Spy Classroom: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Spy Classroom: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Spy Classroom is an action-thriller with plenty of adventures for fans of the spy genre. Created by Takemachi, Spy Classroom draws from the original character designs by tomari. Executive produced by Akatsuki Kubota (Luminous Witches, D4DJ All Mix), Asuka Yamazaki (Astra Lost in Space, Bibliophile Princess), Shingo Kunieda (Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - Memorial Edition, Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World), and Shō Tanaka (The Eminence in Shadow, Luminous Witches), Spy Classroom is for action fans.

Produced by Akihiro Sotokawa (Uncle From Another World, The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior), Aya Iizuka (Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World, The Misfit of Demon King Academy), Hajime Maruyama (The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU), Kayoko Ninomiya, and Satoshi Motonaga (Dropout Idol Fruit Tart, Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World), Spy Classroom features a big cast of characters with plenty of bosom ladies. The voice-cast includes performances by Yūichirō Umehara, Sora Amamiya, Aoi Yūki, Ayane Sakura, Inori Minase, Miku Itō, Nao Tōyama, Sumire Uesaka, and Tomori Kusunoki. Pass or fail – Spy Classroom begins!

Klaus (Yūichirō Umehara) considers himself a hot-shot spy and even proudly proclaims himself the “World’s Greatest Spy” (even though that title is questionable), but one thing is for sure – Klaus is determined to help out a spy classroom of girls who are struggling to pass their exams to become certified superspies.  Lily (Sora Amamiya) is the leader of the girls and she has all the skills but some things still fumble on her quest to be the best – though she’ll do what she can to work with the other girls: Monika (Aoi Yūki), Sara (Ayane Sakura), Erna (Inori Minase), Grete (Miku Itō), Sibylla (Nao Tōyama), Thea (Sumire Uesaka), and Annette (Tomori Kusunoki).

The girls are painfully bad at being spies and the girls flail and fail at trying to be the top spies. The result is one failure after another for these girls. These students can’t seem to do things the right way. Despite being beautiful and determined, these classroom girls are finding the spy life a lot more difficult and demanding than expected. Can the classroom of would-be girl spies survive their tests and make the grade or will everyone fail to accomplish what they set out to do? Being a spy is surprisingly tough for the Spy Classroom.

The characters add to the charms of the action-thriller. The cast of characters are often in over their head. The cast including leader Lily as she tries to navigate her role as a leader to the other girls at school. Navigating the classroom while attempting to pass the grade as elite spies isn’t so easy – it certainly proves a lot harder for everyone than anticipated. Being a spy is apparently no easy walk in the park. The characters are engaged in the mission – being top spies – and do what they can to pass their grades before risking failure.

The character designs by Sumie Kinoshita (The Mystic Archives of Dantalian, Dropout Idol Fruit Tart) are well-done. The designs are a nice component of the series. The character designs might not be the most original and impressive around but the decent designs work well enough for the genre and the style of the series. The characters certainly fit a “fan-service” style even if the anime doesn’t showcase this element as much as other anime series often do.

The animation is solid if not groundbreaking. The series animation is reasonably noteworthy with decent animation featuring art direction by Yoshimi Umino (The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye, Laid-Back Camp). The team of animators did a solid enough job with the aesthetic. It’s not a home-run but it manages to be a crisp looking series with good line art. The art style can feel somewhat generic at times, but it still works reasonably well for the genre.

The cinematography by Fumi Nanba (Summer Pockets, Dropout Idol Fruit Tart) and Tatsuya Fukumoto (Snorunt's Summer Vacation) is a decent component of the production. The cinematography provides the ingredients necessary for the spy adventure. The spy-action series has a solid cinematographic aesthetic. The colors are bold and the lighting is well-handled.

The score composed by Yoshiaki Fujisawa (Land of the Lustrous, Luminous Witches) is a decent backdrop for the anime. The score adds to the action and thrills. The music works as background music for these action scenes and spy classroom events. A decent and solid score by Fujisawa.

Written by Shinichi Inotsume (Hayate the Combat Butler, Yona of the Dawn), Spy Classroom isn’t the most original concept out there and it doesn’t yield as much fun as some anime series aimed at the action crowd. It’s still a decent enough anime with acceptable writing. The characters are at the forefront. Dialogue is reasonable and gets the job done.

Directed by Keiichiro Kawaguchi (Classroom For Heroes, Dropout Idol Fruit Tart), Spy Classroom isn’t a perfect hit but it is something that might fit the bill for a rainy Sunday afternoon for some anime fans. The anime series has a lot of quirkiness for fans of action-thrillers about spies and the curve towards graduation. Fans of the spy genre may wish to check it out.

Spy Classroom: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Spy Classroom is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The animation quality is reasonably well reproduced with bold colors and excellent line art. The background art is certainly a highlight of the presentation. The colors are impressive and the encoding handles the animation well. Though there are some slight moments of banding in a few spots, the animation impresses overall and looks reasonably sharp.

Spy Classroom: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The sound direction by Ryōsuke Naya (Ulysses: Jeanne d'Arc and the Alchemist Knight, Adventurers Who Don't Believe in Humanity Will Save the World) is well-reproduced. The Japanese language audio sounds crisp, clear, and engaging. Dialogue is well reproduced. The English subtitles are well done and free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors. The audio soundstage is decent for a stereo sound mix.

Unfortunately, the release does not include an English dubbed option. This is a surprise to me. Providing an English dubbed option may have helped to expand the audience for the anime as some fans not only prefer but typically opt only for English dubbed presentations. Without an English dub, part of the anime market isn't being catered to with this particular release. Nonetheless, the release capably provides the original Japanese language version.

Spy Classroom: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes in a standard Blu-ray case. The release does not come with an o-card slipcover. The set has a decent enough looking cover that might make it stand-out a bit in a store carrying physical media.

On disc supplements include:

Clean Opening Animations (HD, 3:04)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 15:20)

Character Previews (HD, 4:26)

Unfortunately, the release has a somewhat sparse and lackluster supplemental package. The bonus features are not impressive. The only inclusions are barebones. The release could have been a bit improved with the inclusion of audio commentaries, making-of featurettes, cast/crew interviews, photo galleries, and more. It's too bad that the release is not more feature-packed as supplements can often make-or-break a release from being considered an "essential" purchase or a "maybe" for some fans.

Spy Classroom: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Spy Classroom is a decent anime aimed at fans of action-thrillers. The anime series explores a classroom of girls looking to pass their exams as spy students. The classroom hijinks unfold and passing the grade proves to be a lot more difficult than expected. Failure could be imminent for the students. A game of pass or fail. What does it take to be a top spy?

The Blu-ray release provides a solid high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. Alas, the release only provides the original Japanese language version (with English subtitles). The set does not include an English dubbed option. The bonus features are also quite sparse and uninteresting. This is underwhelming and the extras don't add much value to the release. Nonetheless, series fans seeking to have permanent ownership and a quality presentation may wish to consider a purchase. Recommended.