This is the final volume from AnimEigo for the 1987/1988 TV series Kimagure Orange Road. The disc includes episodes 45 through 48, which mark the conclusion of the series. Unfortunately, the overall quality of this release remains inconsistent. The video presentation continues to disappoint, with persistent issues like frame instability, despite some slight improvements in the color department. On the positive side, the audio remains a strong point, featuring clear dialogue and music. However, as with previous volumes, the disc offers virtually no extra content.
| Video: |
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The video quality remains one of the weakest aspects of these discs, and unfortunately, there's no improvement in this final volume. For episodes 45 through 48, the video quality is largely similar across all four episodes.
Episodes 45 and 48 both suffer from slight frame instability. The brightness levels are also too high, though they don't completely wash out the black levels, which are still passable. While the reds are fairly accurate, the overall color palette lacks vibrancy. Compression is also fairly noticeable, leading to some smearing on the light grain present. In addition, there's occasional damage along the left side of the frame.
Episode 46 is similar, though the black levels aren't quite as deep, making it feel a bit flatter in comparison.
Episode 47 is the most problematic, with even more pronounced frame instability, which can be quite distracting at times. However, the black levels are deeper here, which is an improvement, but it doesn't fully offset the video's other issues.
The isolated intro, after being gone for Volume 11, is back here. Sadly, it's the same exact one found in Volume 10, and I say sadly because the frame is still unstable here.
Kimagure Orange Road is presented in its original
aspect ratio of 1.33:1.
| Audio: |
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The audio presentation continues to be the bright part of these releases. As with the previous DVDs, each episode features a single audio track, which is the original Japanese audio in two-channel stereo. The clarity of both the dialogue and the music is quite strong, and the overall sound quality is good, especially considering the age of the TV show. There are no major issues with the audio source, which is impressive given the more noticeable inconsistencies with the video.
Each episode's audio track is accompanied by removable English subtitles, with two options available: one offering limited translations, and another providing full translations of both spoken dialogue and on-screen text.
| Extras: |
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There are virtually no extras to speak of on this disc. The menu itself is quite basic and unattractive, offering nothing more than the ability to select episodes. The only chapters available are those used for episode navigation, which many don't even consider to be a true bonus feature. Beyond that, the only actual extra included is an extended version of the English credits. This feature simply takes the show's standard outro and overlays captions across the screen, translating the credits to provide the names of the show's staff.
| Overview: |
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Ultimately, the quality of these DVDs continues to fall short, and it's clear that this has been a consistent issue across all 12 volumes of AnimEigo's Kimagure Orange Road releases. While the presentation never quite reaches the low point seen on the first few discs, it still lags behind expectations. For viewers without access to a Blu-ray player, this release does offer a way to watch the late-1980s series, but for those who do have a Blu-ray player, Discotek's restored Blu-ray release is the superior choice. The Blu-ray version provides a much better viewing experience, with improved video quality and a host of additional features that are sorely missing from this DVD set.
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