Offering another trip to the well of the anime “mecha” genre—here placing kewpie-doll cute little heroines into giant robot combat chassis—Regalia is neither better nor worse than much similar fare. The setting is the Japanese-looking island nation of Rimgarde, the victim of a massive attack 12 years previously that was fought off by its beloved Empress Yui, who suddenly assumed the form of a “Regalia”—a huge humanoid fighting machine. Now more Regalia appear, seemingly trying to provoke the godlike powers that are latent in Yui and her adopted sister Rena while also seeking out more superhumans like them. And even more Regalia appear on the scene while a 2,000-year story arc behind the mayhem suggests that all of this is rooted in present-day experiments run amok in the area of weapons technology. Animation-wise, squiggly lines predominate in the ever-escalating battle scenes, while the characters trend towards the whinier end of the spectrum. Regalia does avoid the raunchier fan-service of many female mecha series, it also fails to stand out in any notable way. Presenting all 13 episodes from 2016 in a dual-language Blu-ray/DVD Combo set, rated TV-14, this is a strong optional purchase. (C. Cassady)
Regalia: The Three Sacred Stars
(2016) 4 discs. 305 min. Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $64.98. Funimation (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 1
Regalia: The Three Sacred Stars
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