Seitokai Yakuindomo: Movie 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Seitokai Yakuindomo: Movie 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Seitokai Yakuindomo: The Movie 2 is a quirky and entertaining comedy. The sketch-comedy style of anime is a continuation of the popular anime franchise. The series comes from creator Tozen Ujiie. Featuring animation by production studio GoHands (Hand Shakers, Scar on the Praeter), Seitokai Yakuindomo: The Movie 2 is an engaging follow-up to the popular hit series. The feature-film has original animation produced by Ringo Kishimoto (Seitokai Yakuindomo, Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique: Kagayaki no Ashita). Fans of the Seitokai Yakuindomo franchise will want to explore the sketch-comedy hijinks.

Takatoshi Tsuda (Shintarō Asanuma) finds himself in over his head once again. As the only male student involved with the activities of what is a former all-girls school, Takatoshi is surrounded by women. Alongside a bunch of school girls including Aria Shichijō (Satomi Satou), Suzu Hagimura (Sayuri Yahagi), and Shino Amakusa (Yōko Hikasa), Takatoshi and the rest of the girls experience all new frustrations and excitements as the school decide to make a feature-film.

The new student goal: an overproduced student feature-production with questionable origins – some of the students thinking it’s a feature-length adult movie – while others interjecting their own brand of goofiness into the low-budget production.  With an abundance of body-on-body wresting, sexual innuendos, and extreme forms of punishments, the students are all put to the task this time. The adventures of making their own (low-budget) student movie unfolds!

The goofy nature of the series (and feature) is one of the main draws and this translates in to a fun cast of characters. The main characters include Takatoshi Tsuda and the girls: Aria Shichijō, Suzu Hagimura, and Shino Amakusa. With the emphasis on sketch comedy, the characters have to showcase a funny bone side: the backdrop of the anime is the focus on the sketches. These characters are silly and over the top – providing a sense of energy and chaos to the production that helps it to stand out in a crowd of comedy series.

The character designs by Makoto Furuta (Tokyo Babylon 2021, K: Seven Stories - The Idol K) are well stylized and compelling. The aesthetic of these designs is something that feels true to the comedy genre. The characters are given laidback designs that are a good fit for the comedy genre. Rather than trying to make people laugh with designs that are too-serious or too-dramatic, the more carefree aesthetic style showcased by Furuta is something that aids the genre element.

The animation is a highlight of the production. Seitokai Yakuindomo: The Movie 2 has beautiful looking animation and it is one of the key strengths of the feature-film. The animation style is easily engaging. The art manages to make a solid impression and stands out as something compelling. This is achieved through the impressive art direction by Ken Naito (Dusk maiden of Amnesia, Gourmet Girl Graffiti) and the chief animation direction of Makoto Furuta (The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses, K: Seven Stories - The Idol K). The results are excellent here and demonstrate the importance of a good team working behind the scenes on crafting compelling animation. The sleek aesthetic of the film works well with the comedy genre and the vibrant style is something that makes the film easier to enjoy.

The cinematography by Shinnosuke Takesada (Scar on the Praeter, W'z) is certainly a compelling element of the film and one of the key reasons Seitokai Yakuindomo: The Movie 2 works well. A wonderfully vibrant and colorful aesthetic is highlighted with the cinematography. This works out enormously well for the entire production team. The cinematographer helps to highlight the visuals (bringing out the best of the animation).

The score composed by Yūya Mori (Super Dragon Ball Heroes, Kemono Jihen) is airy and charming. The score is certainly a fun and compelling backdrop to the production. The music is simply lighthearted, carefree, and enjoyable. The score works well for the comedy roots of the tale. The music adds an element of fun to the production without feeling out of place within the genre.

Written and Directed by Hiromitsu Kanazawa (Hanabichan The Girl Who Popped Out of the Game World, Seitokai Yakuindomo), Seitokai Yakuindomo: The Movie 2 is a good follow-up to the anime by providing fans of the franchise more comedic hijinks. The sketch comedy style is something that works well for the film. Director Kanazawa (who also handled the production storyboards) has a lot of fun with the cast of characters and the comedic antics of the students making their own feature-length film.

Knowing that the concept is silly and over the top, director Kanazawa leaned in on this approach to the story and explored the inherent silliness of a student film (with all the questionable “variables” of a goofier undertaking). The results are certainly entertaining and fans of Seitokai Yakuindomo will find that Seitokai Yakuindomo: The Movie 2 does a good job of continuing the comedy antics. Fans of the franchise will enjoy.

Seitokai Yakuindomo: Movie 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Seitokai Yakuindomo: The Movie 2 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release features a gorgeous native high-definition presentation. The encode on the release is not simply presenting a standard-definition upscale. The high-definition visuals are crisp and colorful. The animation appears vibrant and pristine.

The line art is well reproduced during the presentation. Animation is not only colorful but it has plenty of "pop" and looks superb on the release. Sentai Filmworks has provided a top-notch encode that benefits from a healthy bit-rate and the transfer doesn't suffer from any egregious compression woes. The transfer looks wonderful and will please fans of the franchise.

Seitokai Yakuindomo: Movie 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality sounds exceptionally crisp and clear during the presentation. The feature-film offers exceptional sounding audio quality. Dialogue is crisp and engaging. The dialogue is easy to understand. The lossless encoding benefits the presentation and the soundtrack is well reproduced (enhancing the soundstage and bringing it to life with a purer and more crystal-clear background).

The only potential drawback to the release is the lack of an English dubbed option. Fans of English dubbing may find the lack of an English language audio option to be a bit of a disappointment. Nonetheless, audio purists should find the original Japanese language audio track to be satisfying and enjoyable. The English subtitles are excellent and are free from any significant spelling or grammatical errors.

Seitokai Yakuindomo: Movie 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release is a bit underwhelming in the supplemental department. This is the one area of the release that could have used the most improvement. The package doesn't include any extensive supplemental features. The release might have benefited from the addition of audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and other featurettes about the production. Even some cast and crew interviews might have added something worthwhile to the package (or perhaps some photo galleries highlighting key artwork). The set comes in a standard Blu-ray case and does not include an o-card slipcover.

On disc supplements:

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:33)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Rent-a-Girlfriend (HD, 1:32), Mother of the Goddess' Dormitory (HD, 00:46), Why the hell are you here, Teacher!? (HD, 00:31), and Magical Warfare (HD, 1:32).

Seitokai Yakuindomo: Movie 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Seitokai Yakuindomo: The Movie 2 is an entertaining comedic film with a fun take on expanding the series. Seitokai Yakuindomo: The Movie 2 manages to bring a fun sketch-comedy style forward: an undeniably charming sense of comedic wonder is on full display with the feature-film. While the students are attempting to make their own low-budget student movie (and questions of adult filmmaking regularly enter the equation in this comedic spin), Seitokai Yakuindomo: The Movie 2 manages to find a good comedic backbone for some entertaining sketches along the way. While not a perfect film, Seitokai Yakuindomo: The Movie 2 is certainly enjoyable and has some good elements for fans of the series.

The Blu-ray features a quality high-definition presentation alongside a nice lossless audio encoding (in Japanese with English subtitles). The release does not include an English dub option. The release is light on supplements. Seitokai Yakuindomo fans may wish to pick up this release for its quality presentation and to add to their collection. Recommended.