- MPAA Rating: NR
- Release Date: August 10, 2021
- Distributor: Sentai Filmworks Metadata by TMDb
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Not since shows such as Macross and any of its many spinoffs have I seen a good aerial combat focused anime. Thankfully that changed when The Magnificent Kotobuki came along, and that leads us to their compilation big screen adventure in The Magnificent Kotobuki: The Movie. If you enjoy high-flying action and lovely ladies getting into one adventure after the next, then hop aboard and hang on tight to this release.
As I mentioned in my Kakushigoto movie review, it can be fun and interesting when Japan puts together a compilation film of their anime shows with new stuff added in. That’s exactly the case here as the plot follows the lives Kylie, Reona, Chika, Emma, Kate, Zara and their awesome fighter planes they use to protect giant zeppelin-like airships that deliver supplies all over the world from sky pirates and the like.
These lovely ladies will have to use all of their pilot skills to survive and make sure the ships are protected and that they’re not blown from the sky as pirates and other evil obstacles will constantly challenge them. This is especially the case when a mysterious and highly skilled fighter appears and tries to take the ladies down one by one. Thankfully they have plenty of wit and comedic camaraderie between them to take on whatever comes their way.
It was fun watching these ladies take down the bad guys while performing all kinds of sweet aerial maneuvers in the process. When it comes to CG animation in anime, I’m usually not impressed as most times it looks and feels…off. But thank goodness that’s not the case here as studio GEMBA manages to make it look and feel pretty amazing, especially during the intense dogfights.
The audio side of things is just as good, as the Dolby HD brings out the Japanese dialogue and action sounds nicely. I have to give Sentai credit when it comes to the special features of this release as they get their own disc separate from the movie one.
There’s a clean ending credits animation, then we move on to a ton of original Japanese promotional videos and events for the film such as a stage event with the film’s cast, a message from TOHO, an awesome MX4D demonstration of the movie (special “4D” movie theater seats that use motion, enhanced sounds, smells, etc to really put you into the film), movie trailers, video game anniversary clips, and loads more.
The Magnificent Kotobuki: The Movie is easily one of Sentai’s best releases on home video and is one of best CG animated anime films I’ve seen. It has loads of aerial combat and fun moments that will keep you hanging on until the credits roll, and a special features disc that’s packed with loads of extras. Go ahead and grab some pilot goggles and soar to pick this one up for a high-flying good time.
