Yokai Monsters Collection

[DarkImbecile]

From the makers of Daimajin comes a trilogy of terror ripped from the pages of Japanese folklore, with ghosts and monsters from ancient myths and legends brought to life through stunning special effects, alongside an epic, big-budget reboot of the series from a modern-day master of the macabre, now available together on Blu-ray for the first time.

In the first film in the trilogy, 100 Monsters, a greedy slumlord’s attempts to forcefully evict his tenants invite the wrath of the titular spirits when a cleansing ritual is botched, with terrifying results. The second film, Spook Warfare, tells the tale of an evil Babylonian vampire inadvertently awoken by treasure hunters, and a brave samurai that teams with the yokai to defeat the bloodthirsty demon. In the final film, Along with Ghosts (released only 12 months after 100 Monsters), the yokai are roused to defend a young girl on the run from deadly yakuza.

Decades later, none other than Takashi Miike (Audition) helmed The Great Yokai War, a loose remake of Spook Warfare that used cutting-edge digital effects to renew the franchise for a new generation. In it, a young boy is given a grave responsibility: to band together with a group of yokai to defend humanity against a vengeful and powerful demon that has sworn retribution against modern-day Japan.

LIMITED EDITION BOXSET CONTENTS

• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all four films
• Optional English subtitles on all four films
• Illustrated 60-page collectors’ book featuring new writing on the series by Stuart Galbraith IV, Raffael Coronelli and Jolyon Yates
• Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jolyon Yates
• Postcards featuring newly commissioned artwork for each film by Jolyon Yates
• Foldout ‘yokai guide’ poster illustrated by Jolyon Yates

DISC ONE – 100 MONSTERS

• Original uncompressed Japanese mono audio
• Hiding in Plain Sight, a brand new documentary giving a primer on yokai for Western audiences, featuring interviews with experts Matt Alt, Zack Davisson, Kim Newman, Lynda E. Rucker and Hiroko Yoda
• Theatrical trailer
• US re-release trailer
• Image gallery

DISC TWO – SPOOK WARFARE / ALONG WITH GHOSTS

• Brand new 4K restoration of Spook Warfare by Kadokawa Pictures
• Original uncompressed Japanese mono audio for both films
• Theatrical trailers for both films - US re-release trailers for both films
• Image galleries for both films

DISC THREE – THE GREAT YOKAI WAR

• DTS-HD MA 5.1 original Japanese and dubbed English audio
• Brand new audio commentary by Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes
• Archive interviews with the cast and crew, including Takashi Miike
• Short Drama of Yokai, two shorts detailing the further adventures of the yokai
• Another Story of Kawataro, two shorts featuring the continuing story of the kappa character in the film
• World Yokai Conference, a publicity event where Miike speaks about the film
• Promotional Events, video of the press conference to announce the start and completion of filming, as well as the premiere in Tokyo
• Documentary on the film’s young star, Ryunosuki Kamiki, and his experience making the film
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery

[knives]

The Miike is a very fun children’s film and worth at least looking into the set for.

[tenia]

I hope it's a new master for the first movie. It was released on BD in France by Metropolitan and is filled with combing issues (which I assumed to be baked in the HD master, though) and is overall a dated master.

[Calvin]

I hope it's a new master for the first movie. It was released on BD in France by Metropolitan and is filled with combing issues (which I assumed to be baked in the HD master, though) and is overall a dated master.

It's not. All 3 original movies have been restored in 4K but James Flower has confirmed to me that "it is indeed just Spook Warfare that's from the new restorations, for tremendously frustrating reasons that defy explanation."

I'm not sure what's going on with Kadokawa, as they've been much more co-operative with Arrow on projects like the Gamera set than, say, Toho were with Criterion on Godzilla. But this is the second set in a row that Arrow are seemingly being forced to use outdated masters, with their Daimajin set out this week being superseded by new 4K restorations that Kadokawa are releasing themselves in September.

[dwk]

Well the Showa era Gamera titles used really old masters too. So this Toho-esque turn by Kadokawa isn't too shocking.

[swo17]

If you watched the last ten minutes of Viy and thought you'd like to see another 60's monster mash in the same vein, but Japanese, then the Yokai Monsters trilogy is for you!

Sold!

[Finch]

I've never heard of these films before but between Arrow's, Eureka's and 88's release slates, this is an excellent year for Asian genre and cult cinema on home video. Long may it continue!

[swo17]

Apparently the U.S. version of this set is already mostly sold out. Amazon still has some in stock but they're full price