Yuki Yuna is a Hero: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Yuki Yuna is a Hero: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

An exciting and engaging action anime.

Reviewed by Neil Lumbard September 20, 2022

Yuki Yuna is a Hero is an entertaining and action-packed anime series with a science-fiction concept. The production comes from the original concept by Takahiro. Produced by Hirokazu Hara (My Hero Academia, Wish Upon the Pleiades), Jun Fukuda (Alderamin on the Sky, Girls Beyond the Wasteland), Takanori Koarai (Plastic Memories, Vividred Operation), Tetsuya Kinoshita (Attack on Titan, Blade of the Immortal), Toshihiro Maeda (Domestic Girlfriend, The Pet Girl of Sakurasou), and Youhei Hayashi (Aria the Scarlet Ammo, Girls und Panzer). The series animation is by Studio Gokumi (The Ambition of Oda Nobuna, World’s End Harem). Fans of ambitious and creative science-fiction anime will find it worthwhile.

Yūna Yūki (Haruka Terui) is the hero of the story – and she finds herself a leader to others around her. Yuna finds herself forming an impressive all-girl group known as the “Hero Club” with her best friends Karin Miyoshi (Juri Nagatsuma), Mimori Tōgo (Suzuko Mimori), Itsuki Inubozaki (Tomoyo Kurosawa), and Fū Inubozaki (Yumi Uchiyama). Determined to be a hero to others, Yuna Yuki is passionate about helping out others whenever such a need arises.

The stakes raise significantly following the proposal of receiving legitimate superpowers in order to help defeat the evil Vertexes. As the girls become super-powered and kick-ass beings, the quest is put in action against these villainous Vertexes who seek to destroy everything in the world with the death of the Divine Tree. Can Yuna Yuki and her friends save the entire world from annihilation?

The series features an enjoyable central protagonist with Yuna Yuki. The lead character on the series, Yuna has a dedication to helping others out whenever needed and it is this drive that helps her to ultimately become the super-powered hero that the world needs. The supporting cast also adds something special to the production. The entire “Hero Club” highlights the different girls with all characters providing a quirky personality to the mix.

The series animation is one of the greatest strengths of the production. The chief animation direction by Takahiro Sakai (Seton Academy: Welcome to the Pack, Ms. vampire who lives in my neighborhood) showcases a bright and vivid art style which is engaging. The art is superb and manages to deliver an impressive creative backdrop to the entire production. Background animation, line art, and other animated details, impress in spades. These components are certainly a big part of the success of Yuki Yuna is a Hero.

"Superheroes unite!"

With original character designs by BUNBUN (Sakura Quest) and anime character designs by Takahiro Sakai (Ms. vampire who lives in my neighborhood), Yuki Yuna is a Hero is a nice testament to the importance of good character designs. The designs on the series certainly provide the series a compelling sense of creativity for these superhero characters. The characters each have their distinctive styles and the costumes feature unique colors to differentiate the characters.

The score composed by Keiichi Okabe (Summer Time Rendering, Wandering Son) is exciting and manages to help the action-packed filmmaking soar to greater heights than it would otherwise. Certainly, the score raises the stakes of the action and manages to keep the series all the more involving. There is an ambitious element to the score by Okabe and it makes the anime more worthwhile on the whole.

 The cinematography by Kentarō Minegishi (The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Is the order a rabbit?) provides a vibrant, colorful, and engaging cinematographic approach that handles the series animation perfectly. The cinematography highlights the superhero elements while brining the science-fiction roots of the series forward with dynamic visuals.

Written by Makoto Uezu (Assassination Classroom, The Heroic Legend of Arslan), Yuki Yuna is a Hero is certainly a fun show with a cool concept that will appeal to manga and comic book fans. The series is entertaining in part because of the creativity Uezu exudes with the characters and the approach to handling the material. The action packed writing helps the storytelling find a nice balance for the characters and their roles in the storyline.

Directed by Seiji Kishi (Classroom of the Elite, Humanity Has Declined), Yuki Yuna is a Hero is certainly ambitious in scope and scale. There is an undeniable strength to the filmmaking and to the original approach given to the series. Kishi provides the sort of action-packed energy fans of the genre all anticipate and hope to find. Yuki Yuna is a Hero is more entertaining as a result. Worth checking out.

Yuki Yuna is a Hero: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Yuki Yuna is a Hero is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. Showcasing the beautiful animation, the encoding does a solid job of highlighting the action sequences. The colors are bright and vivid on the release and the presentation is exceptionally crisp and rewarding. The series animation is exquisitely presented and the effort by Sentai Filmworks makes a big difference.

Yuki Yuna is a Hero: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The audio quality on the release is exceptional. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand on the release. The stereo sound imaging is engaging. The score is well integrated. The sound effects are well balanced. A solid audio encode by Sentai Filmworks.

Yuki Yuna is a Hero: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 3:

Clean Opening Animations (HD, 6:08)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 9:12)

Disc 4:

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

Disc 6:

Clean Opening Animations (HD, 3:04)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

Churutto!

• Churutto Beginnings (HD, 1:26)
• Churutto Training (HD, 1:27)
• Masterful Hands (HD, 1:27)
• White as Udon (HD, 1:27)
• Heroic Dreams of Udon (HD, 1:27)
• Udon Throwdown (HD, 1:27)
• Heroware (HD, 1:27)
• Udon Rests in the Hearts of the Faithful (HD, 1:27)
• The World Through the Steam (HD, 1:27)
• What is it You Seek? (HD, 1:27)
• The Righteousness of Udon Rests With Me (HD, 1:27)
• Slurp Till You Can Slurp No More! (HD, 1:27)

Yuki Yuna is a Hero: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yuki Yuna is a Hero is an entertaining and ambitious science-fiction spectacle. The series has an engaging concept about a club of girls dedicated to helping others finding themselves receiving special powers to help the entire world. The superhero series has a nice mix of action and drama. Fans of high concept anime series will want to check it out. The animation is stunning and a sight to behold. The Blu-ray presentation is first- rate and includes an excellent video and audio encode. The release also has a selection of bonus features. Fans will appreciate the quality release. Recommended.