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

ADDITION: Arrow Blu-ray (May 2021): Arrow have transferred Yasuzô Masumura's Giants and Toys to Blu-ray. The 1080P image quality is remarkable for its heavy grain and depth of colors. It looks impressive and film-like in its 2.35:1 aspect ratio. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. The HD presentation seems wonderfully authentic supporting the film with a high degree of heavy, clean, consistent visuals with no untoward compression. It's at Arrow's usual high-caliber status. Marvelous.

NOTE: We have added 38 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Arrow use a DTS-HD Master mono track (24-bit) in the original Japanese language. It is at the limitations of the original production but dialogue and minor effects some through as clean and competent as the image. The score is by Tetsuo Tsukahara (Hell's Assassin), sounding supportive of the film, if unremarkable in the narrative. It has authentically modest depth and Arrow offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Arrow Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Japanese cinema scholar Irene González-López. She offers one of the most in-depth, through, commentaries I can recall. If you thought was a simple comedy - she uncovers discrete themes and details of motifs that would have been oblivious to me regarding Godard and the inner meaning of the corporate failings that film is addressing. She quotes from a book The World of Director Yasuzô Masumura (Japanese-only at present.) She has as slight accent but her comments are all discernable and she is an expert of her topic. Incredibly impressive. There is also a newly filmed 10-minute introduction by Japanese cinema expert Tony Rayns. He is always great to absorb. There is also a 20-minute visual essay by Asian cinema scholar Earl Jackson entitled In the Realm of the Publicists. Lastly are an image gallery and trailer plus the package has a reversible sleeve (see below) featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella and the first pressing purchasers get an illustrated collectors' booklet featuring new writing by Michael Raine.  

Yasuzô Masumura's Giants and Toys represents his first collaboration with the writer Yoshio Shirasaka. It's a marvelously deep satire evoking the work of Frank Tashlin taking a prescient look at advertising and its eventual moral devolution. The Arrow Blu-ray with its revealing commentary and top-shelf a/v is excellent. A great film looked analyzing its unspoken subtext explored by Irene González-López, Tony Rayns and Earl Jackson. Best not to judge by the surface plot or title. It is a unique and fascinating film experience thankfully exposed to exquisite 1080 by Arrow. Strongly recommended! 

Gary Tooze