysteries for the girls to solve.

The series is all the better because of the excellent cast of characters. A romantic anime needs a strong set of central protagonists in order to succeed. This is one area where the series excels and manages to find a good footing.

Sakura Trick certainly benefits from a nice leading cast. Haruka and Yu add a lot to the anime and help the tale find its essential ingredients. The characters are unique in the storytelling department and this helps each character to find an original voice.

The character designs by Kyuta Sakai (Humanity Has Declined, Kase-san and Morning Glories) are certainly noteworthy and contribute to the effectiveness of the series. The designs are one of the best elements of the series production. These designs are impressive, creative, and this is what matters the most for the design implementation.

The animation is one of the best aspects of the series. Under the art direction by Osamu Tayama (Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, Scarlet Nexus) and chief animation direction by Hirofumi Morimoto (Log Horizon: Destruction of the Round Table, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen) and Kyuta Sakai (Kase-san and Morning Glories, Strawberry Marshmallow), Sakura Trick is a nice-looking production. The animation is bold, colorful, and stylish. This is a sleek and modern looking anime series.

The cinematography by Shigemitsu Hamao (A Couple of Cuckoos, Those Snow White Notes) is effective and works well with the series as well. The visuals are enhanced by the lush cinematographic style. A wonderful element of the series, Hamao understands the colorful aesthetic of the production and understands how to make the production excel further.

The score composed by Ryosuke Nakanishi (High School DxD, The Devil Is a Part-Timer!) is a beautiful element of the series and it helps Sakura Trick find an even more serene sense of style. The score has vibrancy and beauty. There is plenty to appreciate about the music. Nakanishi provides excellent compositions for the genre and understands how to balance the romantic interludes with the dramatic undertones.

Written and directed by Ken'ichi Ishikura (Mermaid Melody: Pichi Pichi Pitch, Shrine of the Morning Mist), Sakura Trick might not be a perfect home run but it is a solid and charming anime series that capably tells a tale of first love. The series has great artistic merits and Ishikura understands how to provide audiences with a compelling romantic tale. Fans of romantic anime series will be more drawn to Sakura Trick than other audiences – don’t go in to a viewing of Sakura Trick expecting a bunch of action scenes ala Dragon Ball Z or the like. Knowing the genre and keeping expectations in check, Sakura Trick might just do the trick. (Pun intended.)

Sakura Trick: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Sakura Trick is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation is worthwhile and effective. There is a lot to appreciate about the quality of the encoding.

The animation looks crisp and colorful on the Blu-ray release. The art style is exceptional and there is a lot that stands out wonderfully with bright colors and excellent line art. The high-definition visuals showcase the efforts of the team of animators nicely.

The release reminds one of the differences between Blu-ray presentations and streaming presentations. Viewers who might opt for the streaming service options will be disappointed in comparison to those who opt for the physical media product. Blu-ray has even better encoding than streaming (even if in marginal gains at times) and higher bit-rates. These subtle improvements can make the experience all the more rewarding.

Sakura Trick: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless, high-resolution audio sounds crisp and clear on the release. The encoding sounds great: dialogue is well reproduced and vocals are crystal clear sounding.

The soundtrack is well encoded on the release as well. The score has nice clarity and dynamics and is well integrated in to the stereo sound mix. Though the soundstage is limited to 2.0 stereo (and the release wasn't provided with a 5.1 surround sound or 7.1 surround sound mix), fans will be pleased with the excellent lossless quality on the release.

If there is a drawback to the audio presentation, it is merely that the release doesn't include an English dub option. English dub fans might consider this to be a big drawback and may find it hampers their interest in a purchase. Regardless, purists will be pleased with the lossless Japanese audio and will not care about the loss of an English dub option (too much).

Sakura Trick: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release has a light supplemental package. The release does not provide any extensive supplemental features (such as audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes documentaries, or art galleries including an assortment of character art, background animation, and full-color illustrations. The extras arena is certainly one of the weakest elements of the package and it is not that impressive. Here are the provided extras:

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 3:04)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: KINMOZA The Movie – Thank You!! (HD, 00:31), Princess Principal: Crown Handler Chapter 2 (HD, 00:47), Girls und Panzer das Finale Part 3 (HD, 00:34), and Peter Grill and the Philosopher's Time (HD, 1:34).

Sakura Trick: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sakura Trick is an entertaining romantic drama. Anime fans who appreciate a lesbian romance will find the series worth checking out. The drama has plenty to offer fans of romantic series with lesbian underpinnings. As a romantic series exploring the relationship between Haruka and Yu, Sakura Trick provides fans of lesbian dramas plenty of excitement.

The Blu-ray release includes an impressive high-definition presentation. The encoding has a wonderful quality to it. The video presentation is crystal clear and the image quality is noteworthy. Fans will be pleased knowing they own the best presentation available for the series in North America.

The set provides a better viewing experience compared to streaming counterparts. The release also includes lossless high-resolution audio. The only major drawback is the set does not provide an English dub option. The release is only presented in Japanese (with English subtitles). Nonetheless, Sakura Trick has received a worthwhile release from distributor Sentai Filmworks. Recommended.