Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth - The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth - The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth adapts the role-playing game published as a visual novel. Considered an RPG in book form. The choose-your-own-adventure style storytelling was brought to life for television with the anime adaptation.

The game was developed by Aquaplus. Mask of Truth is a follow-up to events explored in Mask of Deception. Executive produced by Emiko Iijima (The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic, After-School Hanako-kun) and Gō Nakanishi (Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!), Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth features original character designs by Misato Mitsumi (ToHeart2, Comic Party: Revolution) and Tatsuki Amazuyu (Tears to Tiara, Utawarerumono: The False Faces). The series features animation production by WHITE FOX (Arifureta - From Commonplace to World's Strongest, Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious).

Produced by Fumihiro Ozawa (Ascendance of a Bookworm, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy), Nobuhiko Kurosu (Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World, The Rising of The Shield Hero), Renta Suzuki (First Love Monster, My Senpai Is Annoying), Satoru Shimosato (BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense., She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man), Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is going to appeal to fans of the franchise who have been engaged with the myriad of installments and offshoots of the franchise. Newcomers may wish to start elsewhere but established enthusiasts have more of the saga to explore with Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth. Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth features voice-performances by Kentarō Tone, Atsushi Tamaru, Hibiku Yamamura, Masayo Fujita, Yoshihito Sasaki, Yuko Gibu, and Yūsuke Kobayashi.

Haku (Kentarō Tone) must take on a new mask as Oshtor. Empress Anju has been poisoned and faces a road to recovery that won’t be an easy battle to win. Haku decides he must lead forth a group to help protect the princess. Chaos has set forth upon the throne. The Eight Pillar Generals all have their own endgames in sight with regards to the throne. The stakes are higher than ever. Can Haku be the hero needed in a time of impending war?

Haku leads the way as the central character. The character has a big mission ahead in the saga. The stakes are high and it brings opportunity for Haku to shine as a character – and explore the dynamics of the character. The character designs for Haku and the supporting cast of characters are designed by Masahiko Nakata (Infinite Dendrogram, Tears to Tiara). The designs are reasonably good, showcasing some nice artistry for the animation team to work with. The designs do fit the cast of characters and that is something that works well for the storytelling.

The animation is one of the most commendable aspects of the series. The animation is reasonably solid with decent artwork and better-than- expected results for a adaptation of the RPG. The animation has notable art direction by Yoshito Takamine (Matoi the Sacred Slayer, Uncle From Another World).

The chief animation direction by Masahiko Nakata (Matoi the Sacred Slayer, Tears to Tiara) is a big part of the series, too. The art style certainly is well showcased with the anime series. The team of animators involved on the production clearly wanted to be creative and make something a little more ambitious than a typical RPG adaptation might find. The result is something that looks decent overall.

The cinematography by Tsubasa Yokoyama (Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man) is a big part of the series aesthetic. The series animation is highlighted well by the visually rewarding cinematography. Yokoyama helps craft the visuals with a keen sensibility for the style the production commands. The aesthetic fits the style of the RPG adaptation well.

Written by Itsuki Yokoyama (Hina Logic - from Luck & Logic), Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth does a decent job adapting the RPG in some respects – though it might divide some established fans of the franchise. Fans of the overarching franchise should be pleased with the results if approached with an open mind. Yokoyama balances character moments with the plot and forward movement of the story arc. A compelling effort for fans. The series might not bring in many newcomers because of the way the storytelling unfolds but those invested will find it a decent effort by Yokoyama.

Though some fans of Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth may feel satisfied by the series storytelling in the grand finale, there are other fans who might end up feeling a bit perplexed by some of the changes to the narrative along the way. Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth deviates from the original story in the RPG in some regards. As s a result, there are some hurdles to overcome for someone who wanted a straight-cut adaptation without more creative license and liberties. This aspect always goes back to the question of what makes an adaptation better – to be more faithful to the source material or to do something that balances the adaptation between staying true to the source and finding moments to diverge in order to create a new experience that can also sit alongside the original source material.

Directed by Kenichi Kawamura (Steins;Gate 0, SoniAni: Super Sonico the Animation), Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth isn’t a top-tier anime and it doesn’t manage to excel as well as the best action anime series do. Yet it does have some decent visuals and fans of the franchise will surely want to pick up exploring the series. Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is supposed to serve as the conclusion to the ongoing RPG. There is something to be said about that aspect of the series – it is the conclusion, something that fans have been waiting for and won’t want to miss. Kawamura might not have managed a perfect send-off but it is something fans will want to see.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth - The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll, Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation on the release looks excellent. The presentation showcases a rewarding visual experience with crisp detail and good color reproduction. The line art is well detailed and background animation looks clear and refined on the release. The cinematography is well reproduced. The series visuals are certainly reflected well with the presentation – showcasing the work of the animators.

The Blu-ray release provides a reasonably strong encode by Crunchyroll. The encoding provides a superior option to streaming video platforms. Streaming video services provide a more compressed presentation with lower video bit-rates compared to physical media – the high-definition option on the Blu-ray disc format providing a more consistent visual quality by comparison.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth - The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio selections: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (with English subtitles). The sound direction by Takayuki Yamaguchi (Girls Beyond the Wasteland, Matoi the Sacred Slayer) is well reproduced on the release. Dialogue sounds crisp and clear on the release. The presentation capably handles the soundstage and the components of the sound design.

Blu-ray provides a superior option for audiophiles who want the best possible sound quality that is achievable for their home theater. For home theater enthusiasts who want to get the best possible soundstage, Blu-ray provides lossless audio – whereas streaming video services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio quality by comparison. This is something that gives a clear advantage to physical media – quality matters. For enthusiasts who have invested thousands in their home theater gear, the lossless encoding is one of the finest qualities of the physical format.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth - The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with an o-card slipcover. The slipcover features unique key artwork different from the artwork highlighted underneath the slipcover. The artwork looks great on the release and adds a wonderful touch to the package design. The end result is a package that is nice to hold in hand. Fans should feel proud to display the release on their shelf. Please note that the release is a Blu-ray disc collection and does not include DVD discs or a digital copy code.

Unfortunately, the on-disc supplements are a bit lackluster. The release could have been improved with audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes documentaries, cast/crew interviews, roundtable discussions, photo galleries, art galleries, storyboard collections, liner notes, and more. Alas, the set doesn't have such inclusions and is a standard-offering instead without much additional content for fans.

On disc extras include:

Promo Videos (HD, 3:42)

Teaser (HD, 1:02)

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:32)

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth - The Complete Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is the conclusion to the RPG adaptation. Fans of the franchise who have been following the franchise saga will want to check it out to see how things conclude. The conclusion might divide fans. The RPG adaptation of Mask of Truth is a mixed bag with some elements being too different from what came before and it might seem to diverge too much for some fans of the anime franchise.

The Blu-ray release comes with a strong high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. The supplements on the release are close to barebones and could have been improved. Dedicated fans with an enthusiasm for the franchise are the target base. The release does have a beautifully designed o-card slipcover with unique key art from the artwork highlighted under the slipcover.