Code Blue: The Movie (2018) 4K UHD

[McCrutchy]

It has taken a very long time, but we finally have another new release live-action domestic Japanese film coming to Ultra HD Blu-ray, and it is Code Blue: The Movie (劇場版コード・ブルー -ドクターヘリ緊急救命-) (2018), which will be released by Pony Canyon on March 20th, 2019.

Our database is somewhat incomplete when it comes to Japanese discs, but I try to load in every unique one, at the very least. Nevertheless, we currently have 350 entries for Japanese releases, and by my estimation, this is the first non-Hollywood Japanese UHD BD since Bandai Visual and Disney Japan's Ghost in the Shell and Mobile Suit Gundam releases, which were all released on the same date in June 2018, the first live-action UHD BD since Legend of the Eight Samurai, a 1983 film released in May 2018, and the first new release live-action UHD BD since Fullmetal Alchemist was issued in April 2018.

Most importantly, it looks like this is the first live-action film released on domestic Japanese UHD BD that is not anime, a live-action adaptation of anime or Godzilla. This appears to be a straight medical action-drama based on the Japanese TV series of the same name, which is also available on Japanese Blu-ray.

Sadly, neither the film nor the TV series is English-friendly, but hopefully, this is a sign that Japanese distributors are finally willing to broaden the domestic Japanese UHD BD market a bit, and release a wider variety of films on the format, instead of just porting discs from Hollywood.