Eternal 831 (永遠の831, Eien no 831) is a 2022 original television special film directed & written by Kenji Kamiyama, and produced by studio Craftar. Staff credits also include CGI director Hiroki Matsuura, character designer Kōichirō Kawano, and music composer Gō Shiina. The television special first aired in Japan on January 2022.
Background:
“In the present day, the world is in turmoil due to an “unprecedented disaster”. A young man living in Tokyo, Suzushiro, has a secret he cannot tell anyone. That secret is that he can stop the time around him despite his thoughts. One day, he meets a girl named Nazuna who has the same “power”. When he learns that she is being used in a crime, he impulsively reaches out to help her. Will the two be able to get time that has stopped to start moving again?”
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, August 2023.
Kenji Kamiyama is a known figure in the anime scene. Many will recognise him for the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series but he’s worked on a number of other titles like Eden of the East which was a pretty intriguing series with some okayish films that came after, 009 Re:Cyborg which had a cool premise but not exactly accessible for those unfamiliar with the franchise and Napping Princess which I recollect being an entertaining film.
While he’s working on a Lord of the Rings anime film, he did direct a CG anime with studio Craftar (INGRESS: The Animation, The Relative Worlds) that was released for television called Eternal 831. That’s right, we have ourselves a television special like many of Lupin the Third‘s individual stories. Though barely anyone knew about it and it’s funny how Anime Limited managed to get their hands on the license in 2022 but also release the TV film theatrically in UK cinemas as well. Either way I do like checking out CG anime from time to time and given the director of choice, may as well see what Eternal 831 has to offer.
Collector’s Edition Contents:
Anime Limited are fans of director Kenji Kamiyama as well, so of course they were going to produce a collector’s edition for Eternal 831.
This edition is presented with a rigid box containing an Amaray case to house the disc. Alongside the case is a 16-page booklet, containing character designs and an essay written by Shelley Pallis.
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 parts are 1000 units each printed for an SRP of £39.99. A standard edition Blu-ray was also released months after this edition.
The collector’s edition Blu-ray was made available to order directly through Anime Limited’s online store as an early bird during the month of July, on offer for £24.99 (with the Anime Unlimited membership lowering the cost down to £22.49). However, I decided to hold off and eventually it was included in the August 2024 Summer Sale for £19.99 (£17.99 with a 15% Summer sale discount offer) which is where I received my copy of the set.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with Amaray packaging and clean artwork
- Info sheet for specification and BBFC description
- 16-page Booklet
- 4 Art Cards
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 14th August 2023
The collector’s edition release for Eternal 831 contains the television film special on a single Blu-ray disc, with the encode and authoring by VDMS.
As there was no English dub produced, the audio option available is Japanese with English & French subtitles. As this is a VDMS disc, you have the option to choose between English & French menu text at the start and can switch back and forth without having to reset the player.
The white subtitles are locked during playback and the regions are locked to Blu-ray players set to B.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | Japanese |
| Audio | Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese Linear PCM 2.0 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 16:9 aspect ratio |
| Region | B |
| Subtitles | English, French |
| Locked Subtitles | Yes |
| Discs | 1 BD-50 |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
- Interview with Director Kenji Kamiyama
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Eternal 831 is available to purchase on Blu-ray by Anime Limited in the UK & Ireland. The collector’s edition Blu-ray release can be bought through Amazon UK, AllTheAnime Store, and Anime-on-Line.
The standard edition is available to purchase across different retailers including Amazon UK, AllTheAnime Store, and Anime-on-Line.
(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.)
The Normanic Vault 
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