From acclaimed director Ayumu Watanabe (Children of the Sea) and STUDIO4°C (Tekkonkinkreet, Mind Game) comes a heartwarming and moving comedy-drama with touches of magical realism. Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is about an unconventional family and the bonds that they share in their sleepy seaside town.
Brash single mother Nikuko is well-known for her bold spirit, much to the embarrassment of Kikuko, her pensive yet imaginative daughter. In contrast to her mother, Kikuko wants nothing more than to fit in as she navigates the everyday social dramas of middle school. Life in the harbor is peaceful until a shocking revelation from the past threatens to uproot the pair’s tender relationship.
For in-depth thoughts on Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, please see my colleague AJ Fairnot’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko comes to Blu-Ray from Shout! Factory with a gorgeous 1080p transfer in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. Once again we have a traditionally hand drawn animated film which fills our heart with joy. Compared to 3-D animation, you get so much detail and character in every frame which makes it feel like a richer experience. The animators add countless subtle touches to each scene that act as a love letter to past classics of the artform. The detail put into each location is astounding, especially as you catch some fun easter eggs in the background. The flowing nature of the character designs makes them feel a part of the world rather than pasted in. The transfer handles every quick movement and environment change with impeccable stability including no jagged lines or color bleeding.
The film gains a real sense of depth from the textures in the character designs and the environments. This animation studio does not strive for glossy perfection and precision, instead opting to make their world more tactile. The colors present in this transfer are lush with vibrant hues of nature making a big impression alongside the deeper colors in some of the interiors. Black levels are incredibly strong with no hint of compression artifacts or digital anomalies of the sort. Fans will be thrilled by the care taken with this title.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track presented here in its original Japanese with optional English and Spanish subtitles. The track provides a joyous listening experience that brings the movie to life with great warmth and nuance. One of the first things you will notice is the gentle score which is distinctly implemented in its placement throughout the room as it immerses the audience. Dialogue also comes through perfectly at all times without being overshadowed by any competing elements. The sonic detail in the surround channels impresses as the sound of various locations creates a fully fleshed-out world. There are some really creative panning effects in the rear channels that add a nice layer to the story. The track rarely engages the low end in a substantial way, but it adds some wonderful texture to the world. Shout! Factory will make fans happy with this presentation.
Special Features
- Making Of: A terrific 73-minute look at the creation of the film which explores the initial idea for adapting the story into a feature before focusing heavily on the work with the vocal performers. You really get to see the director working with each actor to understand their character’s motivation, the layers of the text, calibrating the intensity and more. You get to see the excitement over discovering new talent, observing seasoned veterans nailing their delivery, the performance of some instruments and more. This is a joy to watch!
- Film Completion Press Conference: A 27-minute in-person press conference from May 26, 2021 in which the cast and creative team reflect on their experience with the film, their desire for people to see the work, the larger themes of the story, how they feel about the film, why they thought this would work as an animated film, the feelings about being asked to inhabit their characters and what they gained from the experience, the obstacles during production and more.
- Official Premiere Event: A 19-minute event with the cast and creative team once again discussing the film including answering questions about scenes that made the cat feel most in touch with their characters, questions about joyous moments in their lives, their appreciation of the film’s release and more. Creative Producer Sanma Akashiya continues to be a real lively character during these panels.
- Sanma Akashiya Birthday Event: An 18-minute event from July 4, 2021 in Osaka in which Sanma Akashiya and the director discuss acquiring the rights to the novel, casting his ex-wife in the film, easter eggs in the film, their favorite scenes, and more before celebrating the aforementioned birthday with a cake.
- Guest Speaker Event: A 20-minute event with actors Shinobu Otake and Riho Yoshioka which begins with a sick burn on the absence of Sanma Akashiya possibly allowing them a chance to speak. The two discuss their professional relationship with one another, getting to collaborate on a song with one another, the themes of the story and more. Late in the chat, they are joined by director Ayumu Watanabe.
- Trailers: This disc includes four-and-a-half minutes of trailers.
Final Thoughts
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is a heartfelt and genuinely moving portrait of a mother-daughter relationship which knows how to balance humor with pathos. There are heightened elements within the narrative, but the core dynamic between the two main characters feels very grounded and relatable to many. The creative team uses stunning animation to bring this gentle story to life replete with allusions to the artform which are sure to keep fans grinning. We are now at a place where we are eagerly anticipating every new project Ayumu Watanabe is involved in. Shout! Factory has released a Blu-Ray with a stunning A/V presentation and a surprising amount of special features. If you enjoy character-focused anime films, do not pass this one up. Highly Recommended
Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray + DVD Combo Pack on July 19, 2022.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Shout! Factory and GKIDS have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.