The Asterisk War Parts 1 & 2 (Blu-ray) Unboxing

So here’s a surprise. MVM started their Christmas 2018 sale and out of nowhere they decided to add one of their recent releases for a low price. This is also an Aniplex title and I figured I may as well get this version (considering the US LE sets are now inconsistent).

For this unboxing we’ll be going through both Part 1 and Part 2 sets given they are standard editions. Two in one!

Note: The photos in this unboxing have been updated on 16th May 2019, but the content is identical.

The Asterisk War (Gakusen Toshi Asterisk) is a 2015 & 2016 anime series based on the light novel written by Yuu Miyazaki and illustrated by okiura. The anime was adapted by studio A-1 Pictures and published by Aniplex. The anime was given the split-cour treatment, with 12 episodes airing during the Autumn 2015 season and another 12 episodes during the Spring 2016 season.

Aniplex of America did their best to promote this series as the next ‘Sword Art Online’ and apparently it did stream well, however it wasn’t as popular. Though for Aniplex of America it was popular enough for them to give the series four volumes worth of limited edition sets. Personally I liked how they looked but in terms of content it threw me off in the same way they handled Sword Art Online II, and eventually, Volume 1’s limited edition went out of print so there was no point in getting those releases.

MVM brought the series over to the UK and in a surprising move they brought it over to the Blu-ray format, a bold move considering they don’t author the discs in that format and Australia only released it on DVD. While the menus are basic and the sign subtitles are forced, the rest of the content is pretty much similar to the Aniplex master. In the meantime, I went for it and if I enjoy it I’ll double dip for a BD-Box later down the line.

Part 1 features episodes 1 to 12 (the first cour) and Part 2 features episodes 13 to 24 (the second cour), each across 2 discs per set. Both sets feature English & Japanese audio with unlockable white-coloured English subtitles and the discs are compatible with both Region A & B Blu-ray players.

You can order the UK release on Anime-on-line and Amazon UK.

Blu-ray Specs (Part 1):

Languages: English, Japanese
Audio: English Linear PCM 2.0, Japanese Linear PCM 2.0
Video: 1080p High Definition Native format with 16:9 ratio
Region: A B
Subtitles: English
Locked Subtitles: No
Discs: 2

Blu-ray Specs (Part 2):

Plot Synopsis (via MVM):

Invertia… an unprecedented disaster that struck the world during the 20th century.

Within the meteor, an unknown element called mana was discovered, which gave rise to a new species of human born with unique skills – Genestella.

At the academy city above the water, Rikka, also commonly known as Asterisk, the world’s greatest comprehensive battle spectacle, the Festas, is held.

In order to fulfill his own wish, scholarship student Ayato Amagiri swears he too will fight in this city!

Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features (Part 1):

Japanese Previews
Textless Prologue
Textless Opening & Closings

Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features (Part 2):

Textless Opening & Closings

The Asterisk War is available on Blu-ray & DVD from MVM Entertainment.