DVD Corner

Tiger and Bunny Set 2 Blu-ray Review

The second half of season 1 of “Tiger and Bunny” is equally as good as the first.

In the second half of season 1 (which is comprised of episodes 14-25), we find that superhero duo Wild Tiger and Bunny have not only grown closer and become a better team, but they have also grown in popularity in the city of Stern Bild. Sadly, things don’t get any easier for the two though as they encounter all sorts of trouble. Wild Tiger/Koetsu is having power issues and is later framed for murder which causes his fellow heroes to hunt him down. Meanwhile, Bunny/Barnaby discovers the murderer of his parents which leads to an epic and potentially deadly confrontation (I won’t reveal with who). Other key storylines involve Karina and Wild Tiger’s relationship, androids, the reemergence of Lunatic, Kotetsu’s daughter Kaede, death, rewritten memories, Koetsu considering retirement, a Wild Tiger robot, and HERO TV reporter Agnes.

It’s hard to go into great detail about the events of set 2 as I don’t want to reveal any spoilers. I will say that the identity of the murderer of Bunny’s parents in episode 19 is the highlight here as it is pivotal to the entire series. Not only is it surprising, heartbreaking, and intense, but it also leads to an exciting sequence of events from episodes 20-25. It also proves to be critically important from a character standpoint as the killer further complicates the life of Wild Tiger and Bunny.

On the downside, there are 2 things that bugged me here. One is the character of Kaede who is just flat-out annoying (both as a character and from a voice acting perspective). While her character arc is interesting, it feels a little forced. I’m all for adding more depth to Koetsu’s life and family, but did we really need to see so much time devoted to her character when she’s little more than a supporting character? The second thing that bugged me is the fact that there isn’t a season 2 as of yet. In episode 25, the show leaves you with a cliffhanger ending involving Ouroboros that obviously still needs to be resolved. Whether or not we will ever know what happens remains to be seen, but here’s hoping we get more episodes down the line.

Video/Audio:

‘Tiger,’ which is presented in 1.85:1 1080p, is a  bright and colorful show that looks its very best in hi-def. You can’t ask for a better hi-def anime transfer.

This set contains English and Japanese 2.0 DTS-HD tracks. The English dub is so-so as the voice acting is rather inconsistent. The Japanese track is the ideal choice here as the voice acting is top notch throughout. As far as the action goes, while it would have been nice to hear the explosions and so forth in a 5.1 track, it still sounds solid regardless.

Extras:
* Neon Alley ads.
* Clean opening and endings.
* 2 Japanese trailers for “Tiger and Bunny.”
* Production art and Masakazu Katsura illustration still galleries.
* “Tamura And Katsura Exclusive Interview” from New York Comic Con. Discussions range from “Wingman” to the character designs. This extra is definitely worth watching.

Summary: “Tiger and Bunny” is easily one of the best anime series out there. It’s a superbly written and fresh take on the superhero genre. I can definitely recommend picking up sets 1 and 2.

July 10, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Best Anime Shows, Tiger and Bunny Season 2, Tiger and Bunny Set 2 Blu-ray Review, Viz Media