Star Musketeer Bismark: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Star Musketeer Bismark: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Star Musketeer Bismark is an engaging and well-made science-fiction action-adventure anime classic. Originally broadcast on NNS (NTV) network, Star Musketeer Bismark is from producer Yoshitaka Suzuki (Final Fantasy XV: Comrades, Ninja Blade). Released by Studio Pierrot, Star Musketeer Bismark was first broadcast between October 7, 1984 and September 29, 1985. The Discotek Media release includes the entire series run of 51 episodes.

Set against the backdrop of the year 2069, Star Musketeer Bismark explores the journey of humanity as work is done to transform and colonize outer space for a new system of human civilization. The wide canvas of outer space is incredible and the solar system is both vast and beautiful. Humanity was at once almost at the brink of extinction.

15 years before the development of new colonization in space, Deathcula was a group of alien creatures that invaded humanity and caused a rift in space. Now everything is a process of rebuilding and with the help of the Earth Federation Government (EFG), the new colonies are developed with momentum. Yet things are nonetheless still chaotic.

The Earth Federation Government must deploy the Bismark – the best chance the government has at defending the universe from new threats from Deathcula. An ambitious rag-team of heroes is formed – heroes gifted with an array of abilities and deployed using the Bismark to complete their missions. The ultimate goal: protecting what remains of human society from the evil Deathcula alien invaders. Can the Bismark and its team of fighters save humankind and protect the galaxy from evil?

The characters on Star Musketeer Bismark are a huge part of the charm of the series. The cast of characters add to the fun. The cast includes Richard Lancelot (Bin Shimada), Marianne LeVert (Chie Kōjiro), Bill Wilcox (Kazuhiko Inoue), Shinji Hikari (Yoku Shioya), Zatola (Banjō Ginga), Charles LeVert (Hiroshi Ito), Perios (Hirotaka Suzuoki), Huser (Seizō Katō), and General Walter (Shōzō Hirabayashi). The adventures of the characters with the Bismark add to the sense of adventure the series creates. These are fun, charming, and cool characters – the end result is a more engaging classic anime. The character designs are also superb and add to the production merit. The series provides considerable detail as given to the character art elements.

The animation is one of the best elements of Star Musketeer Bismark. Star Musketeer Bismark features top-notch art direction by Geki Katsumata (Galaxy Express 999, Mazinger Z). Star Musketeer Bismark is beautifully animated and there is so much to appreciate about the animation style. The traditional hand drawn art looks incredible and there is so much detail given to the production. The background art and line art are top-notch. The series achieves its ambitious goals. The science-fiction elements are well highlighted by the animators. The mecha and action aspects are epic in scope and scale.

Edited by Seiji Morita (Urusei Yatsura, Code Geass), Masaki Sakamoto (Urusei Yatsura, Astro Boy), and Kimiko Miyauchi (Urusei Yatsura: Only You, Urusei Yatsura 3: Remember My Love), Star Musketeer Bismark is well-edited. The sense of pace to the series is engaging. The series has a good flow. A production style that highlights the action and adventure in good measure.

The score composed by Osamu Totsuka (Ronin Warriors, New Captain Tsubasa) is fantastic and one of the most beautiful elements of the series. Totsuka is a gifted composer and the music plays vital role within the production. The score adds whimsy and pathos to the series. Star Musketeer Bismark is engaging and the music is certainly one of the key elements in the series achieving success as an action-adventure in the science-fiction genre. Both the mecha elements and character elements are given an opportunity to shine.

The cinematography by Takeshi Fukuda (Beast King GoLion, Space Emperor God Sigma) is incredible and robust. The filmic aesthetic is one of the joys of the anime. Fukuda is a talented cinematographer and there is certainly a sense of cohesion and vision to the production. The cinematography is beautiful throughout.

Written by Mitsuru Majima (UFO Robo Grendizer, The New Adventures of Kimba the White Lion), Star Musketeer Bismark is a well-written science-fiction adventure. The concept is well handled and the production also has great characters – the writing showcasing the characters. Science-fiction fans certainly will appreciate the style of the storytelling. Fans of classic action- adventures will especially appreciate these elements.

Directed by Akira Shigino (Ninja Robots, Osomatsu-kun) and Masami Anno (Ninja Robots, Hurricane Polimar), Star Musketeer Bismark is well-done classic science-fiction. The anime has so many great aesthetic elements and the directing is entertaining. There is a sense of energy that is undeniable. Shigino and Anno help Star Musketeer Bismark achieve a great sense of scope – the vision for the production top-notch.

Star Musketeer Bismark: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Star Musketeer Bismark is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The beautiful high-definition presentation is crisp and colorful on the release. The animation style is outstanding. The series background animation and line artwork are exceptional.

The transfers look filmic and robust. The transfer retains film grain and the hand drawn animation style is well reproduced on the release. The transfers are also remarkably crisp and with good detail highlighted – there aren't many elements of print wear or damage and as a result the high-definition transfer is all the more fun. The presentation capably highlights the science-fiction mecha elements and the character artwork, too.

The old-school animation style is top-notch partly because of how authentic it feels and there is a lot to appreciate about the aesthetic – the style imbues a sense of wonder. It is nice to see a classic anime with so much detail in the film-based elements. Classic anime can look quite different aesthetically compared to modern anime. Modern anime might look more "clean and crisp" to some but classic hand-drawn animation has a beauty that feels more alive somehow – the animators providing something that is magical. Discotek Media has done a great job with the release and by highlighting the series animation with superb encoding.

Star Musketeer Bismark: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release capably reproduces the sound direction by Shigeharu Shiba (Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind). The lossless audio is engaging and one of the best qualities provided on the release. Dialogue is clear and well reproduced.

The score for the series is beautifully highlighted and well-integrated into the sound presentation. Dynamics in the audio soundstage are highlighted wonderfully as well. The English subtitles are well done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

One of the key highlights of physical media is the lossless audio encoding. Blu-ray provides lossless audio whereas streaming services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio quality. For home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles alike, there is an audio quality difference between a streaming version and a physical media version. For someone wanting the best possible audio option, the physical format offers those distinct advantages.

Star Musketeer Bismark: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a beautifully designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover artwork is fantastic and looks great in hand. The release also provides additional key artwork underneath the slipcover. These are fun design elements that add to the package design.

On disc supplements include:

Clean Opening (SD, 1:44)

Clean Ending (SD, 1:22)

Unfortunately, the release has a somewhat sparse and lackluster supplemental package. The bonus features selection could have been better and more well-rounded. The set could have used some audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, cast/crew interviews, documentaries, art galleries, and more. Alas, there simply isn't much provided in the bonus features arena.

Star Musketeer Bismark: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Star Musketeer Bismark is an entertaining science-fiction action-adventure classic. The sense of old-school action is one of the highlights of the series. The animation is superb and the hand drawn art imbues so much wonder to the production. The sense of scale is impressive. The Blu-ray release provides an excellent high-definition presentation, lossless audio encoding, and some on-disc supplements (though the supplemental package is also a bit sparse). Highly recommended.