Super Dimension Century Orguss: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Super Dimension Century Orguss: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Super Dimension Century Orguss is an exciting science-fiction anime. The anime was originally broadcast in Japan on the Mainichi Broadcasting System. The Super Dimension Century Orguss series comes from Studio Nue and Tokyo Movie Shinsha. Produced by Toshitsugu Mukaitsubo (Ninjaman Ippei), the hit theme music was performed by Casey Rankin. Executive produced by Yoshimasa Ohnishi (Macross Plus: Movie Edition, Apocalypse Zero), Super Dimension Century Orguss features plenty of adventure for fans of classic anime series.

Kei Katsuragi (Sho Hayami) considers himself a ladies man. Unlike someone searching for the love of their life, Kei hopes to find as many ladies to make “friends” with as possible as he wishes to find many lovers in the course of his life. Considering Kei lives a dangerous life as a pilot serving the Freedom Space Corps, there is always a constant sense of dread and a feeling that things could even end suddenly tomorrow – so he turns up the excitement in his love life.

It is the year 2062 and war has brought countless changes. Atomic bombs and chemical weapons are causing a lot of commotion behind the scenes. Yet even more dangerous to the fate of humanity are dimensional weapons that are capable of creating a rift between time and space.

Kei soon finds himself in far more trouble than he ever bargained for when the Super Dimensional Oscillation Bomb goes off and the entire event causes a rift involving multiple different worlds. Kei is now sent in to the future – encountering a division between the Chiram and Emaan. Before long, Kei becomes the top prize! Womanizing Kei finds life far more complicated with multiple worlds – will he ever learn a lesson in love?

The animation is exquisite. This is one of the most compelling elements of the production. The series has fantastic art direction by Yoshiyuki Yamamoto (Dragon Ball Movie 1: Curse of the Blood Rubies, Gu-Gu Ganmo). The team of animators involved with the production manages to create something that is distinctive and compelling. The animation style is unique and fits the production well. Featuring character designs by Haruhiko Mikimoto (Macross 7, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket) alongside mecha designs by Kazutaka Miyatake (Arcadia of My Youth, Macross 7), Super Dimension Century Orguss is a great showcase for the genre and the animation provides plenty of stunning visuals for enthusiasts.

The cinematography by Masahide Ueda (Lupin III: The Legend of the Gold of Babylon, Lupin III: Part III) adds a lot to the experience as well. The cinematographer has a good understanding of the narrative. The series cinematography has a fun and vibrant aesthetic that works well alongside the animation. Outstanding.

The score composed by Kentarō Haneda (Space Adventure Cobra, Dear Brother) is a highlight for the series as well. Haneda adds a lot to the production with a fun and thrilling original score. The music manages to be a perfect match for the action-packed adventure. The score is high-octane energy.

Featuring chief screenwriting by Kenichi Matsuzaki (Mobile Suit Gundam, Space Runaway Ideon), Super Dimension Century Orguss is a well crafted series. The screenwriting manages to highlight the journey facing the main character and the supporting characters. The scriptwriting focuses on the concept as well, highlighting the action-packed quotient provided by the series. A good effort by Matsuzaki.

Noboru Ishiguro (The Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Star Blazers: The Comet Empire) and Yasumi Mikamoto (Lupin III: Part II, Jarinko Chie) direct. As chief directors for Super Dimension Century Orguss, the series finds a compelling style as an anime series. The filmmakers involved with the production help to enhance the series with compelling creativity and plenty of adventure. The science-fiction element is well highlighted by the chief directors as well. Action-anime fans will want to explore the classic genre series.

Super Dimension Century Orguss: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Discotek Media, Super Dimension Century Orguss is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The presentation is outstanding. Color reproduction is excellent. Fine detail is well reproduced and is preserved by the encoding. A top-notch effort from Discotek Media.

Super Dimension Century Orguss: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The audio quality on the release is excellent and handles the series soundstage. The sound direction by Wataru Date (Golgo 13: The Professional, God Mars) is creative fun and is well reproduced. The score from composer Kentarō Haneda is highlighted well on the release as well. An excellent lossless audio presentation for the original language version. The English dub is provided for episodes 1-17.

Super Dimension Century Orguss: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a nice looking o-card slipcover.

Vintage US Release Materials (SD, 9:32)

Super Dimension Century Orguss: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Super Dimension Century Orguss is an exciting and action-packed classic anime series with plenty of charm for genre fans. The series has a good blend of mecha and drama elements. The series has excellent animation. The filmmakers bring a lot to the table. The Blu-ray release includes a solid presentation with both impressive video and lossless audio. The release is light in the supplemental arena but is otherwise a solid set for fans of the series. Recommended.