NOTE: These Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

This is the another Arrow Blu-ray release that is being simultaneously released in both region 'A' (US) and 'B' (UK). It is the exact same package on both sides of the pond beyond minor cosmetic differences on the disc labels and sleeve to do with differing copyright info and barcodes, and the US release doesn't have BBFC logos.

NOTE: We call this region FREE . although technically it is region 'A' + 'B'. I've yet to see a region 'C'-locked Blu-ray so most will consider this region FREE.

Quite the package from Arrow. We reviewed the Home Vision (now defunct) DVD Boxset (now OOP) back in 2004. So we had captures to do comparisons with the new Arrow 1080P transfers. We should state that this is actually a 13-disc boxset - 6 Blu-rays and 7 DVDs - 'Dual Format' (with the DVD having the content as the BDs.) Arrow has done an amazing job with dual-layered transfers and max'ed out bitrates for the first 5 films. The 'Complete Saga' (edited amalgamation of the five films) has its own Blu-ray and the film itself is 3 3/4 hours and is, obviously, less-robust - still almost filling a full 50 Gig disc.

The appearance is, predictably, very thick and has the green cast often seen in Asian films. Skin tones, generally, cool to a more natural appearance in the higher resolution, we also see more information in the frame - notably on the top edge (sometimes less on the left edge) - and the overall impression is far more film-like than the vertically stretched SDs. I am confident to think it looks as good as it every will on digital - very heavy, foreboding, often dark and with dense, drab, greens and grays.

All audio transfers use a linear PCM mono. It can sound bit erratic at times - occasionally ultra scratchy openings and I'm sure this is reflective of the condition of the sources, but Arrow stay accurate with the flat, mono tracks via the uncompressed renderings. Score for all five films are by Toshiaki Tsushima (Three Outlaw Samurai, Sword of the Beast, The Green Slime) and obviously The Complete Saga among others) and the explosive energy suits the genre very well. The quality is imperfect but adds flavor to the film's charisma and frequent aggression. There are optional English subtitles and, as stated, the 6 Blu-ray discs are region 'A' + 'B'.

Arrow, as usual, stack their packages with excellent in-house produced, supplements including, on the first disc - Battles Without Honor and Humanity, a new audio commentary by critic and author Stuart Galbraith IV filling in many details of Kinji Fukasaku's efforts to grind these out ats a steady pace as well as the massive impact on Japanese culture at the time, the violence and much more. It's a good listen! Also on the first Blu-ray disc is Yakuza Graveyard - a 10-minute new interview with Takashi Miike about Kinji Fukasaku,t he yakuza film genre and the director's generation of filmmakers - filmed by Arrow in March 2015. There is also an original, 3-minute, trailer for the first film. On Hiroshima Death Match (one of the best films in the series) we get an 11-minute piece entitled Man of Action - which is a new interview with series fight choreographer Ryuzo Ueno shot exclusively for Arrow in Kyoto in April 2015. This disc also contains the film's trailer. The Proxy War (3rd Blu-ray disc) has Secrets of the Piranha Army a new, 36-minute, documentary about the troupe of supporting actors who appeared throughout the series, featuring interviews with original Piranha members Masaru Shiga and Takashi Noguchi, plus second-generation Piranha, Takashi Nishina and Akira Murota. It's excellent and like all extras is in Japanese with English subtitles. There is also a new interview, entitled Tales of a Bit Player, with supporting actor and stuntman Seizo Fukumoto discussing his work in the series and his career for almost 11-minutes. Another trailer is tacked on to this Blu-ray disc. Police Tactics - the fourth disc - offers Remembering Kinji a new, 18-minute, featurette about director Kinji Fukasaku and his work, featuring interviews with Kenta Fukasaku and film critic and Fukasaku biographer Sadao Yamane plus the 16-minute Fukasaku Family a new interview with Proxy War and Police Tactics assistant director Toru Dobashi- as well as a trailer for the film. The Final Episode disc has the 19-minute Last Days of the Boss - a new, informative, interview with Final Episode screenwriter Koji Takada plus a gallery of posters for the series as well as the original trailer. The final Blu-ray only offers the film and a 3-minute introduction by by Complete Saga editorial supervisor Toru Dobashi. The package offers reversible sleeves for all five films including original and newly commissioned artwork by Reinhard Kleist and a beautifully bound 152-page hardback book featuring writing on the history of the yakuza film genre, including a newly-reprinted and fully annotated edition of Paul Schrader's classic 1974 Film Comment essay Yakuza-Eiga: A Primer, a new, exclusive English translation of screenwriter Kazuo Kasahara s 1974 Scenario magazine essay on his writing process for the first four films, as well as new essays and interviews from Chris D., Grady Hendrix, Patrick Macias, Tom Mes, Mark Schilling, and Jasper Sharp. Wow.

So the question is, how are Arrow continuing to bring these great boxsets out? Are they working around the clock? While these films are memorable from when I saw them on DVD more than a decade ago - this new HD transfer brings out the best in the presentations and film experiences. These jam you into the mood quickly and then you will rifle through them - once you pick up the scent. Masterful, shocking and totally addictive. Each side of the pond gets only 2500 units released so, if you are at all interested, I wouldn't wait. This is exactly the type of thing that will go out-of-print and start fetching outrageous bucks in 3rd-party auctions. Our highest recommendation and it will surely get top-level votes in our year-end poll!   

Gary W. Tooze