The home video release has a great selection of featurettes which not only goes behind the scenes but also gets you in the mood to see the film again! Even better are the live performances of nearly half the soundtrack!
Defining On-Gaku: Our Sound will not be easy. We hear a cacophony of musical genres, and not all of them are mainstream. Perhaps it’s because Writer/Director Kenji Iwaisawa was very DIY in his approach. He went old school (hand-drawn) to craft this unique film, and his art style is very non-traditional. We don’t get the wide-eyed manga work. Instead, it’s a mix of Constructivism, Minimalism and maybe Dada. The way he draws his character’s eyes tells all here, and the fisheye look gives his character designs a quality which is very hypnotic.
I particularly like the fluidity found when rotoscoping frames of a film camera onto paper. I’m fairly certain Dire Straits music video “Money for Nothing” is an influence and instead of being very artsy, the technique is more earthy and subdued.
The home video release has a great selection of featurettes which not only goes behind the scenes but also gets you in the mood to see the film again! Even better are the live performances of nearly half the soundtrack!
WELL GO USA Physical/VOD/Digital
Release Date: March 2, 2021
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Anyone who missed out in seeing Crazy Samurai Musashi at film festivals can now see it on streaming or on home video! This film has been renamed though, and anyone feeling confused at why Crazy Samurai: 400 vs 1 is used for the Well GO USA release is best to ask this company.
Perhaps it’s to ideally identify what this movie is about. It’s a one take slug-fest of one man versus an entire village. Although this company doesn’t always offer extras in every Asian cinema release, this work is one I wished it had additional material from the Japanese physical media release.
I’d love to see what was needed to prepare for filming this movie in one long take. There’s hardly time to breathe given the amount of battles Musashi (Tak Sakaguchi) have to endure. Yuji Shimomura’s film is unique such that he has to coordinate everything through walkie-talkie and hidden headphones. The Japanese home video release offers more and can be purchased through YesAsia, This edition includes a bonus DVD of special features including making-of, audienceless event, first day press meet and trailer.
Besides the usual package of added material–two new shorts, the gag reel and director’s commentary–there’s deleted scenes (seven pieces in all, and one is a variant of another), a “family album” introducing the characters and the performers providing their voices, the “Evolution of” segment showing how the film was put together, along with four activities–how to draw the Croods and how to make some foods featured.
Fans of The Croods will definitely have a better appreciation with the new film after checking out the bonus material in the home video release. Even a greater respect is earned after seeing how much time was spent on story development. Joel Crawford and the writing team certainly struggled to figure a balance between the picturesque wonder that makes up this newly expanded universe, and a sequel worthy tale
The finale is established when Eep leaves the nest for good to create a family of her own with Guy. Part two is about the obstacles they face, including testing whether this teenage romance is just that, or can it be more?
Besides the usual package of added material–two new shorts, the gag reel and director’s commentary–there’s deleted scenes (seven pieces in all, and one is a variant of another), a “family album” introducing the characters and the performers providing their voices, the “Evolution of” segment showing how the film was put together, and with four how to activities for kids to do with parents. They include how to draw the Croods and how to make a few tasty delights featured in the film.
This release is far better than the first one. I bought the Walmart variant which came with a Belt stuffed doll. No Sash is spotted yet, but hopefully a future package will offer the two sloths together. This second film has an exclusive which isn’t as exciting–a puzzle and water bottle. At least Target is offering a variant which includes an art book since no official one is being offered when compared to the first film’s colourful tome which is now out of print.
Not to be forgotten in this release is an original animated piece, To: Gerard, which not everyone will take note of. DreamWorks shows they are able to create that PIXAR level magic. This short about an elderly man using the power of magic to brighten the day of a young girl is particularly enchanting (pardoning the pun).
The 70s is alive and well in Batman: Soul of the Dragon. This animated film is an original tale and thankfully, it doesn’t take any notes from the campy and beloved 60s television show. Instead, its influence is straight out of many James Bond and Bruce Lee films. This aspect is enjoyable to see. Even rarer to see is Wayne not as the feared hero with a cape. He’s got the skills but not the experience in this outing!
Amano has powers given to her by the almighty graces of Amaterasu. Very few people know she can manipulate the weather—an ability granted to her because of a wish—and it comes at a cost…
The anime Weathering with You (天気の子) is more than just a movie about climate change. It’s also about relationships and how people handle crises. Here, Hodaka Morishima (Kotaro Daigo) is not happy with his life and runs away from home. He believes he can do better by himself in Tokyo. However, with no valid credentials, nobody will hire him.
A chance encounter with Hina Amano (Nana Mori) turns out to be the best thing to happen for the lad. The two develop feelings and pretty soon a lot of obstacles get in their way to happiness. One of them includes the fact both are orphans and it doesn’t take very long for social services to catch up to them!
Hinako (Rina Kawaei) is a charming young lady in Ride Your Wave. After moving to a small beach-side town to attend a local college, she thinks life will be easy. However, to go surfin’ every day and be carefree will not cut it in this modern age. The Beach Boys song may have been an influence in the design of this anime, because she meets a charming and soft-spoken firefighter, Minato (Ryota Katayose), to whom she falls in love with.
However, to date individuals in a hazardous line of work is not without caveats. Every time he’s out on the job, it’s possible he may not come home. In the most cliche ridden moment, he dies rescuing a jet skier in a dark and stormy night.
This anime is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Its colour palette is important to note, and the art style is very Impressionistic. It’s a cute Shōjo tale for much of the first act. To see her experience joy is sweet; to see her heartbreak is painful. But to see the spirit of her beau in random bodies of water, she soon questions why he’s not ready to move on.
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