Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Summer Ghost Blu-ray Movie Review

Summer Ghost is a compelling fantasy anime with a unique storyline. The feature-film is based on the original concept by acclaimed illustrator loundraw. The film features animation production by Flat Studio (Rakka-sei, Futari-bun no Shōmei). Exploring the importance of life while reminding viewers about the importance of living life to its fullest, Summer Ghost is a wonderful tale for audiences of all ages (young and old).

A popular urban legend foretells of a ghost that appears before you if you light a series of fireworks at an old airfield during the summer season. Thereby coined as the “summer ghost” – the ghost will only appear before you if you are “about to touch death” and will greet visitors with a message. The mystery of the ghost causes teenagers Tomoya Sugisaki (Chiaki Kobayashi), Aoi Harukawa (Miyuri Shimabukuro), and Ryō Kobayashi (Nobunaga Shimazaki) to go to the abandoned airfield to see if they can awaken the summer ghost.

As the ghostly figure of Ayane Satō (Rina Kawaei) appears, the trio find the ghost haunt causes a new mystery for them – why does the ghost appear and is there more to the ghost’s strange message? Tomoya decides to return to the airfield in the hopes of finding the truth of the summer ghost. A mysterious encounter turns in to so much more as Tomoya begins to ponder the meaning of life.

The characters are well explored for a short form story. The feature-film might have a short run time but the characters all have a sense of dimensionality. The central protagonist, Tomoya, is a compelling lead character. The supporting cast of characters are well explored, too. The entire group of teenagers (and ghost Ayane) are given a sense of depth within the tale.

Always remember to live life to the fullest.

The animation is one of the highlights of Summer Ghost. Inspired by his own original illustrations, loundraw created the concept for the feature-film and used that concept to help inspire his own character designs as well. The designs by loundraw are superb and are a hugely important part of the puzzle.

The animation is sophisticated in its simplicity and grace. The production doesn’t feel as though it is over-produced or over-analytical at any time. Simultaneously, the film showcases animation that is breathtakingly stunning – each frame of the film can feel like a work of art in its own right. A great element of the entire production. It is clear the animators involved with the production of Summer Ghost contributed a great deal to the production and to its beauty. Under the animation direction of Eri Irei (Black Clover, Uma Musume Pretty Derby), Summer Ghost is a terrific success.

The original score composed by Akira Kosemura (Futari-bun no Shōmei) with Guiano, Hideya Kojima, and Itoko Toma contributing, is excellent. The original music for the production contributed a great deal to the filmmaking. The score was beautiful and serene. This is a calming and peaceful score. The music enhances the tone of the piece. A wonderful effort from all involved.

Written by Hirotaka Adachi (My Daemon, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror), Summer Ghost tells a compelling story. This is a huge part of the reason why the film won so much acclaim and was a wonderful example of the strengths of anime as a medium. Adachi tells a short-form story here and it manages to explore a lot of deep themes in a short story time frame. The storytelling emphasizes the importance of living life to its fullest and never wasting a moment. Life is to be cherished, not to be wasted. (As the saying often goes, “life is wasted on the youth” – so don’t waste it, cherish it with friends, family, pets, and other loved ones.)

Directed by loundraw (Futari-bun no Shōmei, Uchū Yokoku-hen Anime Eizō), Summer Ghost is a beautifully produced film with a wonderful sense of artistic filmmaking. As both illustrator and filmmaker, loundraw is a talented artist. The filmmaking is serene and peaceful and has a nice optimism that is appreciable. Fans of slice-of-life anime and character-driven dramas will find a lot to appreciate about the film. Summer Ghost has a neat concept too and director loundraw does a good job exploring it.

Summer Ghost Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from GKids and Shout Factory, Summer Ghost is presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The animation is stunning throughout the production and it is well reproduced in high-definition on the Blu-ray release from Shout Factory. The presentation looks quite lovely. The release has exceptional color reproduction. Line art and fine detail appears excellent on the presentation as well. Though there are some slight moments of banding, these elements are fleeting and the majority of the presentation appears near-flawless. This is a superb looking transfer and encoding.

Summer Ghost Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented with a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with English subtitles). Both options on the disc are provided with fully lossless 24 bit depth high-resolution audio. The lossless audio sounds magnificent and the audio certainly is warm and inviting to listen to. Dialogue sounds crisp and clear during the presentation. The original score is well reproduced and integrated in to the surround sound mix (which adds a nice sense of ambiance to the production).

Summer Ghost Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

To You Before Dawn Documentary (HD, 1:18:53) is a feature-length behind-the-scenes documentary for Summer Ghost. It is wonderful to see GKids and Shout Factory provide such a lengthy bonus feature for the release as it offers fans of the film more in-depth material.

Feature Animatic (HD, 37:12) showcases the complete animatics for the production.

Interview with loundraw (HD, 13:36) about the production of Summer Ghost.

Summer Ghost Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Summer Ghost is a beautifully told story and the filmmaking is exquisite. The animation is stunning and the sense of ambition on display is top-notch. There is a lot to appreciate about the filmmaking. The visuals certainly enhance the storytelling. The film has a great script and direction. Released from GKids and Shout Factory, Summer Ghost is a wonderful anime film and one that audiences should seek out. The Blu-ray release features exceptional video and audio. The package also provides a feature-length documentary, complete animatics, and an exclusive interview with creator, illustrator, and director loundraw. A wonderful package for a terrific film. Highly recommended.