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The Series

[Rating:3.5/5]

Dai-Shogun – Great Revolution (風雲維新ダイ☆ショーグン) is a made for television OVA (Original Video Animation) directed by Watanabe Takashi and animated by J.C.Staff and A.C.G.T.

A mecha series set in an alternate version of Japan, the story follows the male protagonist Tokugawa Keiichirō during an era where the Meiji Restoration never took place and the foreign, “black ships” were beat back by ancient, giant mecha known as Onigami. In Nagasaki, Keiichirō has lived a humble, yet not inconspicuous life working in his grandmother’s bathhouse while becoming the most feared fighter in the area. But he soon finds out that he is much more than a mere fighting champion and bathhouse cleaner; he is in fact the heir to the Tokugawa shogunate. This explains why, at his late teenage years, he is not only still a virgin, but develops a rash whenever a girl touches him and girls get turned off by him if he puts any sexual advances on them. He must remain a virgin in order to rule and to control the ultimate Onigami. This becomes a real challenge when he suddenly finds himself surrounded by a bevy of beautiful buxom ladies all vying for his attention and ready to serve him.

Comedy, fan service, and some eye catching mecha action sequences define what is basically a typical combination of harem-meets-mecha in Dai-Shogun, but what allows this series to stand out from the pack is the brilliant graphic design of the series. The character designs, backgrounds, and animations are above the crowd in every way. This is not you typical anime series and does break some new ground in style and color. And while the story itself could use just a little tweaking to make the characters just a little more compelling, it is strong enough to prop up what is a dazzling display of artistry.

Video Quality

[Rating:4.5/5]

Dai-Shogun – Great Revolution gets a superb AVC 1080p encodement on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks that presents its gorgeous digital animation with nearly pristine quality. Only the slightest bit of color banding intrudes on what is a detailed and wonderfully saturated presentation free from motion artifacts, aliasing and noise.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4.5/5]

Dai-Shogun comes with the original Japanese mix in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (48kHz/24-bit). The voice cast is top notch and the sound excellent despite the lack of the extra channels. Stereo imaging is strong and dynamic range natural and wide.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:0.5/5]

Only the clean opening and closing plus additional Sentai Filmworks trailers are included.

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:3.5/5]

It’s not too often that an anime series comes along and offers up some design work that makes me take note. Most of the time, with the hundreds of discs that come across my desk, only a few standout as something that truly looks original. Dai-Shogun – Great Revolution is one of those works. Even as it relies just a bit too much on its gags and the usual sort of harem/romance to tell its story, it is impressive in its artwork and satisfying in its delivery.

Additional Screen Captures