Asian Cinema Thread

Jon O Fun said:
I've heard VERY good things about Mermaid Legend and was 100% expecting 88 films to get it after they did Evil Dead Trap.
I'm sure third window will do a great release though!

On a side not they did also say these will be available on Amazon at some point so maybe that signals an Arrow return there as well?
(I'm sure their sales have taken a MASSIVE hit since departing)
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Yes, I think Mermaid Legend is the stand out title in this set of releases. I will probably end up getting all three still.

I heard this too. It'll be nice to have TWF back on Amazon. Not sure about Arrow coming back though.
 
Spotted on Amazon Prime that Baby Assassins is available on 'Channel 101' run by 101 Films.

Guess we can count that out of ever getting a blu ray release as 101 tend to sit on their Asian films (like Bad City & Gareth Evens' Merantau).
 
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www.criterion.com

Godzilla vs. Biollante

Diving into delirious realms of imagination, this second film of the Godzilla franchise’s 1980s resurgence showcased the towering beast for a new generation of fans. This time, Godzilla’s foe is one of the series’ most wondrously strange kaiju creations: Biollante—a mutant plant genetically...
www.criterion.com www.criterion.com

Criterion are releasing Godzilla vs Biollante in North America, hopefully it will carry over to the UK like their other Godzilla releases. One to keep an eye on
 
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88Films are releasing Miracles on 4K and Pinocchio 964 on BD as part of their Japanarchy line. I’m curious as to why they didn’t opt for a 4K release of the latter, as Media Blasters are planning do one for the US market. Will have to see how transfers stack up.
 
HWR said:
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88Films are releasing Miracles on 4K and Pinocchio 964 on BD as part of their Japanarchy line. I’m curious as to why they didn’t opt for a 4K release of the latter, as Media Blasters are planning do one for the US market. Will have to see how transfers stack up.
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I'd guess the lack of 4K for Pinocchio in the UK is purely down to the cost and demand.

No way they'd recoupe the cost of producing it. 4K is way more expensive, maybe if they'd got US rights as well but as you say they'd already gone.

TBH films like that really don't need a 4K, it's supposed to be grimey and gritty.
Same reason something like Blair Witch never needs a 4K.
 
That would make sense - I’ll likely pick up the 88Films release to support them, especially as I want more Japanarchy titles (though some are absolute pipe dreams where the BBFC are concerned.)
 
HWR said:
That would make sense - I’ll likely pick up the 88Films release to support them, especially as I want more Japanarchy titles (though some are absolute pipe dreams where the BBFC are concerned.)
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We can all still hold out hope for 'Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead'.

There was recently a leak of a foreign Ichi The Killer 4K with most sites saying "someone" has the English license but they're not saying who.
Again one of those I'd ask does it need a 4K? Probably not, blu ray would be more than enough.
But if any Japanarchy release has the selling power to get a 4K its probably Ichi.
(Whether the BBFC would agree is a different story)
 
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Ichi would be a must-buy as the only BD release I have isn’t good at all. What interests me is how far 88Films would be willing to take the sub-label, as there are certain franchises and films I imagine might be too difficult to put out.
 
HWR said:
Ichi would be a must-buy as the only BD release I have isn’t good at all. What interests me is how far 88Films would be willing to take the sub-label, as there are certain franchises and films I imagine might be too difficult to put out.
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The Nikkatsu label I wasn't sure about but after seeing their latest picks for 2025 I want to look into those four new releases, hopefully I'm not too late.

I reckon Ichi the Killer should be fine uncut nowadays given the amount of titles that have managed to breakthrough without issue as of late. If 88 Films did get their hands on it then they should bundle the Episode 0 anime OVA also, though I do think the film as a whole is more in line with Arrow Video than 88 Films come to think of it.
 
I’d be curious to see if they’d ever be able to (or want to) give the Guinea Pig franchise a home release for the Japanarchy label, as the old DVDs are long OOP now. Might be a difficult one to get past the BBFC on, though.
 
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