Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

The Life of Budori Gusuko Blu-ray Movie Review

The Life of Budori Gusuko is an animated fantasy-drama. Created by Kenji Miyazawa, The Life of Budori Gusuko is based on the original Japanese children’s novel. The Life of Budori Gusuko is set in the same storytelling universe of Night on the Galactic Railroad (1985). Produced by Shigeru Watanabe (Ghost in the Shell, Shin Getter Robo vs. Neo Getter Robo) and Yoshihiro Shimizu (Black Jack: The Movie, Kumi to Tulip), The Life of Budori Gusuko features original character designs by Hiroshi Masumura. The theme music lyrics, arrangement, composition, and performance are by Kazumasa Oda. Featuring the voices of Shun Oguri and Shioli Kutsuna.

Budori Gusuko (Shun Oguri) once had a wonderful life and everything seemed to be working in his favor. The life of Budori was one that was full of happiness and wonderment. The times spent with his parents and his sister Neri (Shioli Kutsuna) provided Budori with a special life – one that fulfilled him on a daily basis. Yet the peaceful life of tranquility is upset when the beautiful forest lands he lives in become devastated. The weather changes and seasons of harmonious splendor turn to ruin.

Now Budori is troubled with making a difficult choice. Budori loses his family and must travel to another village. Yet everything promised is lost when tragedy strikes once more. Now Budori is working under different circumstances again – with those who study volcanoes. Can Budori find happiness again?

The animation is exquisite and beautiful. The animation has a poetic quality and this is one of the central strengths of the filmmaking. The Life of Budori Gusuko is a beautiful looking film with vibrant animation. The character designs by Marisuke Eguchi (Nozomi Witches, Sweet Spot) are faithful to the original and manage to work well within the production landscape.

The animation impresses because of the exquisite animation direction by Marisuke Eguchi (Lupin III: Dead or Alive, Nozomi Witches), Rie Mitake (Amagami SS, Hanasaku Iroha - Blossoms for Tomorrow), and Tsuneo Maeda (Cynical Hysterie Hour: Through the Night, Night on the Galactic Railroad). The film also showcases some highly impressive art direction by Yukio Abe (Love Position - The Legend of Halley, The Sensualist). The animators helped to bring the world of the production to life.

The cinematography by Youichirou Satou (Fairy Musketeers, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Punch!) highlights the bright and colorful landscape of the visuals. The cinematographic approach is vivid and immersive. There is a lot to appreciate about the style utilized by Satou.

The original score composed by Ryōta Komatsu is a noteworthy part of The Life of Budori Gusuko. The score provides a serene and lush backdrop to the animation. The music is engaging to listen to. Composer Komatsu did a great job with the score.

Written and directed by Gisaburō Sugii (Night on the Galactic Railroad, Lupin III: The Secret of Twilight Gemini), The Life of Budori Gusuko is a feature-film with an interesting creative style. The film is an engaging production for fans of dramatic works. The one downside is the script by Sugii is a bit underwhelming and not as effective as the other aspects of the filmmaking. The story has a slow pace and the script could have been a bit more robust. Even so, The Life of Budori Gusuko is worth seeing and has enough interesting creative elements to be worthwhile.

The Life of Budori Gusuko Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, The Life of Budori Gusuko is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The presentation is a little underwhelming. The release is a re-issue of an earlier print. I do not own the original release to compare it to directly but even if a new encode was issued for the release it seems like there are some detriments to the presentation quality. Line art is a bit underwhelming in clarity and the level of sharpness on the release is not up to par with newer productions. The inherent softness to the presentation is a bit underwhelming – so much so that the film is docked on the video score even though the animation has a modern aesthetic.

The Life of Budori Gusuko Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio quality fares a lot better than the video on the release. The sound direction by Fusanobu Fujiyama and sound effects by Masami Kitakata are well reproduced. The clarity of the track is excellent. The audio presentation has a good sense of scale and depth. Dialogue is well reproduced. The surrounds are actively engaged on the release and the score is enveloping in how it is implemented in to the soundstage.

The Life of Budori Gusuko Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Japanese Promos (HD, 2:42)

The Life of Budori Gusuko Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Life of Budori Gusuko is an interesting anime feature-film set in the same storytelling world of Night on the Galactic Railroad (1985). Written and directed by Gisaburō Sugii (Night on the Galactic Railroad), The Life of Budori Gusuko is a visually beautiful film with some compelling production merits – such as effective animation style and a beautiful score composed by Ryōta Komatsu. The Blu-ray release has a decent (if underwhelming) video presentation with impressive lossless audio. Though there are no bonus features and the video transfer is somewhat disappointing, fans of The Life of Budori Gusuko may wish to consider a purchase. Recommended.