It's rare that one sees a Universal release
of a Japanese production outside of Japan.
The company is actually very active within
the country, helping to produce several movies
including the one being reviewed here: Dororo.
As for the quality here, this release is
stellar in some areas, and poor in others.
In terms of video, this is the best the DVD
format can produce. However, the audio, while
good, is fairly limited and there are no extras
at all on this disc.
| Video: |
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The video presentation for Dororo is top of the line, as Universal has done
a fantastic job. The print looks incredibly
sharp and is devoid of overt digital inconsistencies
as well. The colors are vibrant when allowed
to be and spot on with wonderful contrast
between them, yet at the same time signs of
over saturation are kept to a minimal. The
movie itself has a lot of odd creative choices,
with segments having added grain or artistic
color tints added to them. Its not unlike
what was done for Godzilla:
Final Wars (2004), and putting that
into consideration the company has done the
best job they could in placing the video on
the DVD format.
Dororo is presented in its
original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and is Anamorphic
for widescreen TVs.
| Audio: |
 |
There is one audio track on this release,
which is a 5.1 surround presentation. The
track is great without any inconsistencies,
while there is some decent range to it as
well. Its not as stellar as a surround track
could be, but on the bright side it can play
normally in a two speaker setup as well without
sounding awkward like a more robust 5.1 track
does. This is nice as the DVD lacks any other
audio option, which is where its getting points
taken off for.
The audio is complimented by removable English
subtitles, with an extra option for the hearing
impaired that contains more subtitles.
| Extras: |
 |
Nothing. The disc contains menus and chapters,
but no more. A trailer would have been nice,
yet even that is absent. In the end, this
release defines bare bones.
| Overview: |
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Bottom
line, its clear that Universal used the space
not being taken up by extra audio tracks or
bonus features toward making the video track
look as nice as it does. The release is not
unlike what Sony used to do with their "Superbit"
line, sacrificing other aspects of the release
for optimal picture quality. However, in this
case consumers don't have a choice of a more
extra robust option on the region 1 market,
and in the end it would have been nice to
at least see the original Japanese trailer
included if nothing more.
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