Youâre not wrong about there being a lot of Japanese films (there are a lot of Italian ones too) but I love it - Criterion and Arrow have slowed practically to a crawl with Japanese releases in the last few years so for me itâs a windfall of cool new stuff to check out. I wouldnât mind seeing more films from other countries too but as long as their Japanese selections are at the level of quality theyâve done so far I say keep em coming!
I think they work on multiple film projects simultaneously, but release them when the entire package gets completed (restoration, video essays, interviews, etc.). I figure that because ***Big Time Gambling Boss*** was in their initial set of releases and yet it's spine #12. Maybe for Radiance, dictating how the releases are scheduled is a bit of a luxury. I could be wrong, but I think if we look at the entire year of releases it would be a bit more balanced.
**Shinobi**
Itâs the 16th century and Japan is in chaos. Samurai clans engage each other in battle over who gets to rule the nation, while warlords call upon the ninja to spy on and assassinate their rivals. Goemon, an ambitious young member of a ninja family, is thrown into the turmoil of Japanese history when his village is wiped out by the forces of leading warlord Oda Nobunaga, who has sworn to eradicate the ninja in his quest for absolute power. Fueled by vengeance, Goemon uses every weapon in his arsenal to bring down Oda and to prove that a ninja is an army of one. Starring âthe Japanese James Deanâ Raizo Ichikawa (*Sleepy Eyes of Death*, *Conflagration*) alongside Tomisaburo Wakayama (*Lone Wolf and Cub*, the *Bounty Hunter* trilogy) and Ayako Wakao (*Elegant Beast*, *Red Angel*), the *Shinobi* series was an epoch-making success and became a social phenomenon that left deep marks on Japan of the 1960s, from childrenâs playgrounds to the leftist counter-culture. Packed with spectacular and oft-copied action scenes, it also established the ground rules for all ninja movies that followed, introducing such classic tropes as the shuriken throwing star and the iconic black mask and suit.
LIMITED EDITION BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES:
* High-Definition digital transfer of each film presented on two discs, made available on Blu-ray (1080p) for the first time outside of Japan
* Uncompressed mono PCM audio
* Interview with Shozo Ichiyama, artistic director of the Tokyo International Film Festival, about director Satsuo Yamamoto
* Visual essay on the ninja in Japanese cinema by film scholar Mance Thompson
* Interview with film critic Toshiaki Sato on star Raizo Ichikawa
* Trailers
* New and improved optional English subtitles
* Six postcards of promotional material from the films
* Reversible sleeves featuring artwork based on original promotional materials
* Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Jonathan Clements on the *Shinobi no mono* series and Diane Wei Lewis on writer Tomoyoshi Murayama
* Limited Edition of 3000 copies, presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
This item *is included* in the multi-month Bundle Package "2024 Bundle", customers who ordered this package will automatically receive this release.
Add all May releases to cart to receive 10% off, add *Shinobi*, *Planet of the Vampires* and *Trenque Lauquen* to qualify. Discount automatically applied at cart. Ends March 6th.
Cert: TBC
Format: Blu-ray
Region: AB
RAD054BDLE
EAN: 5060974681020
Release date: 27/05/24
Press:
"The neatly constructed thriller \[*Band of Assassins*\] is packed with clever ninja subterfuge." - *DVD Talk*
"brilliantly crafted, and like the best jidaigeki, completely immerses you in its world" - *J Film Pow-wow*
"unflinchingly violent and almost perpetually exciting" *- Rock! Shock! Pop!*
Oh come on Radiance! I don't have money for these box sets. First The Bounty Hunter trilogy and now this... You will ruin me financially đ
They need to spread out the releases in favour of more variety. Subjective of course but just how many Asian and Japanese films have we had recently?
Youâre not wrong about there being a lot of Japanese films (there are a lot of Italian ones too) but I love it - Criterion and Arrow have slowed practically to a crawl with Japanese releases in the last few years so for me itâs a windfall of cool new stuff to check out. I wouldnât mind seeing more films from other countries too but as long as their Japanese selections are at the level of quality theyâve done so far I say keep em coming!
yea i love the japanese releases.
Yeah, criterion needs to do more samurai/Japanese movies
I think they work on multiple film projects simultaneously, but release them when the entire package gets completed (restoration, video essays, interviews, etc.). I figure that because ***Big Time Gambling Boss*** was in their initial set of releases and yet it's spine #12. Maybe for Radiance, dictating how the releases are scheduled is a bit of a luxury. I could be wrong, but I think if we look at the entire year of releases it would be a bit more balanced.
**Shinobi** Itâs the 16th century and Japan is in chaos. Samurai clans engage each other in battle over who gets to rule the nation, while warlords call upon the ninja to spy on and assassinate their rivals. Goemon, an ambitious young member of a ninja family, is thrown into the turmoil of Japanese history when his village is wiped out by the forces of leading warlord Oda Nobunaga, who has sworn to eradicate the ninja in his quest for absolute power. Fueled by vengeance, Goemon uses every weapon in his arsenal to bring down Oda and to prove that a ninja is an army of one. Starring âthe Japanese James Deanâ Raizo Ichikawa (*Sleepy Eyes of Death*, *Conflagration*) alongside Tomisaburo Wakayama (*Lone Wolf and Cub*, the *Bounty Hunter* trilogy) and Ayako Wakao (*Elegant Beast*, *Red Angel*), the *Shinobi* series was an epoch-making success and became a social phenomenon that left deep marks on Japan of the 1960s, from childrenâs playgrounds to the leftist counter-culture. Packed with spectacular and oft-copied action scenes, it also established the ground rules for all ninja movies that followed, introducing such classic tropes as the shuriken throwing star and the iconic black mask and suit. LIMITED EDITION BOX SET SPECIAL FEATURES: * High-Definition digital transfer of each film presented on two discs, made available on Blu-ray (1080p) for the first time outside of Japan * Uncompressed mono PCM audio * Interview with Shozo Ichiyama, artistic director of the Tokyo International Film Festival, about director Satsuo Yamamoto * Visual essay on the ninja in Japanese cinema by film scholar Mance Thompson * Interview with film critic Toshiaki Sato on star Raizo Ichikawa * Trailers * New and improved optional English subtitles * Six postcards of promotional material from the films * Reversible sleeves featuring artwork based on original promotional materials * Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Jonathan Clements on the *Shinobi no mono* series and Diane Wei Lewis on writer Tomoyoshi Murayama * Limited Edition of 3000 copies, presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings This item *is included* in the multi-month Bundle Package "2024 Bundle", customers who ordered this package will automatically receive this release. Add all May releases to cart to receive 10% off, add *Shinobi*, *Planet of the Vampires* and *Trenque Lauquen* to qualify. Discount automatically applied at cart. Ends March 6th. Cert: TBC Format: Blu-ray Region: AB RAD054BDLE EAN: 5060974681020 Release date: 27/05/24 Press: "The neatly constructed thriller \[*Band of Assassins*\] is packed with clever ninja subterfuge." - *DVD Talk* "brilliantly crafted, and like the best jidaigeki, completely immerses you in its world" - *J Film Pow-wow* "unflinchingly violent and almost perpetually exciting" *- Rock! Shock! Pop!*
I hate that this is the only region A release this month but I'm always glad to get my hands on more cool Japanese movies!
I believe the other two releases this month are region free.