The Squid Girl: Seasons 1 & 2 Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Squid Girl: Seasons 1 & 2 Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

A slice-of-life comedy for science-fiction fans.

The Squid Girl is a fantasy-comedy (otherwise-known-as The Squid Girl: The Invader Comes from the Bottom of the Sea!) from animation studio diomedea (The Lost Village, The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent). The series is based on the original manga by Masahiro Anbe. Produced by Katsumi Koike (Taisho Baseball Girls, Tears to Tiara), Kentaro Kuramoto (Battle Girls – Time Paradox, Kamisama Dolls), and Tatsuya Ishiguro (Spice and Wolf, Humanity Has Declined ), The Squid Girl features entertaining action-and-comedy for animation fans.

Squid Girl (Christine Marie Cabanos) rises from the blue sea to unleash her wrath against humanity for polluting the ocean waters she calls home. Unfortunately for the Squid Girl, the only damage that she manages to cause is a bit of wear against a small restaurant on the beach. The damage is done – but it isn't much to write-home about.

It isn't long before Squid Girl meets the charming and kind Aizawa sisters (both of whom are in charge of running the Lemon Beach House restaurant). The sisters ask Squid Girl to start working for them as a waitress to help pay down the debt of the damage to the building. Can Squid Girl survive alongside the human beings and make peace (and Spaghetti)?

The animation on The Squid Girl is first-rate and makes a big impression on the production. The series has a colorful animation style which showcases the beach-side setting in a compelling way. Much of this is due to the effective character designs by Masakazu Ishikawa (Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!, World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman), which are charming and unique for the main protagonists of the series. There is a sense that a lot of effort went into the design of each of the central character designs. Under the art direction of Ken'ichi Tatefuji (Drifters, 3D Kanojo Real Girl), the production also has outstanding background art-work: making the animation more creative (and distinct).

The squid girl by the sea.

The cinematography by Yuki Hama (Mushi-Shi, Astarotte's Toy) is a good match for the series fun energy. The cinematographic approach is to highlight the vibrant and sunny tone of the series by creating scenes that are bright, vivid, and charming. The series doesn't drown itself in dreary or simplistic undertones: it is a “sunny-side-up” kind of cinematographic creation.

The music composed by Tomoki Kikuya (The Comic Artist and Assistants, Wasteful Days of High School Girls) is one of the most charming elements of The Squid Girl. The score has a vibrant enthusiasm for the characters and story. The music adds a touch of fun to the production. An entertaining score.

The series is written by Michiko Yokote (A Lull in the Sea, Magic User's Club!) and Mariko Kunisawa (One Week Friends, Our Home's Fox Deity). The writers remember to focus on the characters first and foremost – as the characters run the series. The writing makes the characters charming and memorable. This is one of the standout elements. There is a nice sense of humor to the series and that is one of the reasons the series is a nice success. The storytelling is charming and audiences will be swept up in the slice-of-life fantasy fun.

Under head direction of Tsutomu Mizushima (Witch Craft Works, Girls und Panzer) and Yasutaka Yamamoto (Nekopara, Servant X Servant), The Squid Girl is worth checking out. The anime has impressive direction that is energetic and entertaining. This is a charming series that fans of sci-fi comedies will enjoy delighting in.

The Squid Girl: Seasons 1 & 2 Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, The Squid Girl is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release has a worthwhile high-definition presentation. The series has such a vibrant animation style, which is well-reproduced by the release. The encoding is effective and the series doesn't suffer from egregious banding and the like. The image is crisp and clear looking. The art work looks colorful and fun. Color reproduction is superb and the bright and sunny images makes the series a delight in high-definition.

The Squid Girl: Seasons 1 & 2 Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The English subtitles on the Japanese presentation are non-removable. The lossless audio quality sounds excellent on the release. Dialogue remains crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The music score of Tomoki Kikuya sounds clear and has enough detail. An engaging stereo audio mix.

The Squid Girl: Seasons 1 & 2 Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1:

Japanese Commentaries:

Episode 1: Squid Girl Chat

Episode 3: Squid Girl Chat

Episode 5: Squid Girl & Eiko Chat – Commentary with Hisako Kanemoto (Squid Girl) and Ayumi Fujimura (Eiko)

Episode 8: Squid Girl & Eiko Chat – Commentary with Hisako Kanemoto (Squid Girl) and Ayumi Fujimura (Eiko)

Disc 2:

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 18:40)

Japanese Promos (HD, 3:30)

Mini Squid Girl Short Stories (HD, 9:27)

Episode 12: Squid Girl Chat (HD, 25:57)

Disc 4:

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 18:25)

Japanese Promos (HD, 9:08)

"I Th-INK That's English!?" Clean Version (HD, 7:05)

Disc 5:

Clean Opening Animations (HD, 3:04)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 3:05)

The release includes a selection of trailers promoting other anime releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Haven't you Heard? I'm Sakamoto (HD, 1:32), Amagi Brilliant Park (HD, 1:32), Flying Witch (HD, 1:32), and Himouto! Umaru-chan (HD, 1:32).

The Squid Girl: Seasons 1 & 2 Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Squid Girl is an undeniably fun slice-of-life sci-fi series (with a unique blend of the two unique anime styles). The series is a comedy with compelling lead characters. The charming lead make the series fun. The unique animation is beautiful and colorful. The release features a strong video-audio presentation and a nice selection of extras. Recommended.