Unbreakable Machine-Doll: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.5

Unbreakable Machine-Doll: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 14, 2015

It’s probably at least a little misleading to think of Unbreakable Machine-Doll as a steampunk enterprise, and yet there’s some reason that this formulaic but occasionally compelling series may qualify as “steampunk-ish” if nothing more. The urge to at least consider Unbreakable Machine-Doll steampunk is fostered by a Blu-ray menu design that favors lots of interlocking gears, as well as a loud metal clinking sound whenever a menu choice is selected. But even beyond that admittedly tangential reason, once the show actually starts, there’s a certain retro quality to both the design aesthetic and even some of the elements in the series (like steam powered trains, for example) that seem to harken back to a bygone age of heated water powering fanciful technology. While it may not be “steampunk” in the traditional sense, there is fanciful technology on display in Unbreakable Machine-Doll, though in this series’ alternate reality, it’s the result of something called “Machinart,” a kind of high tech wizardry that allows automata with special powers to coexist alongside humans. Some of these humans are magically powered themselves and are called Magi. The hero of Unbreakable Machine-Doll is one such so-called puppeteer, a guy named Raishin Akabane. Raishin’s “puppet” is goofy girl named Yaya, a sweet if often dunderheaded female automaton whose undying devotion to her “master” is typically met with revulsion and rejection. Raishin and Yaya are travelling by (yep, steam powered) train to the prestigious Walpurgis Academy as the series opens. The Walpurgis Academy is home to the world’s most accomplished puppeteers (and their creations, of course), and there are (predictably) battles between these practitioners of magical arts to determine who in fact is the most powerful. Before Raishin and Yaya can get there, however, the train careens out of control, offering a first glimpse at some of the special powers this focal pair can summon when circumstances call for it.

Once Raishin and Yaya do make it to Walpurgis Academy, there’s a bit of a reality check in store, one which teaches Raishin that his supposed puppeteering superiority is in fact not quite as superior as he had thought (or perhaps hoped). After an entrance exam of sorts, Raishin is devastated to find out he’s tested out in the next to last place for his class. He wants to throw in the towel, wondering if it’s even worth his time to stay at the Academy. Only the importuning of Yaya, who of course believes in her master heart and soul, keeps Raishin from walking away on his first day at the school.

Initially it seems that Unbreakable Machine-Doll will be a shōnen entry, at least more less, one that concentrates on Raishin’s attempts to matriculate successfully into Walpurgis Academy. There will be power rankings and battles, of course, and tangential interactions with other puppeteers, some friendly, others not so friendly. That all turns out to be true (probably predictably), but the series actually diverts what is initially implied as its main focus once it’s revealed that there’s an ulterior motive to Raishin wanting into Walpurgis Academy so badly. That turns out to be wrapped up in Raishin’s past and his relationship with a mysterious masked puppeteer who goes by the name of Magnus.

Unbreakable Machine-Doll is another one of those anime which seems to exult in developing a rather arcane mythology replete with probably excessive verbiage and terminology supposedly helping to make it all seem more “official.” Therefore, there is lots of lip service paid to various levels of puppeteering talent, including the top echelon, which is referred to as “Rounds.” One of these top ranked individuals is among the first people Raishin and Yaya interact with at Walpurgis Academy, a young blonde haired girl named Charlotte Belew. Charlotte’s automaton is an unusual little (at least in his original form) dragon like creature named Sigmund. While Charlotte and Sigmund initially seem like nemeses to Raishin and Yaya, things develop (again, probably predictably) to the point where the characters, if not outright allies, are at least grudging collaborators.

Ultimately Unbreakable Machine-Doll never really does anything very unexpected, but it ambles along genially enough, with a somewhat uneven mix of comedy and action. There are a few hints of a harem enterprise as the series gets into its midsection, but even that element is never really exploited to a full degree, though there is a smattering of fairly harmless fan service along the way. The series tends to simply offer its alternate universe as a given, without need for much explanation or development, a tactic that may leave some viewers feeling if not outright “broken” at least a little damaged in terms of understanding exactly what’s going on.

Unbreakable Machine-Doll: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Unbreakable Machine-Doll is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. For such a recent vintage (late 2013) series, Unbreakable Machine-Doll is often surprisingly soft looking in high definition, with a kind of gauzy, misty quality that keeps things from being really sharp and well defined. While colors are nicely suffused and at times quite vivid, the general appearance of this anime is kind of on the "blah" side, an aspect perhaps exacerbated by some odd image instability that resembles judder in scenes where, for example, the camera pans across the action. There are a number of enjoyable elements to the design aesthetic, including a few detours from the general look of the series into somewhat more fanciful approaches (look at screenshots 9 and 14 for two examples).

Unbreakable Machine-Doll: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Unbreakable Machine-Doll features an English dub delivered in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and the original Japanese language track in Dolby TrueHD 2.0. The show's reliance on battles probably recommends the surround track even to those who prefer original language tracks, and the 5.1 iteration significantly opens up the soundstage while also considerably amping up the low end. Dialogue is cleanly presented and fidelity remains excellent throughout the series. Dynamic range is extremely wide and there are no issues to report in this review.

Unbreakable Machine-Doll: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One:

• Episode 1 Commentary features Christopher Bevins, Clifford Chapin, Bryn Apprill and Kristin McCollum.

Disc Two:

• OVAs (1080p; 27:34) include:

  Volume I - And So They Arrive at School

  Volume II - Irori Has an Accident at the Open Air Bath

  Volume III - Charl, Frey and the Bathroom of Terror

  Volume IV - Nadishiko Akabane, Midsummer Night's Dream

  Volume V - Private Lessons - Two Beauties in an Infirmary

  Volume VI - Pretty Girls Gather! Swimsuit-Studded Pandemonium

• Textless Opening Song: Anicca (1080p; 1:32)


• Textless Closing Songs:

  Maware! Setsugetsuka (Version 1) (1080p; 1:32)

  Maware! Setsugetsuka (Version 2) (1080p; 1:32)

  Maware! Setsugetsuka (Version 3) (1080p; 1:32)

  Maware! Setsugetsuka (Pixel Art Version) (1080i; 1:40)

• Bookstore Promo Videos (1080p; 3:35)


• Episode 12 Commentary features Christopher Bevins, Kristin Sutton David Wald and Lindsay Seidel.


• Blu-ray and DVD Commercials (1080i; 00:34)


• Commercials (1080p; 1:38)


• Promotional Videos (1080p; 9:30)


• U.S. Trailer (1080p; 1:08)

Unbreakable Machine-Doll: Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Unbreakable Machine-Doll is another decent midlevel if ultimately not very ambitious anime that offers some interesting characters within a rather well worn and at times cliché ridden environment. The series tends to go off on tangents quite a bit of the time, to the point that a revenge scenario which seems to be of paramount importance gets shuffled off to the sidelines with perplexing regularity. There are some minor issues with the video presentation that fans of the series should be aware of when considering a purchase. FUNimation has put together an appealing supplemental package.