6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Anime | 100% |
Foreign | 94% |
Comedy | 25% |
Romance | 23% |
Comic book | 21% |
Supernatural | 10% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
One of the very first videogames my then very young sons got was Luigi’s Mansion, which if memory serves was a GameCube outing featuring Mario’s semi-mute twin in an adventure in a haunted house. Luigi ambled in his comical way through the many rooms of the mansion and encountered all sorts of spectral bad guys, most of whom he had to suck up into his giant vacuum cleaner nicknamed the Poltergust 3000. The sucking process was always a bit of a trial, and my boys would typically enlist my aid as levels were coming to a close and they needed a little extra virtual muscle. The spirits, who weren’t all that thrilled to be ending their haunting days by getting encapsulated in Luigi’s device, would often bounce around the room and elongate as Luigi aimed the nozzle of the Poltergust 3000 at their spectral forms. Anyone who has memories of Luigi’s Mansion may have more than a bit of déjà vu if they watch The World God Only Knows, for this series, which blends a number of elements which are reminiscent of several other animes (as seems to be more and more the case these days), also has a recurring motif which caps virtually every episode where a rather cute little “demon” from the bowels of Hell named Elsie sucks up “loose souls” into various containers that look for all the world like those old Ball jars your maiden Aunt use to preserve fruit and jam in. As in Luigi’s Mansion, The World God Only Knows’ spectral entities don’t seem overly thrilled about getting vacuumed up into a small container, and they bounce, stretch and moan as Elsie manages to round them up in an attempt to do the dirty work (or perhaps the cleaning work, as the case may be) for her masters from down below. Elsie is helped in her task by a nerdy high school kid named Keima Katsuragi, a kid more intent on playing videogames than he is in managing the affairs of real life, let alone aiding a cute little sprite from Hell.
The World of God Only Knows is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is a decent enough looking anime which sports excellent line detail, nicely saturated colors and a generally agreeable animation style which also incorporates quite a bit of CGI along the way. The only real downside to this presentation is that any anime fan is going to feel like they've seen a hundred (maybe a thousand) other series that look pretty much exactly like The World of God Only Knows. There are some fairly cool graphical elements, including the neat little skull hairclip that Elsie wears that lights up when a "loose soul" is around, and the character designs, if not exactly innovative, are fresh enough to maintain general interest. Some of the best moments visually in the series come from the ghouls and goblins being released from the various girls, as they all have their own distinctive "identities" and looks.
The World God Only Knows features two DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks, one in the original Japanese, and another English dub. As so often seems to be the case these days, the English track is mixed higher, with noticeably more punchy lows and midrange. Otherwise, the choice comes down to whether you prefer original languages or not reading subtitles. The English language cast is perhaps a bit "older" sounding that the Japanese, but both lend a lot of flavor to the soundtracks. The series also has some nice J-pop music which helps to up the sonic ante. Fidelity is excellent on both of these tracks. There's not a whole lot of LFE to write home about, but occasionally some of the bombastic "loose soul" scooping gets sonically boisterous.
The World God Only Knows isn't anything too new or exciting, but it's fairly brisk and enjoyable nonetheless. Any anime fan is going to recognize any number of elements they've seen in other shows, but the series does manage to get to something that feels a little fresher with regard to the relationship between Keima and Elsie, a relationship which also provides some fairly consistent (albeit pretty goofy at times) humor. The series looks and sounds very good on this Blu-ray, and if you don't mind having a certain sense of déjà vu as you watch, The World God Only Knows comes Recommended.
2011
2011-2013
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2012
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2011
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2008
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Essentials
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2008
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ソウルイーター
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2011-2012
2009
Limited Edition
2010