Tsugumomo: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Tsugumomo: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Tsugumomo is a fantasy-adventure anime. Created by Yoshikazu Hamada, the series combines numerous fantastical elements for genre fans. The animation is produced by Zero-G (Grand Blue Dreaming, High-Rise Invasion). The series had a production committee including Eiji Maesaka (Katana Maidens: Mini Toji, Katana Maidens: Toji no Miko), Fumiki Yamazaki (Cuticle Detective Inaba, A Lull in the Sea), Katsunori Narumo (Dokkiri Doctor, Guin Saga), Motohiro Oda (Arte, Tokyo 7th Sisters: Bokura wa Aozora ni Naru), Shinji Horikiri (Amagi Brilliant Park, Ghost Hunt), Taisuke Hashirayama (Crossing Time, Nobunaga Teacher's Young Bride), Toshiyuki Konuma (Doreiku The Animation), Tsuyoshi Morita (Doreiku The Animation, Holmes of Kyoto), Yuichi Nakano (Holmes of Kyoto, Doreiku The Animation), Yûji Yoshida (Crossing Time, King's Game The Animation), and Yukiya Sakikawa (The Everyday Tales of a Cat God, Cat Planet Cuties). Tsugumomo is a series aimed at fantasy anime fans – if it sounds like it is one’s cup of tea, the series might be a good fit.

Kazuya Kagami (Yuko Sanpei) isn’t a typical high school student. Instead of simply spending all of his time focused on video games and anime, Kazuya spends his time battling it out with unexpectedly dangerous objects cursed with evil! Using a special orb from his mother, which turns in to the fun companion girl Kiriha (Naomi Ōzora), the two newfound friends embark on epic missions to fight villains at their school. Can Kazuya and Kiriha emerge from the flames of evil?

The animation is one of the most pleasing elements of the anime series. The chief animation direction is handled by Kiyotaka Nakahara (Cardcaptor Sakura, Persona 4: The Animation) and Masaaki Sakurai (Chrome Shelled Regios, Hayate the Combat Butler). The series has a colorful and interesting art style. The animation makes the world of the production more compelling and creative. There is a sense of the animators being inspired with their art. The end result is a better-looking anime series that fans will be able to appreciate.

The character designs by Kiyotaka Nakahara (Doki Doki School Hours, Yume Tsukai) are effective and fit the primary leads. The designs certainly help to enhance the production. The central protagonist has a compelling character design that fits the tone of the series. Kazuya is a well-designed character for the series and the design helps the anime stand out.

The score composed by Yasuharu Takanashi (The Ambition of Oda Nobuna, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations) is reasonably engaging fun. The music helps provide a solid backdrop for the action sequences. The score provides background music to enhance the tone of the entire production. It manages to help the foundation of the anime series.

The cinematography by Ryōhei Matsuda (My First Girlfriend is a Gal, Strike Witches) is certainly one of the most striking elements of the production. The cinematography fits the animation style well and is effective at enhancing and showcasing the art. Matsuda certainly showcases the series with bright, bold, and unique lighting. These visual components are key elements of the series.

Written and Directed by Ryōichi Kuraya (Farming Life in Another World, Doreiku The Animation), Tsugumomo is a decent anime series with an interesting concept. Kuraya certainly has some fun exploring the characters and the landscape each character inhibits. The director focuses on the production’s visual elements and this is a focal element of the series. While not a classic, Tsugumomo nonetheless is the type of series that will appeal to anime fans seeking out a decent fantasy.

Tsugumomo: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation, Tsugumomo is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation is colorful, engaging, and bright. The high-definition visuals are certainly impressive and showcase the unique animation. The encoding is solid and capably handles the animation. This is another solid effort by Funimation.

Tsugumomo: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). Dialogue on the release is clear and easy to understand. The score is well reproduced and sounds crisp and dynamic. The English dub option benefits from having the surround sound implementation (even though the surrounds are mostly used to help expand the audio soundstage for the score). The original Japanese language audio is going to be preferable for purists. If seeking the original voice-cast, opt for the Japanese language version. The release will please fans with the nice selection of audio options.

Tsugumomo: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Textless Opening Song "Metamoriser" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "I4U" (HD, 1:32)

Trailers (HD, 4:57)

Tsugumomo: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tsugumomo has a colorful and vibrant landscape as an anime. The series is certainly an effective showcase for the work of the animators involved on the production. The chief animation direction from Masaaki Sakurai (Chrome Shelled Regios, Hayate the Combat Butler) and Kiyotaka Nakahara (Cardcaptor Sakura, Persona 4: The Animation) makes a solid impression. Writer-director Ryōichi Kuraya (Doreiku The Animation) brings a compelling aesthetic to the production and highlights the efforts of the animators. The Blu-ray release features a solid video and audio presentation. The release has a native high-definition presentation and is not merely a standard definition upscale. Unfortunately, the release is light on extras and only includes textless opening and ending songs alongside a selection of trailers for other anime releases. Nonetheless, Tsugumomo fans will be pleased to add the release to their collection. Recommended.