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

ADDITION: Third Window Blu-ray (January 2027): Third Window have transferred four films by Takashi Ishii to Blu-ray entitled 4 Tales of Nami. The films are Original Sin (1992), A Night in Nude (1993), Angel Guts: Red Flash (1994) and Alone in the Night (1994.) These 1080P transfers are all in 1.85:1 aspect ratio and showcase new HD masters with consistent, filmic quality, damage + artifact free, and plenty of textured grain. The 1990s film stock introduces some inherent softness, particularly in night scenes across the collection but these looks very 'true' to me with consistent HD presentations. Alone in the Night features clear daylight sequences but softer contrast and limited shadow detail in darker moments, evoking its melancholic blue hues effectively; Angel Guts: Red Flash offers a fair, well-defined image with steady colors that support its psychological intensity; A Night in Nude stands out with an excellent, organic grain and aesthetic softness that enhances its noir atmosphere and urban intimacy; while Original Sin appears clear yet mildly soft, allowing its subtle cinematography and emotional compositions to shine through with impact, resulting in an overall agreeable and restored viewing experience that respects Ishii's stylized visuals without pushing modern HD boundaries.  Aside from a handful of very dark scenes (which I presume to be accurate and fitting the tone of the films) I had zero issues with these in term of video.

NOTE: We have added 238 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-rays, Third Window offers each film equipped with DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel Japanese tracks delivering clear and functional audio that prioritizes dialogue and ambient subtlety to complement Ishii's intimate narratives, with no major distortions but occasional minor issues in higher frequencies. Alone in the Night provides front-focused stereo with spatial elements, though sibilant syllables show slight distortion; Angel Guts: Red Flash maintains clear dialogue and a decently immersive soundstage that enhances its slasher-like twists; A Night in Nude represents action and eclectic, sparse music cues well, serving the story's wit and moral ambiguity; and Original Sin keeps dialogue consistently audible throughout, ensuring the emotional layers resonate without elaborate effects, making the audio uniformly reliable for these character-driven erotic thrillers. Takashi Ishii's "4 Tales of Nami" films share a consistent musical collaborator in composer Goro Yasukawa (Flower and Snake, Gonin 2,) whose scores enhance the atmospheric noir elements with sparse, eclectic cues that underscore themes of isolation, desire, and trauma without overpowering the intimate narratives. In Original Sin (1992), Yasukawa's minimalist, jazz-inflected moody tones ooze melancholy, amplifying the film's tragic eroticism and subtle emotional depths. A Night in Nude (1993) features his eclectic, understated music that punctuates absurd vignettes and moral ambiguity, blending tension with sly wit in key moments. For Angel Guts: Red Flash (1994), the score turns creepy and foreboding, evoking pure evil during disturbing scenes like the rape tape viewing, heightening psychological unease. Alone in the Night (1994) benefits from a haunting, evocative soundtrack that complements the stark staging and emotional desolation, shifting from subtle ambiance to intense dread. Overall, Yasukawa's work unifies the set through restrained yet impactful scoring, evolving from moody jazz in earlier entries to more sinister tones in later ones, perfectly suiting Ishii's character-driven style. Third Window offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-rays.

On Third Window's first Blu-ray (Alone in the Night) we have an audio commentary by Samm Deighan (The Legacy of World War II in European Arthouse Cinema,) a film historian and critic known for her work on genre cinema, who contextualizes the movie within late-20th-century Japanese filmmaking trends, explores the challenges of fitting it into conventional genres, and ultimately frames it as a poetic examination of grief, isolation, and emotional desolation while providing in-depth filmographies for the principal cast members like Yui Natsukawa and Jinpachi Nezu, alongside references to obscure related films that enrich the discussion even if they're hard to access, leaning more toward informative background than deep scene-by-scene analysis; a new 17-minute interview with cinematographer Yasushi Sasakibara (Alone in the Night, A Night in Nude, Original Sin, Violent Cop, Angel Guts 5: Red Vertigo), offering fresh insights into the film's visual style, lighting choices, and how the predominant blue tones were used to evoke melancholy and character introspection during the rapid 10-day shoot shared with Angel Guts: Red Flash; and archival interviews with director Takashi Ishii (shy of a dozen minutes), where he likely discusses his inspirations from manga origins and his approach to blending yakuza elements with personal trauma narratives, actor Jinpachi Nezu (1/4 hour), delving into his portrayal of the conflicted yakuza lieutenant Muraki and the emotional layers of vulnerability beneath the genre archetypes, and producer Yu Okada (6.5 minutes,) covering production challenges, funding from Ishii's own resources, and the logistical feats of back-to-back filming in a post-bubble economic landscape; Blu-ray 2 (Angel Guts: Red Flash) includes Jasper Sharp's audio commentary, a well-researched and captivating track from the noted Japanese cinema expert and author of books like "Behind the Pink Curtain: The Complete History of Japanese Sex Cinema," and "The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film" which thoroughly examines the film's subversion of pinku eiga tropes, its psychological depth in handling trauma and repressed memories, and connections to Ishii's broader Angel Guts manga adaptations while highlighting non-exploitative handling of sensitive themes; an archival Ishii interview (over 1/2 hour), the longest in the set, probably expanding on his adaptation process from manga to screen, the integration of slasher elements with emotional realism, and his intent to prioritize character psychology over sensationalism in this convoluted mystery; and Matthew Carter's (Myth of the Western: New Perspectives on Hollywood’s Frontier Narrative) video essay "The Many Faces of Nami" (over 1/4 hour), a scholarly visual piece that juxtaposes manga frames from Ishii's original works with corresponding film sequences to trace the evolution of the Nami archetype across his oeuvre, emphasizing her recurring motifs of trauma, sexuality, alienation, and resilience, with particular focus on her depictions in the Angel Guts series and how she embodies societal critiques in post-bubble Japan; Blu-ray 3 (A Night in Nude) offers Frankie Balboa's audio commentary, an engaging breakdown from the film enthusiast and podcaster that situates the movie amid late-1980s mainstream thrillers, draws parallels to Ishii's other films like Gonin, clarifies cultural terms such as "top-bottom-chick" (translating to high-class elements in underworld slang,) explores the manga-to-film composition techniques, addresses socio-economic references to post-war Japan's struggles, and unpacks the film's subtle metaphysical and supernatural undertones in its poetic conclusion; archival interviews with Ishii (7 minutes), touching on the episodic structure and blending of noir intrigue with absurd humor; actors Kippei Shiina (dozen minutes), discussing his role as the volatile yakuza partner Sendo and the balance of pathos with aggression, and 1/4 hour with Naoto Takenaka (Night in Nude: Salvation,) elaborating on his lead performance as the everyman fixer Jiro, his arc from passivity to protectiveness, and the comedic vignettes; 6-minute with producer Okada (also writer on Branded to Kill and 'planner' on Woods Are Wet: Woman Hell,) recounting the ensemble-driven production and thematic focus on moral ambiguity; and a theatrical trailer that teases the film's urban wanderings, yakuza entanglements, and sensual undertones; while Blu-ray 4 (Original Sin) provides archival interviews with Ishii (shy of a dozen minutes), reflecting on adapting Bo Nishimura's novel into a "pink noir" hybrid inspired by James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice, emphasizing emotional tragedy over thriller conventions; 7-minutes with actress Shinobu Otake (Railroad Man,) sharing her experiences portraying Nami's conflicted desires and divided affections in this early entry; and Okada again (7.5 minutes), detailing the project's origins as Ishii's directorial blueprint for the Nami series; plus a theatrical trailer highlighting the affair's steamy escalation and murderous plot, and a teaser offering a brief, atmospheric glimpse into the film's melancholic tone, collectively providing a robust package of contextual material for fans and newcomers alike, enhanced by the set's accompanying booklet from Jasper Sharp, a dense essay exploring Ishii's underrated career, the Nami character's symbolic depth, and the films' place in Japanese cult cinema.

Takashi Ishii's "4 Tales of Nami" emerges as a compelling Blu-ray collection from Third Window Films, uniting four erotic-neo-noir thrillers from 1992-1994 that transcend typical lurid expectations through profound character studies, atmospheric suspense, and explorations of trauma and desire in post-bubble Japan, with A Night in Nude shining as the standout for its wit and intimacy, Alone in the Night impressing as a character-driven revenge tale, Angel Guts: Red Flash offering psychological depth despite some clichés, and Original Sin serving as a poignant yet trope-heavy blueprint. Key themes include the lingering ghosts of trauma, how past events shape present emotions and relationships, and the ambiguous horror of sexual assault - portrayed not for titillation but to question the tawdriness of simulated violence in media. Character-wise, Nami's prominence varies - central in Alone, Red Flash, and Original Sin, but backseat in Nude - yet she consistently catalyzes male figures like Muraki (recurring in multiple) or Jiro, highlighting Ishii's focus on interpersonal dynamics over solitary heroes. Thematically, the films examine entrapment and the desperate bid for freedom from trauma, portraying yakuza life as depressingly inhumane and pathetic - aggression undercut by absurdism, like Jiro's comedic chase with a foul-smelling suitcase. It highlights moral murkiness, human motivations in a nihilistic world, and the ripple effects of crime on ordinary lives, blending violence with sly wit. Overall, Ishii's underrated directorial voice transforms thriller neo-noir into profound character studies, underscoring human fragility in a stylized, brutal world. Across the "4 Tales of Nami" films, Ishii employs Nami as a recurring archetype embodying trauma, sexuality, alienation, and emotional isolation, connecting the stories spiritually rather than narratively - each inhabits the same morally ambiguous, post-bubble Japan where dark desires overwhelm individuals amid societal and political decay. Third Window's solid, dual-layered, Blu-ray restorations, reliable audio, and generous extras - including commentaries, interviews, and a Jasper Sharp booklet - make this 2000-LE-copy digipack a worthwhile acquisition for enthusiasts of Japanese cult cinema, delivering surprising emotional resonance and stylistic flair that elevates the set beyond genre confines, though it won't appeal to those seeking pure exploitation. Certainly sharing DNA, although more refined and artistic, with V-cinema I found these very entertaining. Absolutely recommended. 

Gary Tooze