The Criterion Collection

[ShellOilJunior]

Originally Posted by Rayjg

I know it's at least eight years away but any guesses on the next Kurosawa release

Any of these releases would be great:

-Yojimbo/Sanjuro UHD
-Seven Samurai/High and Low/The Hidden Fortress/Rashomon/Ikiru UHD
-box of all the films yet to receive an HD release (Red Beard, Drunken Angel, Stray Dog, Madadayo, The Bad Sleep Well, etc.)

[RevolverOcelScott]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

Any of these releases would be great:

-Yojimbo/Sanjuro UHD
-Seven Samurai/High and Low/The Hidden Fortress/Rashomon/Ikiru UHD
-box of all the films yet to receive an HD release (Red Beard, Drunken Angel, Stray Dog, Madadayo, The Bad Sleep Well, etc.)

Any one of those titles would have been met with acclaim, rather than complaints I feel.

[koberulz]

Originally Posted by Yami

But that would set a precedent and rumours would gain traction simply because they haven't come out and denied the fantasy release flavour of the month.

I don't think there's ever been a Criterion rumor as strong and long-lasting as the AK set.

[gbm82]

Originally Posted by NeilZ

Not sure why people still think Criterion has troubles with Toho. That’s as much a fabrication without evidence as those of us who believe the Kurosawa set is coming. At least those of us believers in the AK set come to this conclusion by logical order of elimination. Many of us believe a Kurosawa set is coming because Criterion did one for Fellini and Bergman (and now even more big director sets). It’s really as simple as that. Sure there are other reasons such as all missing movies having 2k scans in Japan for over a decade but that’s just icing on the cake.

I understand Toho is notoriously hard to deal with but Criterion has never had any issues getting their films from them before. They were commonly releasing Toho films all the way till around 7 or 8 years ago which specifically coincided with the point where the founders (Stein husband and wife) sold the company to new owners. After that point they didn’t just slow down on Toho films but ALL Japanese films. Clearly the new owners just have different priorities and have not shown great interest like the Steins did.

Furthermore even if it was a Toho issue which I’m not inclined to believe, nothing was stopping them from doing blu ray releases of Kurosawa films such as The Idiot, Scandal, or Dersu Uzala (among other non Toho films).

But... if the lack of Japanese releases could be attributed to ownership changing...why would they even be interested in a Kurosawa set?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by NeilZ

Not sure why people still think Criterion has troubles with Toho. That’s as much a fabrication without evidence as those of us who believe the Kurosawa set is coming. At least those of us believers in the AK set come to this conclusion by logical order of elimination. Many of us believe a Kurosawa set is coming because Criterion did one for Fellini and Bergman (and now even more big director sets). It’s really as simple as that. Sure there are other reasons such as all missing movies having 2k scans in Japan for over a decade but that’s just icing on the cake.

I understand Toho is notoriously hard to deal with but Criterion has never had any issues getting their films from them before. They were commonly releasing Toho films all the way till around 7 or 8 years ago which specifically coincided with the point where the founders (Stein husband and wife) sold the company to new owners. After that point they didn’t just slow down on Toho films but ALL Japanese films. Clearly the new owners just have different priorities and have not shown great interest like the Steins did.

Furthermore even if it was a Toho issue which I’m not inclined to believe, nothing was stopping them from doing blu ray releases of Kurosawa films such as The Idiot, Scandal, or Dersu Uzala (among other non Toho films).

Ah, the Steins conspiracy theory again. I have no idea where this came from, but I'll just post what I posted the last time you, or someone else mentioned it

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Bob Stein, and his wife Aleen Stein were two of the founders of Voyager Company, and Criterion, but as far as I know they stopped having direct involvement in the 90's. Perhaps around the time Peter Becker took over. I believe Aleen (and maybe Bob) still retains her ownership stake in Criterion. If you can point me to a source that says she (and/or Bob) sold that off more recently, or anything related to there being new owners beyond the changes in the 90's I'd love to see it.

The fact remains that the people that almost certainly determine what Criterion releases, Becker, Turell, and Kline, have been there for 30+ years. Playing devil's advocate however, even if there were some new owners, it would be extremely unlikely that they would have much sway on what Criterion releases, and even more unlikely that such owner(s) would have stated that vocally.

So where did this come from? Ultimately it sounds like one big conspiracy theory by people trying to rationalize why Criterion hasn't released as many Japanese films as they have in the past. It's not that hard to understand why this is the case though, considering they've expanded their reach into world cinema beyond the major countries they featured during the DVD days. Films from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Iran, various countries in Africa, and many others. Plus they're addressing their blind-spots with female directors, and films from black directors. Plus, they're releasing more modern films, and indie films, and films from streaming services. Plus they're also releasing 4K films. Plus you have to factor whether a master is up to snuff for Blu-ray (which many Japanese films often cited are not). And these are just a few of the many factors that could go into choosing a film for one of the coveted slots during any given month. It's really not that hard to see why there isn't as big a focus on Japanese films, or even French, or Italian films for that matter.

The fact that you think these "new owners" are somehow anti-Japanese is quite hilarious really. Like, that's more believable than Criterion having difficulties with Toho?? And let's not act like the relationship between Criterion, and Toho has been smooth. Do some research on the hurdles Criterion had to go through to get Gojira released. And then look into how much Toho screwed Criterion over when it came to the Godzilla Showa release. They intentionally withheld superior versions of the films from Criterion. This also coincides with numerous other anecdotes from insiders of other labels stating how difficult it is to work with Toho, and how much their licensing fees have gone up. Dealing with Toho is anything but smooth.

I'll just break down the facts as such:

1. Kurosawa films are among Criterion's best selling titles
   
2. Criterion likes, and can use money
   
3. Toho are notoriously difficult to deal with, and reports are their licensing fees have dramatically increased
   
4. Criterion has not released a Toho Kurosawa film in 8 years

Combine these facts into whatever narrative suits you. It seems pretty obvious to me what the issue is here. Ruling out the ludicrous notion of any "new" owners passing over Japanese films, the other theory is a big Kurosawa set. But even if they were planning such a set, it wouldn't make any sense to completely shun Kurosawa's films for this lengthy period of time. Surely they could slot in The Bad Sleep Well, Drunken Angel, Stray Dog, Red Beard, The Lower Depths, etc.. into any single month out of these 8 years. I think we could all agree this is easy money for Criterion, so ask yourself, why wouldn't they have released a single one?

Since Toho withheld superior masters/restorations from Criterion for the Godzilla set, is it that far-fetched to believe that Toho would do the same with Kurosawa's films after that release? Especially in light of the fact that Toho are releasing these films themselves in 4K in Japan.

[Nori]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Ah, the Steins conspiracy theory again. I have no idea where this came from, but I'll just post what I posted the last time you, or someone else mentioned it

[Show spoiler]The fact that you think these "new owners" are somehow anti-Japanese is quite hilarious really. Like, that's more believable than Criterion having difficulties with Toho?? And let's not act like the relationship between Criterion, and Toho has been smooth. Do some research on the hurdles Criterion had to go through to get Gojira released. And then look into how much Toho screwed Criterion over when it came to the Godzilla Showa release. They intentionally withheld superior versions of the films from Criterion. This also coincides with numerous other anecdotes from insiders of other labels stating how difficult it is to work with Toho, and how much their licensing fees have gone up. Dealing with Toho is anything but smooth.

I'll just break down the facts as such:

1. Kurosawa films are among Criterion's best selling titles
   
2. Criterion likes, and can use money
   
3. Toho are notoriously difficult to deal with, and reports are their licensing fees have dramatically increased
   
4. Criterion has not released a Toho Kurosawa film in 8 years

Combine these facts into whatever narrative suits you. It seems pretty obvious to me what the issue is here. Ruling out the ludicrous notion of any "new" owners passing over Japanese films, the other theory is a big Kurosawa set. But even if they were planning such a set, it wouldn't make any sense to completely shun Kurosawa's films for this lengthy period of time. Surely they could slot in The Bad Sleep Well, Drunken Angel, Stray Dog, Red Beard, The Lower Depths, etc.. into any single month out of these 8 years. I think we could all agree this is easy money for Criterion, so ask yourself, why wouldn't they have released a single one?

Since Toho withheld superior masters/restorations from Criterion for the Godzilla set, is it that far-fetched to believe that Toho would do the same with Kurosawa's films after that release? Especially in light of the fact that Toho are releasing these films themselves in 4K in Japan.

It's not a conspiracy theory. I'm one of the people who mentioned this at some point in the thread. I've also seen it mentioned in other forums supposedly from other people friendly with the Stein family.

A friend of mine who works in film rights is good friends with Jill Stein. Unfortunately they did sell the company around 2013 (I may not remember the date accurately but that's what comes to mind). While both of them remained on the board and continued making decisions regarding film licensing and releases for a number of years after, they eventually left. They also got a divorce sadly, not that that's relevant to the thread or Criterion's activities.

There's no doubt that the Steins loved Japanese movies very much. It's one of the biggest parts of the collection during the years they were involved. Once they quit the number of Japanese releases dropped, so it's not hard to put two and two together.

[dressedtokill]

Originally Posted by Nori

It's not a conspiracy theory. I'm one of the people who mentioned this at some point in the thread. I've also seen it mentioned in other forums supposedly from other people friendly with the Stein family.

A friend of mine who works in film rights is good friends with Jill Stein. Unfortunately they did sell the company around 2013 (I may not remember the date accurately but that's what comes to mind). While both of them remained on the board and continued making decisions regarding film licensing and releases for a number of years after, they eventually left. They also got a divorce sadly, not that that's relevant to the thread or Criterion's activities.

There's no doubt that the Steins loved Japanese movies very much. It's one of the biggest parts of the collection during the years they were involved. Once they quit the number of Japanese releases dropped, so it's not hard to put two and two together.

No.

[Nori]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Ruling out the ludicrous notion of any "new" owners passing over Japanese films, the other theory is a big Kurosawa set. But even if they were planning such a set, it wouldn't make any sense to completely shun Kurosawa's films for this lengthy period of time. Surely they could slot in The Bad Sleep Well, Drunken Angel, Stray Dog, Red Beard, The Lower Depths, etc.. into any single month out of these 8 years. I think we could all agree this is easy money for Criterion, so ask yourself, why wouldn't they have released a single one?

You could say that it's fiction and I have no sources but Criterion is a privately held company and do not need to do press releases. I tried looking for articles to see if I could even find the name of the current owner(s) and I couldn't. It's not public information so you can chose to believe me or not believe me and that's fine.

I don't believe Toho has increased their prices. From what I've heard it simply that their fees are high because the rates were established during the DVD days. Despite these high fees it wasn't stopping Criterion from releasing many Toho films on blu ray for many years from 2010 to 2016 or so.

I still expect we'll see more Toho films released. It will be whenever Criterion is ready and decides to do them. I expect we'll get more Kurosawa, more Kobayashi, more Teshigahara, and more, someday.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by Nori

It's not a conspiracy theory. I'm one of the people who mentioned this at some point in the thread. I've also seen it mentioned in other forums supposedly from other people friendly with the Stein family.

A friend of mine who works in film rights is good friends with Jill Stein. Unfortunately they did sell the company around 2013 (I may not remember the date accurately but that's what comes to mind). While both of them remained on the board and continued making decisions regarding film licensing and releases for a number of years after, they eventually left. They also got a divorce sadly, not that that's relevant to the thread or Criterion's activities.

There's no doubt that the Steins loved Japanese movies very much. It's one of the biggest parts of the collection during the years they were involved. Once they quit the number of Japanese releases dropped, so it's not hard to put two and two together.

I agree with a lot of what you have said I do think the new owners are not as interested in Japanese cinema as the previous ones. However, Toho has raised prices substantially. Even for screenings of their films, prices have gone up and it was mentioned somewhere online that some establishment would no longer screen their films due to the higher costs.

So I think it's a little bit of both as to why we haven't gotten new Toho films. Still, what I don't understand is that if Criterion has the home video rights to a lot of films, do they have to pay more for films when they upgrade to say Blu-ray? I'm guessing if it uses an old HD master they don't, but if they want a newer restoration they do?

[Nori]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

I agree with a lot of what you have said I do think the new owners are not as interested in Japanese cinema as the previous ones. However, Toho has raised prices substantially. Even for screenings of their films, prices have gone up and it was mentioned somewhere online that some establishment would no longer screen their films due to the higher costs.

So I think it's a little bit of both as to why we haven't gotten new Toho films. Still, what I don't understand is that if Criterion has the home video rights to a lot of films, do they have to pay more for films when they upgrade to say Blu-ray? I'm guessing if it uses an old HD master they don't, but if they want a newer restoration they do?

That’s quite possible. You’re right now that I think about it I also read about how some film institute (was it in Germany?) stopped screening Toho films.

As far as I know since Criterion has the rights to a number of Toho films they can request new restorations but I don’t know if further money needs to exchange hands or not.

One thing is for sure though: we get so few Japanese films from Criterion even ignoring the massive Godzilla box Criterion probably doesn’t put out that much more from other production companies either.

Also I apologize for calling Aleen “Jill” earlier, I got her name mixed up thinking of the politician from the Green Party. lol

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Nori

It's not a conspiracy theory. I'm one of the people who mentioned this at some point in the thread. I've also seen it mentioned in other forums supposedly from other people friendly with the Stein family.

A friend of mine who works in film rights is good friends with Jill Stein. Unfortunately they did sell the company around 2013 (I may not remember the date accurately but that's what comes to mind). While both of them remained on the board and continued making decisions regarding film licensing and releases for a number of years after, they eventually left. They also got a divorce sadly, not that that's relevant to the thread or Criterion's activities.

There's no doubt that the Steins loved Japanese movies very much. It's one of the biggest parts of the collection during the years they were involved. Once they quit the number of Japanese releases dropped, so it's not hard to put two and two together.

I'm sorry, but this just isn't accurate. Peter Becker is the CEO and President of Criterion since 1997, as well as the Co-President of Janus, alongside Jonathan Turell. These two individuals are the ones that are foremost responsible and instrumental in what is acquired and released by Criterion/Janus. It is ridiculous to claim the Steins were directly curating the collection themselves, or that the supposed new owner is now doing so. They may have suggested a title here or there to consider, but certainly the major decisions are from Becker, and Turell. Unlike your anecdotes, this is very well documented in various articles and interviews.

And yes, if you're claiming that some supposed mystery owner is now telling Becker and Turell to stop or greatly reduce the amount of Japanese movies coming out, then that is absolutely a conspiracy theory, or on the level of one. As I pointed out, Kurosawa films make Criterion money, which means the owner(s) make more money. Even if some owner had some bias against Japanese films, they still do like money, yes?

Breaking down the amount of Japanese BD releases by year, there isn't even that huge of a deviation around the time you're claiming. You know when there was a deviation? Somewhere around the time they were working on the Godzilla Showa set with Toho in ~2018. Not only was there a drop by around 2 or 3 per year, but the ones that did come out were mainly from different studios like Kadokawa, and Nikkatsu.

Japanese Blu-rays by year (box sets count as one)

2009 - 1 of 33
2010 - 3 of 42
2011 - 8 of 70
2012 - 5 of 58
2013 - 6 of 59 (25-film Zatoichi set being one)
2014 - 3 of 68
2015 - 5 of 70
2016 - 5 of 71
2017 - 4 of 61
2018 - 2 of 66
2019 - 2 of 70 (Godzilla Showa 15-film set being one)
2020 - 2 of 62
2021 - 2 of 71
2022 - 3 of 76

(This is a rough counting based on the yeary tallies in the first posts of the thread by Scottie)

Prior to 2018, the numbers were more or less consistent per year, so that doesn't line up with the notion that this owner that came in around 2013 is the reason for the drop. Overall, the average per year is about 3.5 titles per year. So them doing ~2 is really just ~1.5 off their average.

2011-2013 was more or less the peak in terms of number of titles, but it's kind obvious why. This was early into Criterion's move to Blu-rays, and they were trying to get as many of the major titles out as possible to help get the label to recoup their investment into the format. So we see stuff like Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Harakiri, come out in fairly quick order.

It was the same thing with Chaplin films:

2010: 1
2011: 2
2012: 1
2013: 3
2015: 1
2019: 1

Compare the two charts against one another. It's the exact same 2011-2013 period that each had their highest output, and then a significant drop, and relative drought after. Similar patterns can be done with Harold Lloyd films, and I'm sure others. So, is this a coincidence? Do you think the new owner has it out for Chaplin too??

There is no denying a drop in the number of JP titles the last 4 or so years. But it's not as drastic a difference as some on here make it. It's just around 2 less than a typical year. So, what can explain this drop? I already stated Toho as likely a strong candidate, but of course there are other strong considerations here like: a greater focus on their streaming service, their shift to 4K, their goals to increase diversity in the collection, and very likely the pandemic itself played a role. These are all wayy more likely reasons than the notion of an owner forcing Becker and Turell to reduce the amount Japanese films.

[DukeTogo84]

Lot of interesting points being made in this thread. I'm starting to lose my sense of reality as to what is true and what is false.

At the end of the day, this conversation can go only for the rest of time, but there IS a solution. Someone needs to write an exposé on the lack of Japanese cinema from Criterion. Anyone work for the New York Times?

[Snicket]

I’m sorry but there are not two sides to this, it’s not even a real debate. One side is a factual accounting of reality and the other is a series of made up anecdotes and easily disproven statistics.

It’s not a subjective mystery, it’s reality vs fantasy.

[NeilZ]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Japanese Blu-rays by year (box sets count as one)

2009 - 1 of 33
2010 - 3 of 42
2011 - 8 of 70
2012 - 5 of 58
2013 - 6 of 59 (25-film Zatoichi set being one)
2014 - 3 of 68
2015 - 5 of 70
2016 - 5 of 71
2017 - 4 of 61
2018 - 2 of 66
2019 - 2 of 70 (Godzilla Showa 15-film set being one)
2020 - 2 of 62
2021 - 2 of 71
2022 - 3 of 76

(This is a rough counting based on the yeary tallies in the first posts of the thread by Scottie)

Prior to 2018, the numbers were more or less consistent per year, so that doesn't line up with the notion that this owner that came in around 2013 is the reason for the drop. Overall, the average per year is about 3.5 titles per year. So them doing ~2 is really just ~1.5 off their average.

2011-2013 was more or less the peak in terms of number of titles, but it's kind obvious why. This was early into Criterion's move to Blu-rays, and they were trying to get as many of the major titles out as possible to help get the label to recoup their investment into the format. So we see stuff like Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Sanjuro, Harakiri, come out in fairly quick order.

No offense but you’re kind of proving his point. The Japanese films decrease around 2018. He says the former owners stayed on the board. Being on the board means they and a handful of other individuals made decisions for releases together, so yes they absolutely did have a say in the curation.

As for owning a media company like Criterion, while the CEO runs the daily business the owners absolutely do have final word if they so chose. We have no idea what the current owners are like, so maybe I’m wrong to blame them, but if the former owners were very hands on, that’s still a reasonable explanation for the change once they departed from the company entirely.

I’ve heard at least one other person on some thread mention the departure of Bob Stein and also heard it referred to in a podcast that was rehashing Criterion’s past some years ago, so it’s always seemed very plausible to me that the change coinciding with their departure just makes a lot of sense.

It’s absurd to hang on so dearly to this anti Toho tirade when we’re not even getting films from other distributors either. Criterion is just plain passive when it comes to Japanese cinema and has been for a while.

[MifuneFan]

There's little point debating this further with conspiracy theorists, but I' did mean to add this post earlier, since there was doubt about Toho raising their fees, and becoming harder to work with.
This was originally made in Eureka's thread.

Originally Posted by Mr. Thomsen

Speaking of Japanese films, I was just told by someone from DFI yesterday that Toho now have become so expensive to deal with that our national film museum have issued a full stop on booking any of their movies for screening.

We have long known from labels that Toho were/ are hard to deal with and expensive, but when even a national film institute throws the towel in, it does not bode well for home video releases (they have a rather large budget for booking films and they are not obligated to make any form of profit on the screenings, so Toho's prices must be close to extortion).

[Cpt. Feeney]

While we're on the subject, has it ever been disclosed what state Toho's films from pre-1945 are in? Sanshuro Sugato, Mizoguchi's 47 Ronin, and any others I've seen, all seemed like working prints that were digitized. I'm wondering if all the negatives were destroyed or could we expect an improvement?

[NeilZ]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

There's little point debating this further with conspiracy theorists, but I' did mean to add this post earlier, since there was doubt about Toho raising their fees, and becoming harder to work with.
This was originally made in Eureka's thread.

You’re just as guilty of it yourself. We look at the signs and read the cards, and sometimes end up with different interpretations. First time I see doing this being viewed as being “conspiracy theorists” but ok.

You still go on about Toho but still ignore the fact that’s been brought to you that Criterion isn’t releasing Japanese movies from the other guys either.

[NeilZ]

Originally Posted by Cpt. Feeney

While we're on the subject, has it ever been disclosed what state Toho's films from pre-1945 are in? Sanshuro Sugato, Mizoguchi's 47 Ronin, and any others I've seen, all seemed like working prints that were digitized. I'm wondering if all the negatives were destroyed or could we expect an improvement?

Good question. I’d like to know too.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by NeilZ

You still go on about Toho but still ignore the fact that’s been brought to you that Criterion isn’t releasing Japanese movies from the other guys either.

I didn't ignore anything. I already addressed the output from other studios in previous posts.

But since I'm going crazy with lists today, I'll break down the last few years to show where Criterion have been licensing their Japanese films:

2018:

An Actor's Revenge - Kadokawa
A Story from Chikamatsu -Kadokawa

2019:

The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice - Shochiku
Godzilla Showa set - Toho

2020:

Antonio Gaudi - Toho
Tokyo Olympiad - IOC

2021:

The Human Condition - Shochiku
Onibaba - Toho

2022:

Cure - Kadokawa
Drive My Car - Match Factory
The Funeral - Itami Productions

2023:

Dreams 4K - Warner Brothers
Branded to Kill 4K - Nikkatsu


So that's 13 Japanese releases over the supposed and ongoing period when the former owners have now left the board, and the new owner(s) have supposed full reign. Of those 13 titles, 10 of them are from studios besides Toho. Even if you ignore the 4K upgrades, it's 8 of 11. So it's very obvious they are in fact releasing Japanese films from the other guys still.

Now it's time for a fun experiment. I want you to just imagine the list above, but every year add two more Toho titles to it. And then, compare that to the list of Japanese titles by year that I made earlier on. Answer me honestly, would those two added titles per year not (more or less) match the averages of most prior years?

So, I've shown that they've never stopped releasing Japanese films, nor have they even shunned other JP studios. They're simply lacking 2 or so films that would likely have come from Toho in past years. Most predominantly missing are the Kurosawa titles (hence the alternative box set theory!). Speaking of the Kurosawa box set theory, how is it possible to believe the current owners are anti-Japanese, while also believing that Criterion are working on a big Kurosawa box set? Wouldn't those two things sort of cancel each other out?

You can call what I'm saying a conspiracy theory too, that's fine. I can't provide proof that their relationship is strained, but I have provided a large body of evidence, and data that seemingly points to that as a possible explanation for the decrease (I also pointed to like 5 other potential reasons why that might be, but okay). On the other hand there is no proof whatsoever to an owner, who can't even be named, having an anti-Japanese sentiment.

Also, please do not ignore what Mr Thomsen wrote above, it speaks absolute volumes of the state we're in. He is right that it does not bode well for Toho films on home video if his country's (Denmark) national film institute has thrown in the towel.

[NeilZ]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

[Show spoiler]I didn't ignore anything. I already addressed the output from other studios in previous posts.

But since I'm going crazy with lists today, I'll break down the last few years to show where Criterion have been licensing their Japanese films:

2018:

An Actor's Revenge - Kadokawa
A Story from Chikamatsu -Kadokawa

2019:

The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice - Shochiku
Godzilla Showa set - Toho

2020:

Antonio Gaudi - Toho
Tokyo Olympiad - IOC

2021:

The Human Condition - Shochiku
Onibaba - Toho

2022:

Cure - Kadokawa
Drive My Car - Match Factory
The Funeral - Itami Productions

2023:

Dreams 4K - Warner Brothers
Branded to Kill 4K - Nikkatsu


So that's 13 Japanese releases over the supposed and ongoing period when the former owners have now left the board, and the new owner(s) have supposed full reign. Of those 13 titles, 10 of them are from studios besides Toho. Even if you ignore the 4K upgrades, it's 8 of 11. So it's very obvious they are in fact releasing Japanese films from the other guys still.

Now it's time for a fun experiment. I want you to just imagine the list above, but every year add two more Toho titles to it. And then, compare that to the list of Japanese titles by year that I made earlier on. Answer me honestly, would those two added titles per year not (more or less) match the averages of most prior years?

So, I've shown that they've never stopped releasing Japanese films, nor have they even shunned other JP studios. They're simply lacking 2 or so films that would likely have come from Toho in past years. Most predominantly missing are the Kurosawa titles (hence the alternative box set theory!). Speaking of the Kurosawa box set theory, how is it possible to believe the current owners are anti-Japanese, while also believing that Criterion are working on a big Kurosawa box set? Wouldn't those two things sort of cancel each other out?

You can call what I'm saying a conspiracy theory too, that's fine. I can't provide proof that their relationship is strained, but I have provided a large body of evidence, and data that seemingly points to that as a possible explanation for the decrease (I also pointed to like 5 other potential reasons why that might be, but okay). On the other hand there is no proof whatsoever to an owner, who can't even be named, having an anti-Japanese sentiment.

Also, please do not ignore what Mr Thomsen wrote above, it speaks absolute volumes of the state we're in. He is right that it does not bode well for Toho films on home video if his country's (Denmark) national film institute has thrown in the towel.

Thank you for putting together that list. It's an interesting way to look at it and I see your point. Maybe you're right and the blame for the reduction in Japanese releases falls at least partly on Toho. After all they're even pushing up rates for screening films at national film institutes as you point out. It's certainly possible.

However for the sake of argument here's another way to look at those numbers. One could look at the fact that 3 out 13 titles "did" come from Toho, and as there are quite a few Japanese studios one could interpret that as not a "bad" number. Or at the very least perhaps not a number that should necessarily ring alarm bells. They did release as many from Toho as they did from Kadokawa for example, and 1 more than they did from Shochiku.

By the way I wouldn't go so far as to say that the current guys in charge are anti Japanese, it just doesn't seem to be a category close to their hearts to put it mildly. I'm happy they announced Branded to Kill and Dreams (as odd a choice as it may be), at least it gives me some hope.