Review for XAM'D Lost Memories Collection 1 (Review)

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Introduction
I shouldn't ought to have done it. I shouldn't have other means-ed Xam'd Lost Memories when it was initially released a couple of years ago. Those horrible streams, dodgy audio, low resolution… that was no way to watch a show of Xam'd's calibre. But then again, you can't really blame me for it. After all, Xam'd was one of those early streamed shows, an experiment in digital distribution without the benefit of solid media. It made its debut on the Playstation Network, and as such it wasn't all that successful an experiment. Certainly, not too many anime shows make use of the Playstation Network now for their world premieres. Also, the association with Sony put the fear of God into me. The last television anime that Sony got their hands on was Blood+, a show that was released in the US on a painfully slow release schedule, on dismally authored discs (dubtitles), and hideously expensive. There are companies in the UK that have expressed an interest in Blood+, but the licensing costs are so expensive that releasing it here just isn't an option. If Sony had Xam'd Lost Memories, then I thought the chances of it getting a physical release were negligible. So I sat through the pixellated streams, and enjoyed the show, and thought that was that.

Of course it turns out that the PSN doesn't automatically mean Sony, it's just another broadcast medium. A few months afterwards, Xam'd got its Japanese TV broadcast, and subsequently Sentai Filmworks (ADV redux) licensed the Studio Bones animation for US home video release. Sentai isn't Sony, which means that Manga Entertainment are now releasing it here in the UK, and they're releasing it on Blu-ray as well as DVD. That's a good thing, as Sentai's Blu-rays have been locked to Region A, making them unlikely options for import. I'm now watching Xam'd Lost Memories in 1080p HD resolution, instead of the postage stamp window I watched previously, and all of a sudden, an impressive show has become utterly breathtaking.

Sentan Island ought to be a tranquil idyll, the perfect place to grow up, but alas it's caught right in the middle of the war between the North and the South. But for Akiyuki Takehara and his friends Furuichi and Haru, that war doesn't affect them until the day that he's late for school, and has to run to catch the bus. It's the day that there is a white haired kid waiting to get on the bus, a transfer student without the armband to identify her to the security guard. It's the day that Akiyuki does her a favour, and sneaks her aboard, only for her to be revealed as a terrorist who detonates a bomb on the bus. A strange light hits his arm and a blue gem appears there, and then Akiyuki transforms into a monster. At the same time, the Northern forces attack Sentan Island, dropping ambulatory 'humanform' weapons that wreak havoc on the island and target the monster that Akiyuki has become.

Meanwhile, the postal airship Zanbani has been approaching Sentan, and one of its crew, a Tessikan girl named Nakiami realises what is happening down below. She arrives in time to stop Akiyuki in his tracks, is able to control the gem in his arm and get him to revert, and she effectively shanghais him and drags him aboard the airship, as she knows that she is the only one that can help him, for Akiyuki has been fused with a Hiruko, and he is now a Xam'd. Unless he learns to live with the change that has been thrust upon him, come to terms with being Xam'd, he will turn to stone. Now a part of the crew of the Zanbani, Akiyuki with the help of Nakiami begins to adjust to his new life, in the hope of one day returning home to his family and friends on Sentan Island. But since the day of the attack, Sentan Island has changed irrevocably.

The first half of Xam'd Lost Memories, thirteen episodes, is presented on two Blu-ray discs courtesy of Manga Entertainment. These are the Sentai discs adapted for Region B, and follow the same format of 9 episodes on a dual layer disc 1, and four episodes on a single layer disc 2.

Disc 1

1. Xam'd at the Dawn of War
2. Blackout on Sentan Island
3. The Way to Freedom
4. Enlightenment
5. Shattered Bonds
6. Live Fire
7. Guardians of Stone
8. Showdown at Tsumebara Pass
9. The Astonishing Raigyo

Disc 2

10. Moving On
11. Assault: The Zanbani
12. Flowers Blooming in the Dark
13. Running Barefoot

Picture
Xam'd Lost Memories gets a 1080p 1.78:1 widescreen transfer on these Blu-ray discs, using the VC-1 codec. Xam'd is a Studio Bones production, and they threw everything including the kitchen sink into making this show, and it certainly is apparent on screen. Xam'd is a beautiful animation, of theatrical quality throughout, with great character designs, a rich and vivid world design, and vibrant and dynamic animation that makes the action sequences among the best I have seen in this medium, while the quieter, character moments also feel alive and breathing. Xam'd is also one of those creations, like The Wings of Honneamise, where the world is one parallel to our own. It means that the creators have gone to town when it comes to imagining alternate versions of everyday things like vehicles and machinery. It's one of the shows that you watch twice, once for the story, and once just to look at.

It all looks fantastic given the higher resolution of Blu-ray, and a proper progressive transfer. It's just that when I got a little too close to the screen, I saw some telltale indications of aliasing. My uninformed guess is that Xam'd was originally animated at a lower resolution, perhaps 720 and was subsequently upscaled for the Blu-ray. It isn't an issue at all at normal viewing distances, and a world away from what the DVD can offer.

The images in this review have been sourced courtesy of the PR, and aren't representative of the final Blu-ray release.

Sound
You have the choice between DTS-HD MA 5.1 English and Japanese, along with optional translated subtitles, and a signs only track. As soon as you hear the drums of the Boom Boom Satellites opening theme kick in, you know you're in for a treat. Xam'd is an action packed, vibrant and lively anime. It's a fantasy world with a whole lot of imagination to it, and the sound design reflects that. There is a great deal of directionality to the audio, and it really brings the show to life. The Japanese audio is definitely the way to go here, as the cast is top notch, and the performances live up to the standard of the animation. The same can't be said for the English dub. Although perhaps it's because I chose episode 10 to sample, which begins with a monologue from Akushiba, whose English voice actor is monotony embodied. It's a performance of someone who doesn't care. Skipping past that, I paid closer attention to the voice actors for Akiyuki, Haru and Nakiami, the main characters, and while their performances were closer to the mark, it felt very much like just another average anime dub. For me, Xam'd is like a Ghibli film in terms of production value and visual impact, it deserves a dub cast worthy of that, and this dub isn't it.

Other than that, there is no problem with the audio on this release, and the subtitles are legible and free of error. Incidentally, if the high-resolution visuals aren't enough to convince you to opt for the Blu-ray, the audio ought to be, as the Blu-ray offers 5.1 surround Japanese, while the Manga (and Madman) DVDs offer just DD 2.0 Stereo Japanese, which is a dismal letdown for this series. Curiously, the Region 1 Sentai DVDs have DD 5.1 Japanese audio, so I can't imagine what the Australian distributors were thinking opting for simple stereo.

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