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solaris72
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AnimEigo

#1 Post by solaris72 » Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:10 pm

AnimEigo
AnimEigo wrote:We're pleased to announce 5 new licenses, all coming out in 2007!

Dora-heita: Koheita Mochizuki (Koji Yakusho of Shall We Dance, The Eel), has such a bad reputation that he's earned the nickname Dora-Heita, or "alley cat" (meaning "playboy"). So it's a real shock when he's named magistrate of the most disreputable town in all of Japan! But his rep is just a clever cover which he uses to set about cleaning up the town, resulting in everyone, even the young samurai hotheads who ought to be supporting him, wanting to see him dead, if for very different reasons. And the appearance of an old mistress doesn't make his life any less complicated. Directed by Kon Ichikawa from a script by Kon Ichikawa, Masaki Kobayashi, Keisuke Kinoshita, and Akira Kurosawa!

We continue with another of the Kon-artist's great films, Kon Ichikawa's 47 Ronin, starring Ken Takakura (4-time Japanese Academy Award winner) with an all star cast. The 47 Ronin is one of the classic Japanese stories, and has been remade and reinterpreted many times. This version adds new dimensions to narrative, as it focuses on what went on behind the scenes leading up to the famous attack of the ronin.

Shinsengumi (aka "Band of Assassins") is another top-notch Toshiro Mifune film. In this historical drama set during the time of the Meiji Restoration, he stars as Isami Kondo, an idealistic warrior who organizes a paramilitary group that supports the Shogun in his battle against the Emperor. But when the Imperial side wins, the Shinsengumi are declared outlaws...

The Wolves: Tatsuya Nakadai (Ran,Portrait of Hell) stars as a Yakuza who gets out of jail only to find that his gang has been crippled and absorbed by another gang -- the one whose boss he killed! Directed by Hideo Gosha.

And finally, we end with another Kihachi Okamoto masterpiece, The Battle of Okinawa, which also stars Tatsuya Nakadai.

The war is lost, but the Japanese military decides to make a last stand before retreating to the homeland. If they can make the cost of capturing Okinawa too high, then perhaps the Americans will think twice about invading Japan. To this end, the orders given to the soldiers and the civilians are quite simple: fight until everyone is dead!
Last edited by solaris72 on Wed Jul 09, 2008 9:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Steven H
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#2 Post by Steven H » Sat Oct 21, 2006 10:17 am

Great news, especially concerning Gosho's The Wolves and Okamoto's Battle in Okinawa. I wonder if we'll ever get Okamoto's two ATG films in the US (Tokkan/Battle Cry, and Nikudan/The Human Bullet). The Human Bullet is probably my favorite film of his.

One thing I like about Animeigo is their subtitles. They might be yellow, but they're extremely abundant, sometimes overlapping, and thorough. This past year's Okamoto Japan's Longest Day, had some extremely useful contextual information as well, though not in essay form.

Has anyone seen Ichikawa's version of 47 Ronin or Dora-heita? The latter doesn't look particularly interesting, but maybe I shouldn't judge a book by the cover.

Image

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kinjitsu
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#3 Post by kinjitsu » Sat Oct 21, 2006 1:58 pm

Steven H wrote:One thing I like about Animeigo is their subtitles. They might be yellow, but they're extremely abundant, sometimes overlapping, and thorough. This past year's Okamoto Japan's Longest Day, had some extremely useful contextual information as well ...
Which makes it almost impossible to enjoy. The subs are yellow, white and green.

Dora-heita was rather enjoyable, however, 47 Ronin was an extremely disappointing film.

Edit: seems I inadvertantly deleted my previous post. #-o
Last edited by kinjitsu on Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:46 am, edited 3 times in total.

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Steven H
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#4 Post by Steven H » Sat Oct 21, 2006 3:06 pm

I usually just turn the color off on my set, so the multi-colored subs don't affect me. I don't recall the extraneous character information. Is there a particular disc that's really bad about this?

I'll take a look at Dora Heita then, if you suggest it.

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kinjitsu
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#5 Post by kinjitsu » Sat Oct 21, 2006 3:35 pm

Steven H wrote:I usually just turn the color off on my set, so the multi-colored subs don't affect me. I don't recall the extraneous character information. Is there a particular disc that's really bad about this?

Which is fine for B&W films, but the subs on Japan's Longest Day tend to overwhelm. Also, there is no way to lose the contextual subs without losing the dialogue. Go figure.
Stuart Galbraith wrote:while the English subtitles are very good with intelligent use of multi-colored text so that viewers can better follow some of the faster-paced dialogue and differentiate between spoken words and names, titles, and place names often supered over the action.

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Theodore R. Stockton
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#6 Post by Theodore R. Stockton » Sat Oct 21, 2006 5:02 pm

On some of their Zatoichi discs there's an option for simplified subs that is just the dialogue.

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porquenegar
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#7 Post by porquenegar » Sat Oct 21, 2006 6:19 pm

The Lone Wolf and Cub discs give you the option of the simplified subs or the oppressive explanatory ones. Hopefully these will be the same.

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Rufus T. Firefly
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#8 Post by Rufus T. Firefly » Sat Oct 21, 2006 9:12 pm

Steven H wrote:Has anyone seen Ichikawa's version of 47 Ronin or Dora-heita? The latter doesn't look particularly interesting, but maybe I shouldn't judge a book by the cover.
I've seen both. Dora-heita has been on TV here. I was disappointed by the lack of action, and what action there is is unconvincing. It plays like a slow episode of Zatoichi without the humour or swordplay. There are some good scenes but the whole thing is a bit lifeless.

47 Ronin
I have seen courtesy of the HK R3 DVD. The subs are awful and make the film practically incomprehensible. The story is familiar but all of the nuance and plot exposition is lost. It looks like it was a good version of the story though.

Re Japan's Longest Day, the disc has the usual full and limited subs options. However the limited subs keeps the translation of text and contextual information and drops the subs for the dialogue. One would have thought it should be the other way around, so it looks like someone in the quality control department goofed.

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kinjitsu
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#9 Post by kinjitsu » Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:47 am

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:Re Japan's Longest Day, the disc has the usual full and limited subs options. However the limited subs keeps the translation of text and contextual information and drops the subs for the dialogue. One would have thought it should be the other way around, so it looks like someone in the quality control department goofed.
Exactly!

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Michael Kerpan
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#10 Post by Michael Kerpan » Sun Oct 22, 2006 12:10 pm

kinjitsu wrote:
Rufus T. Firefly wrote:Re Japan's Longest Day, the disc has the usual full and limited subs options. However the limited subs keeps the translation of text and contextual information and drops the subs for the dialogue. One would have thought it should be the other way around, so it looks like someone in the quality control department goofed.
Exactly!
Not a mistake at all -- that is frequently what is done on anime DVDs -- and this company also releases (or used to release) lots of anime.

I agree, however, that it seems to be a pretty dumb idea.

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The Fanciful Norwegian
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#11 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Sun Oct 22, 2006 3:44 pm

Michael Kerpan wrote:
kinjitsu wrote:
Rufus T. Firefly wrote:Re Japan's Longest Day, the disc has the usual full and limited subs options. However the limited subs keeps the translation of text and contextual information and drops the subs for the dialogue. One would have thought it should be the other way around, so it looks like someone in the quality control department goofed.
Exactly!
Not a mistake at all -- that is frequently what is done on anime DVDs -- and this company also releases (or used to release) lots of anime.
Yeah, but anime titles usually have English dub tracks, so the limited subs actually serve some purpose (i.e. to translate onscreen text and provide contextual information not conveyed in the dubbed audio, without providing unnecessary subtitles for dialogue). Japan's Longest Day has no English dub, so the limited subs are almost completely pointless -- they're only useful to people who understand spoken Japanese but can't actually read the language or know nothing about the characters and events in the film, which is a pretty niche audience.

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Scharphedin2
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#12 Post by Scharphedin2 » Sun Dec 31, 2006 9:30 am

(From DVDEmpire)

Toshiro Mifune: The Ultimate Collection

In a career that spanned almost 50 years, Toshiro Mifune was the Shogun of Japanese Cinema. Although he started out as a cameraman, he quickly moved tot he other side of the lens, starring in many of the most influential Japanese films of all time.

Samurai Cinema is honored to present five classic Mifune films, digitally restored and shown in anamorphic widescreen. Here is Mifune at his best, showing why he wasn't just a movie star, but a great actor as well, tackling the diverse roles of bodyguard, strategist, tragic assassin and loveable loser.

Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo (1965, 116 mins., Color)
A tiny village becomes a powder-keg of conspiracy when a bodyguard (Mifune) and a blind masseur (Katsu Shintaro) clash. This is the first film in AnimEigo's Zaitoichi series.

Incident At Blood Pass (1970, 118 mins., Color)
Mifune, in the final portrayal of his signature Yojimbo character, is hired to perform a mission so mysterious, he isn't even told what it is! All he knows is that he is supposed to go to a remote mountain pass and wait for something to happen.

Samurai Banners (1969, 166 mins., Color)
Yamamoto Kansuke (Mifune) is a fearsome warrior who has risen to the position of Clan Chamberlain through trickery and deceit, only to learn the true meaning of honor when he and his Lord fall in love with the same woman. Based on the best-selling historical novel, this landmark film ushered in Japan's "Golden Age of filmmaking.

Red Lion (1969, 117 mins., Color)
When winds of change sweep Japan, Gonzo (Mifune), a dim-witted peasant, borrows his commander's Re Lion Mane of Office and rides into his old hometown to inform everyone of the revolution, but gets a warmer welcome than he expects. Mifune mixes swordplay and comedy in this hilarious epic of a man, a plan, and a large red wig.

Samurai Assassin (1964, 122 mins., B&W)
Based on a true historical event that took place on March 3, 1860, Mifune plays a ronin (and ultimately, an assassin for hire), desperate for a last chance to gain a position with one of the great samurai houses. This is one of Mifune's greatest roles and considered one of the finest Japanese films of the era.

--------------------------------------------------

I did not find any thread (specifically) dedicated to the release of this box set, which Koch Relasing so humbly has entitled Toshiro Mifune: The Ultimate Collection.

It was apparently quietly released back in August. Has anyone picked this up? Comments...

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Steven H
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#13 Post by Steven H » Sun Dec 31, 2006 10:46 am

I've seen all these discs as it's a collector type set from Animeigo culled from previously released material. The two Inagaki Hiroshi films, Samurai Banners and Incident at Blood Pass, are watchable (and contain some of his finest color cinematography), but are much weaker in many storytelling/character development ways than his earlier films. The other three are Okamoto Kihachi films, who has become one of my favorite Japanese filmmakers lately, and I would highly suggest them if you're interested in chambara/samurai films. Samurai Assassin looks the worst out of the three (I think, though I only have the R4 of Red Lion), but is probably the best film of the bunch. Zatoichi vs. Yojimbo is a favorite among the Zatoichi films. Red Lion is probably the weakest of the 60s Okamotos, but still fun (it's a comedic period film, similar to Kill!, but with Mifune practically picking up where his Seven Samurai character would have left off.)

I saw a few copies at amazon.com few a little over fifty bucks used, wich is a steal as these discs usually go for around $20 or so a piece, and aren't really worth that in terms of technical quality (not to mention the cover of Samurai Assassin is bad enough to turn you off to the film, if uninitiated.) Hope some of this information helps.

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Scharphedin2
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#14 Post by Scharphedin2 » Sun Dec 31, 2006 2:07 pm

Thanks friend Steven. I was not aware that all of these titles had been released separately, but as I do not own any of them, I have now ordered this.

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tryavna
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#15 Post by tryavna » Mon Feb 05, 2007 3:53 pm

Scharph and Steven,

Could either (or both) of you comment on the image quality of Samurai Assassin? Basically, is it watchable? Stuart Galbraith over at DVD Talk gives the transfer very poor marks, but I've found his A/V evaluations a little exaggerated in the past. So I just don't know. But I've been eyeing this set for a couple of weeks now, and the technical quality of Samurai Assassin may be the deciding factor.

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Steven H
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#16 Post by Steven H » Mon Feb 05, 2007 4:08 pm

the Samurai Assassin transfer isn't all that great. I think it's analog sourced, as AnimEigo didn't have the budget to do much with transfers at the time and it didn't already have a Japanese release like some of their later discs. It's very watchable, however, and one of my favorite samurai films. Gailbraith says: "On very small monitors Samurai Assassin might look okay, but it's basically unwatchable on sets 35-inches or bigger." and I agree (my monitor is smaller than 35in and I didn't have a problem with it.)

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Steven H
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#17 Post by Steven H » Fri Aug 31, 2007 4:47 pm

Battle of Okinawa now has a release date of November 6th.

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htdm
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#18 Post by htdm » Fri Aug 31, 2007 4:53 pm

Any word on The Wolves?

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Steven H
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#19 Post by Steven H » Fri Aug 31, 2007 5:08 pm

dmkb wrote:Any word on The Wolves?
I haven't heard anything. There's always the R2 UK version.

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Alain3000
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#20 Post by Alain3000 » Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:19 pm

dmkb wrote:Any word on The Wolves?
Click on the 8/27 Coming Attractions PDF link at the animeigo site and you see that The Wolves is supposed to get released on 4/2008.

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htdm
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#21 Post by htdm » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:55 am

Thanks

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tryavna
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#22 Post by tryavna » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:30 pm

Steven H wrote:
dmkb wrote:Any word on The Wolves?
I haven't heard anything. There's always the R2 UK version.
I didn't know an R2 edition existed and can't find it on Amazon.co.uk. Do you hav a link handy, Steven?

Of course, with the pile of unwatched DVDs I already have, I guess I can wait seven months for the Animeigo release.

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Steven H
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#23 Post by Steven H » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:43 pm

tryavna wrote:
Steven H wrote:
dmkb wrote:Any word on The Wolves?
I haven't heard anything. There's always the R2 UK version.
I didn't know an R2 edition existed and can't find it on Amazon.co.uk. Do you hav a link handy, Steven?

Of course, with the pile of unwatched DVDs I already have, I guess I can wait seven months for the Animeigo release.
Here's a few of the UK etailers that carry it, but amazon.co.uk doesn't seem to have it listed at all (not even an OOP notice.) It is, however, available at HMV, play, and bensonsworld.

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tryavna
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#24 Post by tryavna » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:48 pm

Many thanks for that, Steven. If I can't wait until April, I'll know where to go to get my Gosha/Nakadai fix.

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Steven H
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#25 Post by Steven H » Sat Sep 01, 2007 12:58 pm

tryavna wrote:Many thanks for that, Steven. If I can't wait until April, I'll know where to go to get my Gosha/Nakadai fix.
Also, if you can find it, Cash Calls Hell is probably my favorite Gosha/Nakadai (in fact, it will be one for my upcoming 60s list). Its more noirish than a lot of the other crime drama/yakuza films ever were, and its the closest Nakadai ever comes to turning into Robert Mitchum (I've always felt they were similar in that certain laconic way.) You can probably find this on eBay with english subtitles, though it will hopefully recieve a proper release in the future.

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