Review by Leonard Norwitz
Studio:
Theatrical: Toho, NTV, Shogakukan, et al
Blu-ray: Kam & Ronson (HK)
Region: A-locked!
(as verified by the
Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player)
Runtime: 2:20:24.416
Disc Size: 43,313,105,282 bytes
Feature Size: 42,820,638,720 bytes
Video Bitrate: 28.54 Mbps
Chapters: 26
Case: Standard Blu-ray case
Release date:
September 18th, 2009
Video:
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio:
LPCM Audio Japanese 6144 kbps 7.1 / 48 kHz / 6144 kbps /
16-bit
DTS-HD Master Audio Japanese 2438 kbps 7.1 / 48 kHz / 2438
kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Dolby Digital EX Audio Chinese 640 kbps 5.1-EX / 48 kHz /
640 kbps
Dolby Digital EX Audio Japanese 640 kbps 5.1-EX / 48 kHz /
640 kbps
Subtitles:
English, Chinese (traditional and simplified), none
Extras:
• Trailer in SD
The Film:
The epic Japanese “20th Century Boys” trilogy, based upon
the hugely popular manga by Urasawa Naoki, continues with
its second instalment, “The Last Hope”. Director Tsutsumi
Yukihiko (“2LDK” and “Forbidden Siren”) returns to continue
the sprawling tale, with the action again leaping around
between different decades and generations, following the
characters as they try to prevent the impending self
prophesised apocalypse. With the original cast reprising
their roles and with even more special effects and grand
narrative adventure, the film was unsurprisingly another box
office hit on its domestic release, leaving fans even more
excited for the final chapter.
The film begins in 2015, with the events which took place at
the end of the first film now being referred to as ‘Bloody
New Years Eve’ and with the mysterious Friend having
expanded his influence and empire. Most of the characters
from the first film have been branded terrorists and have
either disappeared or are in prison, with the fate of Kenji
Endo (Casshern’s Karasawa Toshiaki) being unknown. The film
basically revolves around his niece Kanna (Taira Airi, from
“Arch Angels”), a student who works in a Chinese restaurant
in her spare time, while threatening to follow in her
rebellious uncle’s footsteps. Determined to clear Kenji’s
name, she enlists in the creepy ‘Friend Land’ indoctrination
program to try and uncover the face behind his mask. At the
same time, the New Book of Prophecies’ foretells that a
saviour will arise at a church in Shinjuku, only to be
struck down by an assassin, a message which Friend is only
too willing to kill to keep secret. Meanwhile, Occho (Toyokawa
Etsushi, “The Great Yokai War”) escapes from prison and
rejoins the other fugitives, planning to stop Friend by any
means necessary.
Excerpt of review from Beyond Hollywood located HERE
The Movie: 7
I rather enjoyed the movie, what I could see of it – a tacky
remark, perhaps, but at a subjective level, not far from the
mark. This, even with only reading up on reviews of Chapter
1, which I am now determined to consume, if only on DVD.
Chapter 1 / Backstory (Twitch located
HERE):
20th Century Boys centers around normal, average guy Kenji [Casshern's
Toshiaki Karasawa], who has turned into a mere shadow of his
rebellious, determined childhood self. He runs a failing
convenience Store [the backbone of Japanese Society surely]
with his battleaxe of a mother and a part time employee with
a disastrous inflection. His life is boring and simple, even
his sister has run away, leaving him to care for her baby,
Kanna.
Everything changes when he goes to a School Reunion and
awkwardly meets his friends from the good ol' days of 1973,
when rock is revolutionary and 'things mattered'. While
nostalgia should be setting in, Kenji gets involved in a
conversation about a certain new 'religious' group that
people are flocking to. Not just that, but a killer virus
has been sweeping the globe, wiping out all who come into
contact with it. Disillusioned, Kenji thinks nothing of it
until he discovers that this new religion, calling itself
the 'Friend Group' is using the exact same symbol he and his
childhood mates used back in the day when they swore to
'Protect The World'. In fact, this group and their leader
'Friend' seem to be enacting every single idea he and his
friends though of when they were younger. Such horrible,
deadly things they thought of...
Soon, Kenji and everyone he loves must join together and
fight to save the world before 01/01/2000.
- Brad Wilson
Image:
4/7
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were ripped directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
The first number indicates a relative level of excellence
compared to other Blu-ray video discs on a ten-point scale.
The second number places this image along the full range of
DVD and Blu-ray discs.
For a movie rooted in manga and realized, we would have
assumed, with high tech special effects it comes as a great
disappointment that the image is so poor. Soft, thin and
mushy – we've all seen better on DVD from any number of
sources. Alas, what I don't know is how the movie looked in
theatres or how it fares on Japanese Blu-ray. The latter is
moot for non-Japanese speakers since, to my knowledge, the
Japanese edition has no subtitles other than Japanese.
Examine any of the captures derived directly off the Blu-ray
– even at full resolution, they are mind-bogglingly weak.
Though the movie's lighting tends to be dark, and might have
in some cases played a role in an apparent lack of
definition, it is no darker than much of Showtime's The
Tudors, which does not lack for sharpness for all its dim
lighting. (The subtitles, by the way, are clear as can be.)
The only saving grace is that there appears to be no noise
or other pesky digital manipulations to speak of beyond what
the movie's curiously underwelming CG calls for.
This Blu-ray is one of those occasional examples where bit
rate is most unhelpful: hovering right around 30 Mbps,
leaving scarcely enough headroom on a 50 GB disc for its
various audio tracks and what little there is in the way of
extra features. Unless, OMG, if what Kam & Ronson has given
us is a faithful rendering.
CLICK EACH
BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio & Music:
9/8
The Audio fares much better. Much. The immersive sense of
space, the seamless blending of the varied music sources
into the soundstage, and localized placement of effects -
small arms fire, the clamor and murmur of groups of people,
indoors and out, audio cues from adjacent rooms, near and
far traffic sounds, and vehicular and glass crashes make for
an enhanced viewing experience – or would be if weren't for
the pisspoor image. The one is completely at odds with the
other. I should note that the popping sound reported by
Gerard Magnier in the AVForums did not occur in my viewing
experience – either in passing or deliberately cued by
pause/play. Take this as you will.
Operations:
2
The low score is only because the English language subtitles
are shared with Chinese, which takes up a not inconsiderable
amount of the frame. To those of us who have no
understanding of Chinese characters, the distraction is
purely a spatial one, - having no meaning, they come to be
ignored fairly quickly. But the sense of placing them
together escapes me.
Extras:
1
Here it comes: a couple of trailers in standard definition
for the feature film and the final "Chapter 3." And since
YesAsia observes a similar lack for the K&R Blu-ray of
Chapter 1, I should give this title minus points for having
no background material – nothing on the series, or for the
manga, nothing, zip. The Japanese Blu-ray for Chapter 1 and
the Complete Edition appears to include a Making-of feature
at the very least
HERE.
Bottom line:
4
Unless you view this on a smallish display of less than 40
inches, this Blu-ray is likely to be tough going. The plot
is complex enough – and largely dependent on knowledge of
"Chapter 1" and/or the manga itself - without our having to
strain to make out the image. The only thing this Blu-ray
has going for it is its English subtitles, such as they are.
If the Japanese edition turns out to be just as fuzzy, my
recommendation would be the same. An alternative strategy is
to pick up the DVD of Chapter 1 at
Amazon.co.uk. It’s only GPD 6.98
HERE
and includes supplements and a booklet! It’s not that I am
that big on bonus features, but in this case, every little
bit helps, and it’s a cheap way to find out if you are going
to like the series. Since the trilogy did have a brief run
in the U.S. distributed by VIZ Media, the same people who
publish the English language version of the manga, we can
expect to see a North American video release eventually. But
even then, what it will look like is anyone’s guess.
Leonard Norwitz
December 7th, 2009
