World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie Review

World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman is an action-packed science-fiction fantasy anime. The series has a super-power element that ushers in the storytelling. The animation is produced by Akihiro Sekiyama (Sky Wizards Academy, Riddle Story of Devil) with associate producers Natsuko Nagase (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Goblin Slayer) and Shuichi Takahashi.

Diomedéa (Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!, Beatless Final Stage) is the studio behind the series animation. From the original light novel penned by Akamitsu Awamura and featuring illustrations by refeia, World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman offers fantasy fans something fun and with a twist. The opening theme music is performed by Aoi Yūki and Ayana Taketatsu.

Moroha Haimura (Kaito Ishikawa) attends school with one mission in mind: to become a master of his superpowers with special qualities. Moroha uses his unique gifts to push forward at school. Everyone else at the school has limited abilities compared to Moroha – most being limited to one set of abilities (usually inherited from a past life).

Yet Moroha has two past lives and the manifestation is found in his ability to harness both light and dark superpowers. These powers can help Moroha to defeat evil monsters and be the hero of the story. At the same time, Moroha must balance the jiggly beauties at his side: purple haired Shizuno Urushibara (Aoi Yūki) and pink haired Satsuki Ranjō (Ayana Taketatsu). Can Moroha get it on with the girls while mastering his superpowers?

The series has a decent cast of characters. Moroha Haimura is a reasonably engaging protagonist to help carry the story forward. The supporting characters are not as well developed (as characters) and are (more) developed in other (ahem) respects. Nonetheless, Moroha carries the production with the character developing his skills and abilities.

Time to duel.

The score composed by Go Sakabe (Date A Live, Chronicles of the Going Home Club) is enjoyable and one of the better components of the series. The music adds some whimsy to the series and serves to help carry forward the characters. The score is reasonably engaging and adds to the series sense of charm. There is something to appreciate about these elements of the production. Composer Sakabe wants nothing more than to entertain audiences and its apparent in the score.

The anime character designs by Masakazu Ishikawa (Squid Girl, The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent) are not as impressive as one might hope to find but are perfectly serviceable nonetheless. These are somewhat bland looking characters and not as much personality stands out in these designs. Yet something still works – certainly well enough to keep the production style interesting overall. An interesting if somewhat average effort by Ishikawa.

The animation direction by Hajime Watanabe (Kaleido Star, Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar) and Masakazu Ishikawa (Gakuen Alice, Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!) is more notable for the worthwhile background animation. The line art and detailed backgrounds help provide more noteworthy elements to the series and its fantasy setting.

The cinematography by Shinya Matsui (Princess Resurrection, Strawberry Panic!) shines bright. This is a series with a strong visual component. The colorful animation is well enhanced by the cinematography approach by Matsui. The style fits the tone of the series and keeps a bubbly aesthetic befitting action-packed fantasy storytelling.

Written by Hiroshi Yamaguchi (Desert Punk, All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku), World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman doesn’t have the best handbook in an anime but it does have a decent one. The scriptwriting handles the action and fantasy components in good measure and shows solid effort with regards to balancing these aspects of the series at their core. Screenwriter Yamaguichi someone who understands the target audience and what fans want for the genre.

Directed by Takayuki Inagaki (Rosario + Vampire, First Love Monster), World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman offers a reasonably engaging action-anime experience. The elements of the series highlight the characters and their journeys. The directing makes the series more compelling as an exploration of super-heroic action-anime tropes. Fans of series in this vein will want to check it out.

World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation, World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation highlights a impressive and colorful aesthetic. The encode handles the action scenes and the high scale scope of the animation. The cinematography is bright and vivid (and the encoding capably preserves these elements). Funimation has done a solid job with the release and there aren't significant issues with compression.

World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless audio mix on the release is pleasing and is capable of showcasing the sound effects. The music score is well integrated in to the mix as well. The English dub track benefits from a surround sound presentation (and this element makes the sound mixing more enveloping and ambitious in scope). The stereo track for the Japanese audio will still ultimately please fans – especially those who want a purist experience.

World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Textless Opening Song – "Hi No Ito Rinne No Gemini" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song – "Magna Idea" (HD, 1:32)

TV Spot Collection (HD, 1:59)

U.S. Trailer (HD, 00:48)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from Funimation: Blood Blockade Battlefront (HD, 1:50), Absolute Duo (HD, 1:20), Assassination Classroom (HD, 1:02), Garo the Animation (HD, 1:05), Doamygar-d (SD, 1:09), and Yatterman Night (SD, 00:47).

World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman: The Complete Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman is an action-anime exploring a world of superpowers. The animation is one of the fun elements of the series and it fits the tone of the production. The score fits the animation as well. The direction showcases the fantasy genre components. The Blu-ray release has a solid video and audio presentation. Fans of World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman will want to own the release. Recommended.