Sherlock Hound: Complete & Unabridged Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Sherlock Hound: Complete & Unabridged Blu-ray Movie Review

Sherlock Hound is one of the essential anime classics. The series is based on and inspired by the works of Arthur Conan Doyle. Executive produced by Shunzō Katō (Treasure Island, Wizardry) and Yutaka Fujioka (Lupin III: Part 2, Space Adventure Cobra – The Movie), Sherlock Hound was broadcast on TV Asahi.

The series features animation produced by TMS Entertainment (Case Closed, Dr. Stone). Produced by Yoshimitsu Takahashi (Lupin III: Part II, Ulysses 31), Sherlock Hound is (in part) a noteworthy classic because of the involvement of legendary director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke). A classic anime gem and one that has made a mark for its remarkable animation and creative spin on the classic tale of Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Hound (Taichirou Hirokawa) and his crime-solving partner Watson (Kousei Tomita) have great tasks ahead of them. The diabolical Professor Moriarty (Chikao Ohtsuka) continues to be their greatest adversary. The stakes of the game continue with each case to solve.

Moriarty is no ordinary villain and whether he seeks the wealth of valuable jewels or the status of classic artwork, he remains no match against the sheer genius of Sherlock Hound. Using only his genius wit and intelligence, Sherlock Hound will stop at nothing to overcome the evils of Moriarty. Watson remains a great ally on the case. Sherlock Hound is no ordinary dog and using his powerful steam engine and an assortment of other creative inventions, the mission is never over.

Adapting the source material of Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Hound has a lot of fun with the characters. This is no ordinary adaptation of the classic source material. This adaptation brought a unique spin to the table by turning the tale on the tail: a dog-gone classic origin. With the characters as dogs, the production has heartfelt and genuine characters – a trademark staple of master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. This is one of the essential strengths of the anime and the resulting characters are true to the source material while providing audiences with something new and imaginative.

The series has breathtaking animation. Featuring the art direction of Jin Kageyama (Judo Sanka, Tensai Bakabon) and Nizo Yamamoto (Future Boy Conan, Little Nemo – Adventures in Slumberland), Sherlock Hound is a fantastic animated creation. The series has an impeccable animation style and there is so much to appreciate about the beauty of the production.

Kageyama brings forth exceptional work from the team of animators involved on the series production. The end result is something that feels as alive and as magical as later-career Miyazaki productions. The resulting animation is bursting with creativity and this makes the series all the more rewarding. A great effort from all of the animators involved.

The series also shines with top-notch cinematography by Akio Wakana (The Adventures of Gamba, Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer) and Hirokata Takahashi (Space Adventure Cobra, The Rose of Versailles). The series casts a beautiful cinematographic style and there is plenty to appreciate throughout the production. Sherlock Hound has a keen visual knack and the cinematographic style helps the animation to soar. A wonderful effort from both Wakana and Takahashi.

The score composed by Kentarō Haneda (Space Adventure Cobra, The Super Dimension Century Orguss) is one of the best elements of the production. The score is energetic fun and adds a lot of flavor to the series creativity. The music provides a strong backdrop to the animation and engages with iconic and entertaining themes. Sherlock Hound certainly wouldn’t be as successful with a less competent score.

Written by Keishi Yamazaki (Treasure Island) and Mayumi Shimazaki (What’s Michael?), Sherlock Hound is a fun mystery and adventure. The series tackles the source material by Arthur Conan Doyle in a smart and charming way. The scriptwriting explores the characters in a way that feels authentic and true to the original material while providing something new within the concept of the anime.

Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) and Kyōsuke Mikuriya (Lupin III: Part II, Jarinko Chie) were the chief directors. Though Miyazaki directed fewer episodes of the production, Sherlock Hound is noteworthy for his contributions (some episodes of which he directed were also assembled as a feature-film).

Sherlock Hound shows all the staple trademarks of Miyazaki – the gorgeous animation, creative storytelling, and vibrant imagination. Co-director Mikuriya also directed a lot of classic episodes and certainly helped make the series a wonderful creation as well. Sherlock Hound should be considered as one of the most essential anime classics.

Sherlock Hound: Complete & Unabridged Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, Sherlock Hound is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The series has an outstanding presentation. The release provides a native high-definiton encode. The series has been given a film scan and the source for the restoration is excellent. The image quality looks sharp and detailed. This is especially one of the strengths of the presentation – it is exceptionally sharp and manages to retain the authentic aesthetic of the series without digital noise reduction. Colors look exceptionally beautiful on the release as well. A top-notch presentation from Discotek Media.

Sherlock Hound: Complete & Unabridged 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. The soundstage is wonderful for a classic anime series. The lossless encoding ensures that audiences get as much detail as possible out of the source. The results are terrific. A wonderful and engaging sound encode.

Sherlock Hound: Complete & Unabridged Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

"The Adventures of Sherlock Hound" English Pilot (HD, 22:13)

Episode 1 Preview (HD, 00:31)

Japanese Trailers/Television Spots (HD, 4:42)

English Trailers (HD, 5:15)

Openings & Endings:

Japanese Creditless Opening (HD, 1:36)

Japanese Creditless Ending (HD, 1:21)

English Creditless Openings (HD, 4:48)

English Creditless Endings (HD, 4:00)

International Opening (HD, 1:36)

Vintage English Openings (SD, 3:10)

Vintage English Endings (SD, 2:48)

English Pilot Vintage Credits (SD, 00:52)

Liner Notes:

Essay: A Brief History of Sherlock Hound

Episode Trivia and Translation Notes

Art Galleries:

Keyart includes 15 click-through illustrations.

Model Sheets –

Main Characters includes 36 click-through slides of illustrations.

Episode Characters includes 144 click-through slides of illustrations.

Vehicles and Items includes 131 click-through slides of illustrations.

Environments 1 includes 99 click-through slides of illustrations.

Environments 2 includes 114 click-through slides of illustrations.

Environments 3 includes 112 click-through slides of illustrations.

Image Boards –

Characters includes 22 click-through image board scans featuring illustrations.

Vehicles includes 10 click-through image board scans featuring illustrations.

Environments includes 26 click-through image board scans featuring illustrations.

Scenes includes 53 click-through image board scans featuring illustrations.

Story Images includes 31 click-through image board scans featuring illustrations.

Sherlock Hound: Complete & Unabridged Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sherlock Hound is a wonderful classic anime. The series does a great job adapting the world of Arthur Conan Doyle. Legendary director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky) helped to make Sherlock Hound one of the most memorable and creative classic anime series. The production has outstanding animation and creativity.

The Blu-ray release from Discotek Media includes a fantastic high-definition presentation. The native film source looks exceptionally crisp. The animation is vibrant and colorful. Discotek has done a fantastic job bringing the series to Blu-ray. The release offers a massive upgrade over the previously released DVD collection. Miyazaki fans won't be able to resist this fantastic collection – after all, it is complete and unabridged. Highly recommended.