Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - Season 2, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - Season 2, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

YashaHime Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act is the start to the second season of the anime series. Created by Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha), YashaHime Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act is a sequel series to Inuyasha. The second season is also the final season of the saga. Executive produced by Kana Sasaki, Mikito Bizenjima, and Shin Sasaki, YashaHime Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act is from animation production company Sunrise (Cowboy Bebop, Gundam Wing). Produced by Hisakazu Naka, YashaHime Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act features voice performances by Sara Matsumoto, Mikako Komatsu, Azusa Tadokoro, Maaya Sakamoto, and Saki Fujita.

Towa Higurashi (Sara Matsumoto), Setsuna (Mikako Komatsu), and Moroha (Azusa Tadokoro) have been on an epic mission – one that puts all of their skills and abilities to the test. The three fighters are on a quest to defeat the villainous Kirinmaru. Yet the stakes don’t end with Kirinmaru alone. Kirinmaru’s estranged and powerful sister Zero (Maaya Sakamoto) might have some special plans. Meanwhile, Kirinmaru’s young daughter Rion (Saki Fujita) might form an unexpected ally on their mission to stop Kirinmaru. Rion might be a special key to stopping the reign of Kirinmaru before it is too late. Can Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha defeat Kirinmaru and save the day?

The voice performances are a highlight of the series. The voice-cast does good work and there is a lot to appreciate about the vocal performances. There is a commendable cast with both the original Japanese language version and the English dub cast. It is nice that there is a mix of returning cast members (for returning characters from the original series) and compelling actors for new roles. A good effort for vocal performances.

The animation on YashaHime Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act is one of the highlights of the anime series. Under the art direction of Shigemi Ikeda (Inuyasha, My Hero Academia) and Yukiko Maruyama (One Punch Man, World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman), YashaHime Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act is a well- animated series and a production with a lot for animation fans to enjoy. The production has impressive animation and there is a lot to appreciate about the style explored on the production. The series highlights chief animation direction by Yoshihito Hishinuma (Inuyasha, Tales of the Abyss) and the visual aesthetic is one that feels right at home with the world of Inuyasha. The team of animators bring special art to the table and the animation style remains faithful to the original series while showcasing a more modern aesthetic at the same time.

The cinematography by Shigemi Ogawa (InuYasha: The Final Act, Kekkaishi) adds to the production with some good cinematic style. There is plenty to appreciate with the series. The cinematography highlights the series contrasting styles – highlighting these light and dark elements. Ogawa works well with the fun animation and brings a smart cinematographic finesse to the production.

The score composed by Kaoru Wada (Inuyasha, Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight) is energetic, fun, and engaging. The score by Wada adds a lot to the production. Wada is a talented and important composer and the anime just wouldn’t be the same without their contributions to the production. One can hardly even imagine Inuyasha without the score by Wada and the same is absolutely true of YashaHime Princess Half-Demon.

Written by Katsuyuki Sumisawa (Dragon Ball Z, Inuyasha), YashaHime Princess Half-Demon has a fun cast of characters and the dialogue is entertaining. Fans of the original Inuyasha will want to go on adventures with the sequel. The scriptwriter understands the essence of the story and helps with providing a good footing for the anime to highlight the characters and their epic journeys.

Directed by Masakazu Hishida (Dinosaur King, Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream), YashaHime Princess Half- Demon does a solid job of bringing back the saga. Hishida had big shoes to fill and the director does a good job of advancing the series with more action-packed fun. Fans of the YashaHime Princess Half-Demon anime will want to continue the ride. Action fans in particular with be pleased with the series direction and the emphasis on action sequences. The sense of action-packed adventure that is a strong undercurrent of the series is something that helps to keep action anime fans enthused with the series and this remains an important part of the action-anime. Hishida makes sure to elevate tension with the action scenes an essential part of the production.

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - Season 2, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by VIZ Media, YashaHime Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release looks beautiful in high-definition. The transfer does a great job with showcasing the animation. The colorful animation is robust and vibrant on the release. Color reproduction is great. A good showcase for the animators and the efforts of the production team.

The encode by VIZ Media is a solid part of the release. It is worth remembering that Blu-ray offers fans superior encoding compared to streaming video platforms. Streaming video services tend to offer video with lower quality bit-rates and thereby encoding provided on the Blu-ray disc format provides a more pleasing and natural viewing experience for those who demand the best presentation possible.

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - Season 2, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding on the release is excellent. Dialogue is well reproduced and sounds nice and crisp on the release. The soundtrack score is a highlight, too. The sound direction by Yasushi Nagura (Arifureta - From Commonplace to World's Strongest, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations) is highlighted well and the entire soundstage is quite engaging – lively – with the stereo audio. It is worth noting that the Blu-ray disc format provides a lossless audio experience for fans, whereby streaming video services provide only a lossy audio presentation, with more compressed audio (with lower bit-rates compared to Blu-ray discs).

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - Season 2, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a nice o-card slipcover. The slipcover is well designed and adds a nice sense of added value to the packaging for the Blu-ray release. A good component of the release.

The release could have benefited from a more extensive supplemental package. It is unfortunate that the release does not provide more in the way of extensive bonus features. The release could have potentially benefited from the inclusion of audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes documentary features, and more in depth making-of material. The release does provide a few bonuses but these offerings are short and not as in-depth as some fans might have been hoping to find on the release. A more extensive offering would have helped the set to receive a higher grade in the bonus features department.

On disc supplements include:

Clean Opening & Ending (HD, 3:01)

Art Gallery includes 20 click-through slides.

Interview with Erica Mendez (HD, 2:17) includes a discussion with the English Voice of Towa Higurashi.

Interview with Morgan Berry (HD, 1:58) includes a discussion with the English Voice of Moroha.

More from VIZ (HD, 1:06)

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon - Season 2, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

YashaHime Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act continues the action-packed adventure of the anime series. The animation is outstanding on YashaHime Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act and there is certainly a lot to appreciate about the production. The second season is off to a start – the final act has begun.

The Blu-ray release provides excellent video and audio. The release also includes a selection of bonus features – including interviews with Erica Mendez and Morgan Berry. Fans of the series will want to consider picking up the release for their collection. For fans who appreciate ownership and value superior presentation quality as the Blu-ray format provides to audiences, YashaHime Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act is well worth consideration. Recommended.