Zatoichi: Darkness Is His Ally (1989)

[PissedOffPeoN]

Same :0 too bad it is in 1080i? Was there no 1080p master in japan?

[DukeTogo84]

Got my copy in.

Compared this to the DVD and I can say this easily looks much better than the Tokyo Shock DVD.

Could this look better? Yes. However, it's not one of the Tokyo Shock misfires, and again is a solid upgrade from the DVD for sure. So happy to retire my old copy.

[Shingster]

Originally Posted by PissedOffPeoN

Same :0 too bad it is in 1080i? Was there no 1080p master in japan?

This will probably end up being another Maborosi situation where the Japanese studio has a proper 1080p transfer and the resultant Jpn BD is 1080p whereas the US distributor has been fobbed off with a 1080i master.

[ghostface2012]

Just got my copy from Amazon.com to the UK. Have checked the disc and it appears to be region free. Checked on 2 multi-region players, plays on all regions (A,B & C), also checked on 2 region B locked players and a UK Xbox One.

[Blu2u]

The movie looks terrible. Compression and noise artifacts galore, all the more noticeable in any dark scenes. Day time scenes are more forgiving, but this looks more like a beta upscale than a DVD upscale. I'm hoping Arrow decides to upgrade this for the UK.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by Blu2u

The movie looks terrible. Compression and noise artifacts galore, all the more noticeable in any dark scenes. Day time scenes are more forgiving, but this looks more like a beta upscale than a DVD upscale. I'm hoping Arrow decides to upgrade this for the UK.

This blu-ray isn't going to win any awards. However, put in the Tokyo Shock DVD and compare it this new Blu-ray. It's literally night and day. Again, while this one won't win any awards, it's a HUGE improvement over the DVD. So that alone makes it worth the purchase.

[TheLaughingMann]

Finally had enough saved to order this.

While I thought the 2003 version was good in an over-the-top way, I've heard volumes spoken of the basis for that one in the form of the older movies. Bought the Criterion, then I realize this was out...and now I have the complete "classical" Zatoichi series.

[Grethiwha]

Originally Posted by TheLaughingMann

Finally had enough saved to order this.

While I thought the 2003 version was good in an over-the-top way, I've heard volumes spoken of the basis for that one in the form of the older movies. Bought the Criterion, then I realize this was out...and now I have the complete "classical" Zatoichi series.

Don't forget about the 100 television entries that came between the Criterion set and this movie.
Those'll set you back another seven or eight hundred bucks US for the DVDs, to own the complete Zatoichi series.

[Shingster]

I don't believe you can own the complete series anymore, can you? Aren't the Japanese DVDs OOP now? Did they ever get round to releasing the fourth season? Plus they didn't have English subs anyway did they?

[Bolo Seagull]

Finally got my copy and watched it. I agree, it looks pretty bad. Not in a terribly distracting way, but I know much better results are possible. Pity they didn't let the rights for this go to Criterion to include in their set.

That being said, I quite liked the movie.

The song in English sounds like it belongs in a Stallone movie or something. When that started playing, I cracked up a bit. But overall, the character updated well to the 80's stylings.

[Grethiwha]

Originally Posted by Shingster

I don't believe you can own the complete series anymore, can you? Aren't the Japanese DVDs OOP now? Did they ever get round to releasing the fourth season? Plus they didn't have English subs anyway did they?

Seasons 2-4 are available with English subtitles in insanely priced editions here: http://samuraidvd.com/zato-ichi/

Season 1 was the only one that got a "wide" release, available as two "collections" (or as a number of smaller "volumes") which are pretty easy to find (but maybe OOP now as the price has increased).

[Robojaws]

Originally Posted by Blu2u

The movie looks terrible. Compression and noise artifacts galore, all the more noticeable in any dark scenes. Day time scenes are more forgiving, but this looks more like a beta upscale than a DVD upscale. I'm hoping Arrow decides to upgrade this for the UK.

Got mine a while back now and watched it right away.
Yes, there are compression issues and noise artifacts as well as some scratches etc. and the 1080i are especially annoying when it comes to the subs where you can spot the interlacing every time a new line of subs appear or the old ones disappear.
BUT still, it´s sorta looking accepatble even when projected on a bigger screen. Close-Ups look quite good and offer some nice detail, colors are strong and not washed out, blacks tend to crush from time to time and sometimes seem to be a little weak; never really gets the job done. Daytime scenes are mostly surprisingly strong when compared to the worst night time scenes and even if the transfer lacks what one is used to in 2018 and the criterion/arrow remasters, this release is not a complete letdown.

Besides the "compression and noise artifacts galore" the PQ looks natural, definetely no DVD upscale (don´t know what a beta upscale supposed to be) and I could not spot any traces of DNR or Edge Enhancement.

I´d rate the PQ something between 2,5-3 out of 5. A professional remaster would work some wonders for sure and there is clearly room for improvement. But for the sake of having all them Zatoichi movies, I´d still recommend a purchase. Who knows... if this release gets sold out and no mayor studio gets the rights for a decent remaster, the blu-ray could spike to a ridiciously high price for anyone who wants its Zatoichi collection complete.

AQ was okay. But if I remember correctly there where some parts where some minor hissing occured. Not overly distracting, but it was there (pretty sure).

I´d rate the AQ something between 3-3,5 out of 5.

All in all things considered this release is quite far from being perfect and clearly not as strong as the Criterion releases, but still worth a purchase in my opinion.

[joekun]

Originally Posted by Grethiwha

Seasons 2-4 are available with English subtitles in insanely priced editions here: http://samuraidvd.com/zato-ichi/

You can get them a bit cheaper at http://www.japanesesamuraidvd.com/.s...0&go.y=0&go=go, but either way you go you are getting recompressed DVD 5s, unless they’ve changed since I looked into them.

[GRD43L]

Enjoyed watching this very much. It was my first Shintaro Katsu Zatoichi and look forward to buying the CC. I think this is much much better than the '03 Takeshi Kitano Zatoichi.

As for the visual noise, I watched on 4K TV with noise reduction and the TV did a great job in smoothing out about 80+% of the noise. Close ups and well lit scenes looked great.

Now having seen this, the '03 version seems cheap in comparison story wise. '03 is pretty much a copy of the '89.

Gangs? Check.
Helpless peasants? Check.
Women in trouble? Check.
Gambling? Check.
Modest meal time? Check.
Gang hires a kick-ass ronin? Check.
Said ronin is not as good as Zatoichi? Check.
Final showdown with gang? Check.
Everyone dies? Check.
Final showdown with the ronin? Check.
Zatoichi wins? Of course, otherwise the series ends here!

Still, enjoyed it.

[atamo]

Originally Posted by GRD43L

Now having seen this, the '03 version seems cheap in comparison story wise. '03 is pretty much a copy of the '89.

Gangs? Check.
Helpless peasants? Check.
Women in trouble? Check.
Gambling? Check.
Modest meal time? Check.
Gang hires a kick-ass ronin? Check.
Said ronin is not as good as Zatoichi? Check.
Final showdown with gang? Check.
Everyone dies? Check.
Final showdown with the ronin? Check.
Zatoichi wins? Of course, otherwise the series ends here!

Still, enjoyed it.

Well, if you're looking for original stories, don't get excited about the Criterion box set. Your checklist covers pretty much every Zatoichi film...

[Mr. Chaverria]

Originally Posted by GRD43L

Enjoyed watching this very much. It was my first Shintaro Katsu Zatoichi and look forward to buying the CC. I think this is much much better than the '03 Takeshi Kitano Zatoichi.

As for the visual noise, I watched on 4K TV with noise reduction and the TV did a great job in smoothing out about 80+% of the noise. Close ups and well lit scenes looked great.

Now having seen this, the '03 version seems cheap in comparison story wise. '03 is pretty much a copy of the '89.

Gangs? Check.
Helpless peasants? Check.
Women in trouble? Check.
Gambling? Check.
Modest meal time? Check.
Gang hires a kick-ass ronin? Check.
Said ronin is not as good as Zatoichi? Check.
Final showdown with gang? Check.
Everyone dies? Check.
Final showdown with the ronin? Check.
Zatoichi wins? Of course, otherwise the series ends here!

Still, enjoyed it.

Originally Posted by atamo

Well, if you're looking for original stories, don't get excited about the Criterion box set. Your checklist covers pretty much every Zatoichi film...

Yep. While the whole CC set is great. And the films are pretty good, some repeat themselves a bit more than others. They're all good but that checklist covers some films all too well several times over. At least they did it damn well enough that the quality overlooks the originality of it.

[PegasusKenshiro]

Originally Posted by Grethiwha

Seasons 2-4 are available with English subtitles in insanely priced editions here: https://samuraidvd.com/zato-ichi/

Season 1 was the only one that got a "wide" release, available as two "collections" (or as a number of smaller "volumes") which are pretty easy to find (but maybe OOP now as the price has increased).

No way in hell am I paying $200 for a damn bootleg. Might as well download it and burn it to DVDs yourself.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by PegasusKenshiro

No way in hell am I paying $200 for a damn bootleg. Might as well download it and burn it to DVDs yourself.

I honestly don't understand how this place is able to legally stay open. Some great films, but it's all burnt and they charge an arm and a leg for their stuff.

Reminds me when I go to Japan Town in SF. They have a ton of bootleg films on DVD for $29.99. Not only is it a bootleg, but it's $29.99?

[Vertigo2010]

Originally Posted by atamo

Well, if you're looking for original stories, don't get excited about the Criterion box set. Your checklist covers pretty much every Zatoichi film...

That is very true. For me at least, part of the draw and charm is just watching Shintaro Katsu do his stuff while interacting with an occasionally different cast.

[FilmKoala]

How quickly does Tokyo Shock stuff go OOP? I'm not even halfway through my boxset and so I don't want to spend money on something that's going to sit unwatched for years. But I'm scared that if I wait too long it'll go OOP and I'll be screwed.