UlasanAnime.com – Purchasing a Blu-ray release of an anime series produced during the transitional period between the digital and high-definition eras, roughly between 1998 and 2008, can often be a gamble. This timeframe includes “Manabi Straight,” a series that was among the last TV anime created for the 4:3 aspect ratio. Watching it on my plasma TV unfortunately led to temporary burn-in, a rather amusing consequence for a budget television.
Despite this unfortunate circumstance, I regret not having ample time to rewatch this gem. I managed to catch the final episode, the OVA episode (now chronologically placed on disc 3 of 4), and the Machiasobi event from last November, which is also included on disc 3. It was a bit peculiar to see Nonaka on stage again, having recently seen her in person. Equally strange was the event’s focus on showcasing the picture quality difference between the DVD and Blu-ray versions of “Manabi,” and encouraging everyone to sing the Seiou Gakuen Kouka. The idea of a sing-along event with a video of Horie Yui seemingly guiding the emotional delivery was, well, a bit of a joke.
The peculiar nature of the event seems to have carried over to the home video release. During the event, a small screen on stage displayed a side-by-side comparison of episode 11 (and other clips) between the DVD and Blu-ray versions. This looks great on home video because, naturally, you’re seeing the actual video. However, I’m unsure if attendees at the actual event could discern the difference from their viewing distance.
I haven’t thoroughly examined anything beyond disc 3 and disc 4. Disc 4 features the final four episodes of the series, along with all the TV spots, trailers, and karaoke videos for the five main character image songs. However, what might be of greater interest to potential buyers and viewers like myself is the final episode and how it was “reshot” or, as ANN describes it, the work ufotable put into it. To clarify, episodes 1-11 and the OVA episodes had their composition redone for the Blu-ray release. Furthermore, episode 12 was recreated with updated CG effects. If I understood Japanese, I could likely elaborate further, as this was discussed at the Machiasobi event. It does seem a bit odd for Nonaka and the King Record producer to praise the transfer quality of the product you’ve just purchased.
If my understanding of composition is correct, redoing it means that the scenes are now rendered at a higher resolution during the composition process using their software. This is significantly different from an upscale, as the software used for re-composed scenes works from the original material rather than the final video output that is interpolated by upscaling software. You could consider this as getting one step closer to the original source, and likely more than just one step. Given how anime is produced today, this approach might be the most beneficial for a TV anime of that era. Amusingly, I can envision this process being applied to 2K or 4K content in another ten years.
This meticulous re-composition is also why the CG, which is sometimes generated dynamically during composition, needed to be redone. Otherwise, it would appear quite unappealing. Since I don’t have a Blu-ray drive, I cannot provide screenshots. However, suffice it to say that the cherry blossom scene at the beginning of episode 12 (this is the naming convention used by the Blu-ray box; the OVA episode is labeled as such, not 6.5 or anything similar) was reminiscent of “5cm/s.” Episode 12 features numerous pans and sky shots that look gorgeous. When Mikan appeared alone in the epilogue, I thought, “If only Evangelion TV on Blu-ray looked this good.” The scene where Mei drives to the airport with the crew is filled with incredible detail.
However, when observing the standard foreground animation, there isn’t a drastic difference compared to the previous episodes. It looks better than an upscale; the lines are well-defined, albeit slightly rough. The show does have its share of less-than-perfect character faces, after all.
Another noteworthy aspect of the “Manabi” Blu-ray in terms of picture quality is the stop-motion ending. It looks fantastic, which is to be expected as it was likely shot using a DSLR, meaning it was assembled from high-megapixel photographs. 1080p resolution is only about 2 megapixels, and 4K is approximately 9.4 megapixels.
Beyond the intangible details, here are the specifications [Amazon, King Records, ufotable]:
- 4 Blu-ray discs, 1 DVD disc (containing PC materials)
- Includes episodes 1-12 plus the OVA episode (on disc 3)
- Discs 1 and 2 are single-layer, while discs 3 and 4 are dual-layer.
- Comes with a slipcase featuring a large obi strip that covers the bottom and back of the packaging.
- Also includes a 108-page book with various supplementary materials, which fits inside the slipcase.
- The discs are housed in a five-part digipak.
- First-week sales were below the reporting threshold.
You can find more detailed information on listings at Amazon and other retailers. There was a contest where fans could vote for the cover art of the Blu-ray box on ufotable’s website. This contest ran for about a month, and the non-winning artwork can be obtained as A4 postcards by purchasing the Blu-ray box directly from ufotable.
Rewatching the series is definitely on my to-do list. I feel I’m due for it.
You might also be interested in : Upcoming Anime Music Pre-orders
