Space Brothers #0 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Space Brothers #0 Blu-ray Movie Review

A slice-of-life anime set against the dreams of outer-space

Based on the manga by Chûya Koyama, Space Brothers is a moving anime exploring the world of space exploration and the curious path of two brothers who seek to become astronauts themselves. Audiences with a love for outer-space and slice-of-life drama anime series will find there is much to appreciate about this under-the-radar gem. The tale is for the dreamers in all of us.

Siblings can sometimes share dreams and reach for them in different ways during the course of life. Nanba Mutta (Hiroaki Hirata) and Nanba Hibito (Kenichiro Ohashi) are living out their entirely separate existences but the mutually passionate brothers both have dreams that extend beyond earth's ordinary skylines. Exploring the duo's early years, the prequel feature-film (which takes place before the anime series began), Space Brothers #0 is a fan's wish-come-true in delving into the beloved characters childhood experiences as well as the beginnings of the anime series itself. The story is only just beginning and the film has more to add to the experience.

Brothers Forever

The animation in the feature-film prequel production is spectacular and displays an enormous amount of creativity and thoughtfulness. The animators clearly invested their hard time and energy into crafting the film. Every moment seems to be animated with a serene sense of purpose. The background artwork is consistently vibrant, colorful, and majestic. The character designs are effective and an enjoyable element of the experience. The art feels inspired and is full of life. Bravado. Every animator involved in the production deserves recognition for their heartfelt contributions.

Directed by Ayumu Watanabe (Children of the Sea, Mysterious Girlfriend X), Space Brothers #0 is a terrific prequel. The episodic feature-length film can work either as an extension for fans of the series looking for something new to explore with their beloved anime or for newcomers who are just starting to dive into the world of Space Brothers. The focus on character-development is exemplary and gives audiences a chance to sit back and enjoy the day-to-day existences of the brothers at the core of this compelling story.

Unlike the typical outer-space anime audiences have come to expect (with giant mecca robots blasting through space or blood-thirsty aliens bursting out of the blackness of space), Space Brothers is a more down-to-earth (pun intended!) gem: one that gives audiences a feeling of satisfaction in the ordinary dreams of human beings. Filled with genuine charm, Space Brothers #0 certainly deserves recognition and is worth a watch.

Space Brothers #0 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Space Brothers prequel arrives on Blu-ray from distributor Sentai Filmworks with a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The anime production is a beautifully animated showstopper with a number of impressive visual elements throughout the special prequel to the original anime television series. The outer-space visuals are outstanding and beautiful on-earth outdoors scenes (with the clear blue skies and flowers waving through the air) make one swoon. 

The encode is first-rate with no glaring compression issues. The only minor drawback to the encode is occasional minor banding during select scenes. Overall, the Space Brothers prequel looks terrific and has vibrant color reproduction that conveys all the subtle nuances of the animators efforts.

Space Brothers #0 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release features a Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound presentation. The lossless audio track on the release is outstanding and makes a solid impression from start to finish. The high resolution audio track has exceptional dialogue reproduction (which is outstandingly crisp and clear throughout the entire film). The dynamics of the surround track are also interesting to consider as the track has a number of scenes with subtle but effective surround sound implementation (though the track is a minimalist one compared to more action-heavy productions). The music score is exceptionally well reproduced and gives vibrant energy to the experience. A worthwhile lossless track of the Japanese audio.

Please Note:

The release does not included a English language dub option and the English language subtitles provided are non-removable from the Japanese-language audio track presentation.

Space Brothers #0 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes two different presentations of the main feature film (and as such, the options are mentioned in this supplemental features section of the review):

Space Brothers #0 (HD, 1:30:01) is the original version and Space Brothers #0: Special Edition – Chuya Koyama (HD, 1:35:11) is an extended edition offering (which fans will certainly want to consider opting for viewing with the added content). It's nice to see two versions present.

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:39)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 3:29)

Lastly, the release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available on Blu-ray from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Space Brothers: TV Series (HD, 1:32), Legend of the Galactic Heroes (HD, 1:32), The Big O (HD, 1:13), and No Game, No Life (HD, 1:32).

Space Brothers #0 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Space Brothers returns with an excellent prequel anime feature-film which will give fans of the series some added insights into the characters of the beloved series. The film is a charming experience that careens between slice-of-life simplicity and adventure which is far grander to explore. Even those viewers unfamiliar with the original anime series would be able to pick-up here and get a solid introduction to the world of the characters.

The Blu-ray release features a solid presentation and comes recommended for fans. Don't miss this exciting film in the Space Brothers universe. Check it out.