DVD Reviews

Supernatural: The Anime Series – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Jul 27, 2011, 14:03 GMT

The otherworldly TV phenomenon that is "Supernatural" makes history entering another world: as the first-ever live-action television show to be reimagined as an anime series. The internationally acclaimed animation powerhouse Madhouse Studios produces the show with the blessing of original series creator Eric Kripke. With storylines mirroring "Supernatural"\'s first two seasons plus supplemental tales derived from prequels and spinoffs, this 3-Disc, 22-Episode Collection expands the dimensions of the familiar Winchester ...more

The Winchester boys from the popular show Supernatural find themselves in a brave new land as the show is given an anime spin.  There’s something old, something new, something grue, and even the lead actor’s show up to voice the characters… well, one of them mostly.

In 2010, it was announced that Madhouse anime studios would be adapting the popular American TV show Supernatural for anime, debuting in January 2011.  It seemed it would only be coming to Japan, but Warner Brothers has released it now onto US shores. 

This version follows the basic premise of the original show: the Winchester boys’ mother is killed by a yellow-eyed demon and their father pursues the creature.  Eventually, the boys become a nomadic supernatural investigation squad hell-bent on tracking their father and the demon that he too pursues. 

The anime basically covers the first two seasons of the show, but also goes off in its own directions.  Five episodes are remakes of episodes from season one, seven episodes are remade from season two, there is a comic adaptation, and nine of the anime shows are original content.  However, they’re all designed to fit into a 30 minute runtime. 

You see hints of Sam and Dean in their animation counterparts but most of the characters really don’t look much like their television show inspirations.  To help matters with the lead, Jared Padalecki voices Sam for the English dub of the entire run.  Commitments kept Jensen Ackles from voicing Dean, but he does turn up vocally for the two-part finale. 

Andrew Farrar fills in for him on the episodes leading up to that point.  I usually don’t recommend English dubs when watching anime or foreign films, but in this case Supernatural fans will want to stick to those. 

They still have the inherent problems that such dubs have, like massaging dialogue oddly to fit with the motions of the animated characters mouths.  There is enough that will be similar to the fans of the show, yet the anime veers in enough other directions to keep all interested. 

The problem may arise in that this set looks like an upconvert and not originally shot in high definition. 

Supernatural: The Anime Series is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.78:1).  Special features, in high definition, include short introductions from Padalecki and Ackles on each episode, the 70 minute making of, 98 minutes of interviews (show creator Eric Kripke, Padalecki, Ackles, directors Shigeyuki Miya and Atsuko Ishizuka, and Japanese voice actors Hiroki Touchi and Yuuya Uchida), and 1 minutes of TV spots. 

Don’t just expect an animated (reanimated?) version of the television show as the Japanese creators of this anime were allowed to put their own spin on the show.  No matter since fans of the show or of anime will find things to like on either coin. 

If you want to get into the show you may want to catch season one and two before moving into this animated version.  It does make an interesting experiment for those already acquainted with Supernatural. 

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