Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor: OVA Series Blu-ray Movie Review

An entertaining science-fiction anime classic.

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor OVA is an action-packed science-fiction adventure. The series comes from producers Koji Sawai and Koji Shimana. The animation production by Studio DEEN (Diamond Daydreams, Hetalia World Series) is a highlight of the fan-favorite OVA classic. Created by Hitoshi Yoshioka, The Irresponsible Captain Tylor OVA is an entertaining and engaging gem of a classic in Japanese animation and a series fans of the medium won’t want to miss.

Tylor (Kouji Tsujitani) is an irresponsible captain – the title is his and his alone! Yet Tylor and his “special” crew of the Soyokaze are finding new ways to explore the uncharted territories of outer space and the results are far more adventurous than expected. The stage has been set for new and exciting tales of outer-space exploration and action-packed fun.

The crew must find the Raalgon weapon and manage perilous tasks set forth before them. Yuriko (Yuri Amano) is along for the wild ride. Can the crew find the strength to emerge victorious in their latest missions despite rebel leader Tylor and his “irresponsible” ways? The Empress Azalyn even takes the stage: the mission course has been set and the stakes are raised.

The characters are at the heart of the series and its enduring legacy as an anime production. Tylor is a great lead character and his quirky personality is a cool and hip element of the series (and something which keeps audiences coming back for more). The supporting cast is fun too: imbuing the series with creative energy in spades. There is so much to appreciate here about the cast of characters and the fun chemistry between them.

The series features strong character designs. These design elements certainly helped to enhance the tone of the production and the success of the characterization. The series is based on the original character designs by Tomohiro Hirata. The anime character designs by Masaaki Kawanami are remarkably impressive and fit the production perfectly. An exceptional job by Kawanami.

"Time for some laid-back adventures, dude!"

The animation is top-notch. The art style is one of the central elements of the series (and why it works so well). The art direction by Masaru Satō (Brain Powered, His and Her Circumstances) provides this series with plenty of creative energy and builds on the character designs – expanding the science fiction landscape and making the core aesthetic of the series something that excels even more than some audience might anticipate.

The mecha design by Satoshi Shigeta (My-HiME, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed) is extraordinary as well and the giant ships featured on the series are enormously creative looking and are well-detailed. The key details from the team of animators involved make the visual appearance of the space ships all the more enticing. A wondrous effort by Shigeta and he brought forth great work from the entire team of animators involved on the production.

The cinematography by Motoaki Ikegami (Those Who Hunt Elves, Virtua Fighter) is another key element of the production and a reason why the series is so successful. Ikegami is a gifted cinematographer and imbues the production with a wonderful aesthetic energy that fits the series action-adventure tone in spades. The colorful (yet gritty) aesthetic is perfectly encapsulated by the cinematographic effort.

The score composed by Kenji Kawai (Ranma ½, Ghost in the Shell) and Toshiyuki Watanabe (Majestic Prince, Space Brothers) is a superb component of the production and one of the reasons fans of the anime series keep coming back for more. Kawai is one of the most important composers working in Japanese anime and the effort here is a key example of why the composer became such an iconic and essential composer for anime series. A superb score by Kawai.

Directed by Kōichi Mashimo (Blade of the Immortal, Madlax) and Naoyuki Yoshinaga (Maison Ikkoku, Parasite Dolls), The Irresponsible Captain Tylor OVA is enormous fun and it takes audiences on a big, exciting, and wild ride. Director Mashimo also handles chief scriptwriting duties and the script has a energetic tone with plenty of fun dialogue. The direction is fast- paced and visually rewarding with a jubilant energy that is undeniable. A wonderful work of art by Mashimo.

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor: OVA Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Right Stuf, The Irresponsible Captain Tylor OVA is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The release has a solid if (occasionally) unspectacular high-definition presentation. The encode is decent and the release looks reasonably solid but the source-material used for the release seems limited.

This is not as crisp as some high-definition presentations look and the material looks like it could have used even more work to be done but alas this is likely the best the series will ever look on home media. Despite some presentation flaws, it is still a solid encode and one that won't bother most viewers. The release does have some occasional dirt and print wear as well but it is not too detrimental to the video encoding.

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor: OVA Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English Dolby Digital 2.0 and Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 (with English subtitles). The audio quality isn't as crisp or robust as superior lossless, high-resolution audio presentation offerings. Nonetheless, the audio sounds moderately good with decent fidelity. The score still sounds reasonably clear and well defined. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand on the release. A solid if average-sounding presentation.

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor: OVA Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1:

Music Videos:

Strange Lover (SD, 3:12)

Fleet, To Battle (SD, 2:19)

A Tribute to Dom (SD, 2:02)

Passing Days (SD, 3:06)

Galactically Irresponsible Tylorgar (SD, 3:08)

The Castle with the Nice Entrance (SD, 3:21)

My Racing Pink Heart (SD, 3:16)

Trailers are also provided for the following releases: A Town Where You Live (HD, 1:30), Martian Successor Nadesico (HD, 00:34), ARIA the Animation (HD, 1:32), Emma: A Victorian Romance (HD, 2:01), Gravitation (HD, 1:29), and Boogiepop Phantom (HD, 1:00).

Disc 2:

Music Videos:

Vacation Resort (SD, 2:03)

Ha-ru-mi * Sexy (SD, 3:47)

The Night Love Disappeared (SD, 2:32)

Yamamoto, The Soldier (SD, 2:05)

Dreams Come True (SD, 2:27)

Impermanent (SD, 2:36)

SA-MU-RA-I (SD, 2:51)

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor: OVA Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor OVA is an outstanding collection of the original OVA episodes. The classic science-fiction adventure anime series is a beloved fan-favorite and there is something wonderful about this epic anime gem. An incredible series and one that is well worth owning on Blu-ray. The Blu-ray release features decent video and audio alongside some exclusive supplemental features. Recommended.