Funimation’s rerelease of Sakura Wars: The Movie has been out for a couple of months now. If you haven’t already purchased it and have the ability to watch it, it’s worth checking out! Here are some reasons to you might want to buy this if you are on the fence.
First, it’s a graphical treat. The studio Production I.G. worked on the film. They also produced some footage for Sakura Wars II and III. The movie was originally release at the tail end of 2001, and this remaster for it produced in 2012 was kind to the visuals. This is most evident during scenes involving the Koubu’s and the Goraigoh’s launch.
The music, as usual for the series, is great. The first musical track I ever listened to from the franchise actually originated from this movie. It’s the track that plays when a certain character makes her/his long-awaited entrance: a riff on the anthemic Geki! Teikoku Kagekidan, but uniquely arranged and with a more booming orchestral feel.
The features are a welcome addition too. This isn’t a product overflowing with additional extras, but it definitely comes with key essentials. A Japanese audio track for anyone already in love with the classical seiyuu voices, and subtitles to accompany either English or Japanese voices. A couple of promotional trailers, including Funimation’s own production. And an amazing twenty-minute interview with series creator Ouji Hiroi, movie animation director Mitsuru Hongo, mecha designer Atsushi Takeuchi, and Production I.G. CEO Mitsuhisa Ishikawa. The interview series is wonderfully insightful and casual in approach. I found it especially funny and quirky that Hongo was interviewed with this back to the camera and Ishikawa exudes affability. Takeuchi is modest yet endearing, and just by listening to Hiroi it’s readily apparent that he is an artist driven by grand visions; he even made an interesting political observation in his interview.
There are some flaws with the movie, to be sure. Personally, I didn’t think all that much of the unfolding of the conflict throughout the course of the movie; it was not engaging or original. The villains are pretty bog-standard, and dealing with their weak presence throughout the movie is unfortunate. Strangely enough, it is a bit fitting that the scenario designer for the original Sakura Wars wrote for the game as a series of anime episodes, marking this entry as one of a kind in that respect. Also, this movie will be particularly alien for those unfamiliar with the franchise, as it’s not designed to introduce the characters and their backgrounds. It would serve newcomers well to acclimate themselves to the characters and some basic franchise lore before viewing the movie.
That being said, it’s well worth a watch and an enriching experience for the fans. New copies run for a little under $30 on the Funimation store’s product page and on Amazon. Be sure to support this work if you can!