On-Gaku: Our Sound (Collector’s Edition Blu-ray & DVD) Unboxing

On-Gaku: Our Sound (also known simply as ONGAKU) is a 2019 theatrical anime film based on Hiroyuki Oohashi’s manga Ongaku to Manga. The anime was directed, written and edited by Kenji Iwaisawa, produced by Tetsuaki Matsue and animated by studios Rock’n Roll Mountain and Tip Top. The film held its premiere at the Ottawa International Animation Festival in September 2019 before being released for Japanese theaters in January 2020.

Background:

“When you’re a bored teenager looking for thrills, sometimes the only thing you can turn to is rock ‘n roll. Having no skill, money, or even a full set of drums, a feared trio of high school delinquents nevertheless decide they are destined for musical glory in a quest to impress their only friend Aya, avoid a rival gang, and – most importantly – jam out.

Animated almost entirely by director Kenji Iwaisawa, and featuring a lead performance by Japanese alt-rock legend Shintaro Sakamoto, ON-GAKU: OUR SOUND brings its own sound and vision to the Hiroyuki Ohashi manga from which it was adapted. With pitch-perfect deadpan humor, the film presents a highly original take on the beloved slacker comedy: a lo-fi buddy film with a blaring musical finale that will leave you wanting an immediate encore.”

Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, November 2021.

On-Gaku is probably one of the most intriguing films I’ve heard about in a while. Not just the fact that it’s animated and directed by a small team, but the art style is very different to the usual anime designs you get. In fact I would compare the designs to manga author ONE, but in this case On-Gaku is more polished.

Combine the different art style with the story about a music band, the film stood out more compared to the likes of Violet Evergarden the Movie or Children of the Sea. Fortunately, On-Gaku has received positively by both reviewers and some directors. I’m very much happy to be able to acquire the film and check it out, even if its just a subtitled only release.

US distributor GKIDS acquired the United States & Canada rights while Anime Limited acquired the United Kingdom & Ireland rights for the film. GKIDS released the film pretty early on without an English dub, though given the film is about a music band and it’s not as widely known as other anime films in recent memory, it does make some sense to leave it as a subtitled only release. Anime Limited did offer their traditional collector’s treatment on the plus side.

Collector’s Edition Contents:

Anime Limited packaging treatment continues with their release of On-Gaku: Our Sound, however this time it’s going to be available exclusively through their online store.

This package offers a rigid box that houses the film in an Amaray Blu-ray case alongside a few physical items. Those physical items being a 12-page booklet, folded A3 poster and 5 Art Cards. The booklet is a short essay written by Jonathan Clements.

The artwork is free of any information or BBFC content and the info sheet covers the information and specification like previous Anime Limited releases. The collector’s edition Blu-ray & DVD combo pack is limited to 1000 units for an SRP of £34.99. Much like their previous shop exclusive releases, a standard edition Blu-ray will follow for retailers outside Anime Limited’s store.

I pre-ordered the film via Anime Limited’s store during its early bird week using the Anime (Un)limited membership with a 10% store discount, going from £19.99 to £18.

Physical Contents:

• Rigid Box with Amaray packaging and clean artwork
• Info sheet for specification and BBFC description
• 12-page Booklet
• A3 Poster
• 5 Art Cards

On-Disc Contents:

Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 13th December 2021

The collector’s edition release for On-Gaku: Our Sound contains the film on a single Blu-ray and DVD disc using the GKIDS encode/author. The audio options available only include Japanese with English and Spanish subtitles. The white subtitles are unlockable during playback, and the regions are locked to Blu-ray players set to B and DVD players set to 2.

Blu-ray Specs:

Languages	Japanese
Audio	Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Video	1080p High Definition Native format 1.78:1 aspect ratio
Region	B
Subtitles	English, Spanish
Locked Subtitles	No
Discs	1 BD-50

DVD Specs:

Languages	Japanese
Audio	Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
Video	Standard Definition in NTSC format 1.78:1 aspect ratio
Region	2
Subtitles	English, Spanish
Locked Subtitles	No
Discs	1

Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:

• The Making of On-Gaku: Our Sound (59 minutes length)
• Our Movie: Behind The Scenes
• Live Musical Performance
• On-Gaku (Demo)
• Rock Festival Pencil Test
• Storyboards Gallery
• Trailers
• Short Films by Kenji Iwaisawa:
  • Mountain
  • Mourning Ice Pop
  • Nicky
  • Taro Wanted to be Water

DVD On-Disc Extra Features:

• Our Movie: Behind The Scenes
• Live Musical Performance
• On-Gaku (Demo)
• Rock Festival Pencil Test
• Storyboards Gallery
• Trailers
• Short Films by Kenji Iwaisawa:
  • Mountain
  • Mourning Ice Pop
  • Nicky
  • Taro Wanted to be Water

Unboxing Photos:

Final Notes:

The collector’s edition release of On-Gaku: Our Sound is available to order exclusively through Anime Limited’s online store, but a standard edition release will be available through multiple retailers across the United Kingdom.

(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)