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The theatrical anime "Hyakuemu." Blu-ray and DVD release on May 27, featuring a BD Limited Edition (PCXG-50850, ¥14,080) and DVD (PCBG-53045, ¥5,280).
The BD Limited Edition includes exclusive packaging with newly illustrated artwork by character designer Keisuke Kojima and an original box illustrated by manga creator Uoto.
Bonus content features a 52-page visual booklet with a director–designer interview, five logo stickers, rotoscope making-of documentary, stage greetings, and a 106-minute staff audio commentary.
From a technical standpoint, the home-video release is notable less for its extras count and more for the decision to standardize on a revised “retake” master across both optical formats. This suggests a late-stage conform pass that goes beyond cosmetic fixes, likely addressing timing refinements in rotoscoped motion and density management in darker scenes where theatrical DCPs can feel compressed. Industry watchers have pointed out that such revisions often coincide with rebalanced surround stems, and the unusually long staff commentary hints at a production culture willing to dissect pipeline-level choices—layout, reference footage interpretation, and animation-to-sound synchronization—rather than treating the track as lightweight promotion. For collectors, this positions the disc as a stable reference version, not merely a snapshot of the theatrical run.
The analog soundtrack release approaches the material from a very different angle, and comparisons between sources highlight a clear philosophical split. While the CD edition favored breadth, the LP curates fewer cues and leans into remastering choices that emphasize macro-dynamics and harmonic texture over absolute loudness. Given that the score was tracked across New York, Budapest, and Tokyo, the vinyl format has the advantage of exposing room tone and orchestral air that can be glossed over in digital sequencing—string decay and low-brass weight benefit particularly from wider groove spacing. Forum-style chatter has already centered on how Hiroaki Tsutsumi’s hybrid orchestration translates to lacquer, with expectations that the pressing will foreground midrange presence and transient realism, making it less about analytical precision and more about immersion. For listeners who treat anime soundtracks as serious listening material rather than memorabilia, this LP reads as a deliberately voiced alternative master rather than a nostalgic add-on.
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