Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution 1: Renton (Collector’s Edition Blu-ray & DVD) Unboxing

It’s Christmas time and I am currently back at home, this time in a new location after various ventures earlier in the year. Currently testing out the lighting for the unboxings while I am here so this is an opportunity for me to see how it goes. The first is a collector’s edition release by Anime Limited from their 12 Days of Christmas sale.

Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution 1: Renton (Koukyoushihen Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution 1) is a 2017 feature-length anime film directed by Hisatoshi Shimizu, animated by studio Bones and published by Bandai Visual. Hi-Evolution is the first film in a new film trilogy by the same studio who animated the original Eureka Seven anime series many years ago.

Hi-Evolution went through a weird phase. It was initially announced to have the first film focus on a prequel event, followed by the second film recapping aspects of the main series, and then have a new direction for the third & final film. However, the reception for Hi-Evolution 1 probably changed that. Hi-Evolution 1 is a mix between a new prequel storyline adapting a story piece that had happened years before the setting of the anime series but also recapping a specific storyline and re-using footage from the upscaled Blu-ray release. In other words, you have a mix between 16:9 HD Native animation and 4:3 anamorphic (with black bars) upscaled animation.

Funimation acquired the rights for the Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution movie trilogy for the US & Canadian territories while Anime Limited acquired the rights for the UK & Ireland territories. Funimation released the film as a standard regular Blu-ray & DVD combo pack release, while Anime Limited gave it the collector’s treatment with the traditional packaging with discs housed in a digipack and a hardcover booklet to go along with it. A theatrical release for Hi-Evolution 1 was initially planned for the UK, but poor reception during festivals resulted in the plans shifted to home video only.

Released in September 2018, Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution 1: Renton from Anime Limited contains the film on a single disc across both Blu-ray and DVD, using the Funimation master in this collector’s edition set. The audio options available include the Funimation English dub and original Japanese audio with English subtitles. The white subtitles are locked during playback on Blu-ray, and the discs are locked to Region B Blu-ray players and Region 2 DVD players. The DVD discs are in NTSC format.

The collector’s edition Blu-ray & DVD is now recently selling out but is available to order through Amazon UK.

Blu-ray Specs:

Languages: English, Japanese
Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Video: 1080p High Definition Native format with 16:9 ratio
Region: B
Subtitles: English
Locked Subtitles: Yes
Discs: 1

DVD Specs:

Languages: English, Japanese
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Standard Definition in NTSC format with 16:9 ratio
Region: 2
Subtitles: English
Locked Subtitles: No
Discs: 1

Plot Synopsis (via Anime Limited):

“Ten years before the events which saw young Renton join the crew of the Gekko came the so-called Summer of Love – the cataclysmic world-changing event enacted in no small part by his father, Adroc Thurston, in conjunction with the mysterious girl known only as Eureka.

Unaware of the full impact of his forebear many years previously, can Renton follow in his father’s footsteps and also find a way to bring much-needed change to the planet? First, however, he needs to learn a lot about himself and the world around him which means facing up to difficult decisions surrounding both Renton himself and his adoptive family.”

Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:

Hiroya Ozaki x Tomoki Kyoda x Dai Sato Crosstalk
Glory Days Music Video
Acperience 7 Music Video
Get It By Your Hands Hi-Evo Mix Music Video
Rave Scene – Hiroshi Watanabe DJ Mix 1 Music Video
Rave Scene – Hiroshi Watanabe DJ Mix 2 Music Video
Teaser
Theatrical Trailers
Commercials
Funimation Trailers