Sakura Wars: The Movie (DVD)

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Video:
The video aspect ratio is 1.85:1 (anamorphic widescreen). The video quality is absolutely wonderful. All of the colors are bright, clear, and vibrant. The animation is smooth and fluid, and there weren´t any compression flaws. However, that´s just half of the story. What pushed the video rating from a 9 to a 10 was the computer graphics. For once, they don´t look out of place or unnecessary. The CG elements, like a train or the Flower Division´s robots, were cel shaded, a relatively new technique that allows 3D objects to be rendered in such a way that they look very close to a traditionally produced 2D image. If you don´t look too hard, you won´t even notice the computer graphics.

Audio:
You can watch the show with either Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese or DD 5.1 English. There is an option for English subtitles. I watched it in Japanese with English subtitles. Like the high quality movie it is, "Sakura Wars" makes good use of all channels, most notably during the fight scenes.

Extras:
Extras abound on this DVD, although any sort of commentary is missing. Still, what´s there is pretty good.

First up is "Movie Trailers", which has two movie trailers. Both trailers mention that this is a movie with "adventure, love, and romance." For a moment, I thought maybe the trailer was for another movie, as I didn´t recall seeing any love or romance.

The second category of extras is "Press Conference Pilot Videos", of which there are two. These are basically short montages from the movie with some text. I don´t really know what these are for, they´re kind of like a cross between a TV commercial and a fill theatrical trailer.

Which brings us to "TV Commercials". There are three 15 second spots on disc.

The final three extras are character, mecha, and background galleries. They contain 48, 17, and 31 pictures, respectively. The gallery advances whenever you hit the direction pad on your remote.

--Miscellaneous--
The cover is reversible. The other side is a great looking drawing of Sakura and Lachette, and has a picture of their theatre on the back. It looks so much better than the default cover, I switched them without thinking about it.

Film Value:
For a movie based primarily on a video game, "Sakura Wars: The Movie" is excellent. The animation is top notch, the plot is decent, and it doesn´t drag. Where this movie fails is in relying so heavily on its video game roots. Without playing the games, you´ll probably be lost, or at least will not get almost all of the details and nuances. Even if the film relied on details revealed in its OVA or TV series alone, that still wouldn´t excuse making the movie so inaccessible. The "Cowboy Bebop" and "Escaflowne" movies were both great for fans and newcomers alike. As for "Sakura Wars: The Movie", if you aren´t already a fan, this movie won´t turn you into one.

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