Another interpretation of this sprawling property.
What They Say:
Despite his adoptive father’s warnings that the girl found in the remnants of a destroyed city is too dangerous to be considered anything other than a tool or weapon, Shiro Emiya comes to treat Miyu as a younger sister. But when Shiro relaxes his guard and Miyu starts normal school, the Ainsworth family and their agents swoop in, kidnapping the girl with the goal of sacrificing her! Faced with the realization that Miyu’s ability to do good will always be equaled by her capacity for destruction, Shiro must attempt to both rescue his adopted sister, and decide how to confront the threat that her powers will always pose. The lines between noble deeds and monstrous acts, and between hero and fanatic, will be the breaking points in the epic feature film Fate/kaleid Liner Prisma Illya: Vow In the Snow!
The Review:
Audio:
The audio presentation for this release is pretty solid as we get the original Japanese language in 5.1 only as no dub was produced for it. The OVA is encoded using the DTS-HD MA lossless codec. Similar to the series, it’s one that works the forward soundstage well as there’s a good mix of dialogue, music, and action to keep it lively. There’s a good design to it overall as we get the characters interacting in both action and general conversation to allow it to flow well as it moves about. The action steps things up nicely as there’s a lot of impact to many scenes with the way the action unfolds and that has some nice bass in a few sequences to ramp it up more. It’s similar to other shows in this particular franchise as there’s a good mix of what it wants to do and they don’t skimp with it. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout and we didn’t have any problems with dropouts or distortions during regular playback.
Video:
Originally airing in 2017, the transfer for this TV series is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in 1080p using the AVC codec. Animated by Silver Link, the film has a really strong look here throughout with some excellent use of colors and shading in many designs to give it more pop and there’s some wonderful detail to all of it in both character and background. There’s a darker look to it than a lot of the TV episodes and even the other film, but it still has a solidly consistent look with great action sequences. It doesn’t go for the photorealistic backgrounds but it gives them a good bit of life that comes across well. The animation has some really good fluidity to it in the action scenes but generally looks great across the board. The colors are rich and solid throughout and the numerous night action sequences across the darkened cloudy skies stand out well against the brightly colored magical girls and what they’re fighting against.
Packaging:
The packaging for this release is presented in a standard sized Blu-ray case with a single disc for the show. The front cover artwork is one that works a dark key visual that puts Miyu in the center and arrays everyone around her, though Shirou is in the foreground below her with the light coming from his hand that helps to illuminate things. It’s not a bad kind of dark cover but it definitely makes it clear this isn’t like the other projects. The back cover goes for a bright and light angle with bright blue skies for part of it, some nice pink aspects, and a few other elements softly in the background to tie it together. There are some nice shots from the show that gives you an idea of how it’s going to look and the piece overall has the right kind of soft tones to it. The remainder is given over to the usual production credits and technical grid that breaks everything down cleanly and clearly. No show related inserts are included nor is there a reversible cover.
Menu:
The menu design for this release definitely works well to show off the character artwork nicely as we get the image of the older Shirou here with power coming from his hand where everything feels very striking and angular. As the snow blows by and the sky is dark, it’s a haunting image that really delivers something powerful here. The navigation for this is kept to the lower right where it’s done up in purple, blue, and white in a good way that leads you to the extras and the previews of other shows as there’s no language or scene selection here. It’s very basic but it fits for what’s here and is easy to use.
Extras:
The only extras included with this release are the promos for the Japanse debut.
With four TV series behind it, one film out, and another on the way, the Prisma Illya franchise is one that has done well with a niche concept that is easily reworked and played with. The original manga for it only ran for two volumes in 2007 but the third iteration in 2012 is up to eleven volumes so far and is still going. The last series I saw was the third one out in 2017 from Sentai and it was cute and silly as I expected.This film came out around the same time as the Prisma Phantasm film in Japan and the same day as that release here in the US on home video, though I saw them a few weeks apart. At this point, I think the series overall is collapsing a bit under its own weight after being around for so long and reinventing itself as it has. What you get is something that’s trying to do what’s worked so far but also doing its own thing. And as a casual fan that only sees what lands on home video, a nearly four-year gap between seeing anything doesn’t help much. That said, this one feels a lot more self-contained for a lot of it and that helps.
But the regular reinvention, alternate route,s and so forth from the larger Fate universe has left me a lot more disinterested than I expected after so many years of it. Typically, I like reinventions but everything feels like one and with so many game routes and iterations, and so many adaptations of them, it’s all become a blur to me. The premise for this one is definitely smaller in a way as it opens on a young Shirou on the road with Kiritsugu as they head to Fuyuki city. With Kiritsugu looking for what he needs to fulfill his dream, the Sakatsuki family is something that he needs to cross off his list because they have a strange custom. The children born to the family aren’t seen until they’re seven-years-old as there’s a saying that it’s only when they’re that age that they’re actually human, hence the idea that children are innocent gods of sorts. Kiritsugu doesn’t believe that but you have to check things out. Of course, the timing comes just as a vortex destroys the city and leaves little left, notably a young girl named Miyu.
Miyu, it seems, has the power to grant wishes made but the city succumbed to her being exposed to too many things at once. That has Kiritsugu bringing her back with him and Shirou to raise her and have control over her. The film does a really nice job of showcasing this bond that forms, especially as Kiritsugu doesn’t stay alive long, and the brother/sister bond becomes really strong and heartfelt. Shirou’s just a bit older than her but takes to protecting her easily while also teaching her the things she needs to know to live. It’s not a huge part of the film but the times at home and exploring these ideas work really well since it’s a good side of Shirou to see. And as time goes on and Miyu’s powers seemingly disappear, things become easier and we see a high-school-aged Shirou enjoying classes with friends and life in general, which has him starting to bring Miyu into the real world at long last.
Of course, you know this is going to go badly but not for the reasons that anyone expected. One of Shirou’s friends from school was involved in what happened to Miyu back in Fuyuki city and has been looking for her in order to complete the ritual. This sets off the chain of events that has Shirou dealing with him and other challenges in battle as he pursues the cards necessary to help Miyu move past all that she’s been involved in. All of this goes as big as any of the other regular Fate projects, bringing in Kotomine, killing off characters, and working the Grail War material in a pretty good way. All while still going into the Prisma Illya world at the end where there are something darker and more disturbing underlying things. There’s a good sense of some closure here and a new way to look at the Prisma Illya world, which I definitely like.
In Summary:
The last few years have put me in a real love/hate relationship with the Fate universe as a whole. There’s a lot of background frustration with the whole thing and the way it regularly rewrites and reinvents itself. I do find the appeal in it but it feels like it’s so constant with all the routes that I’ve lost my footing and nothing is “prime” anymore. I enjoyed the Prisma Illya franchise over the years, though admitted some diminishing returns on it, and liked how this movie went in a different direction before connecting back up with the core of that franchise itself. I’m admittedly still a sucker for a good Shirou story and I like how Miyu is used in this. But, like a lot of releases in this franchise, the animation is what’s most memorable and there are some absolutely gorgeous fight sequences and designs here that drive home a beautiful look. Sentai’s release is definitely set right across the board, though I still wish they’d dubbed this franchise over the years or at least the one-off films like this, but it looks great and is priced right.
Features:
Japanese DTS-HD MA 5.1 Language, English Subtitles, Promos
Content Grade: B
Audio Grade: B+
Video Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B+
Menu Grade: B
Extras Grade: B-
Released By: Sentai Filmworks
Release Date: July 14th, 2020
MSRP: $19.98
Running Time: 92 Minutes
Video Encoding: 1080p AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray player via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
