Nobuhiko Obayashi's Anti-War Trilogy Blu-ray

This set makes up a great look into Nobuhiko Obayashi's late-career digital films. Most viewers will probably be most familiar with Obayashi's "House" from 1977, and for anyone expecting more of that, probably try looking more at Obayashi's 80s works. This anti-war trilogy of films is just as visually experimental and unusually edited, but the results are very far apart. These films tackle very serious topics and are all quite lengthy, but they also feel very quick due to the ever moving camera and ridiculous green screen effects. Casting Blossoms to the Sky is a wonderful sort of fiction/essay film combo that might just be the best anti-war film of all time, while Hanagatami is a fantastic (although very odd) drama. Seven Weeks feels like the weaker link in the trilogy and is more of a straight-forward drama that just happens to have very fast editing and odd green screen effects.

Fans of Japanese cinema should all be able to recite the famed directors of legend, Kurosawa, Ozu, Teruo Ishii, Sion Sono, Takeshi Miike; the list goes on. But fewer will be familiar with one of the most profound directors of the modern era, that being Nobuhiko Obayashi! With this wonderful collection by Third Window Films, we get three of the more modern pictures from Obayashi. Not only is this VERY limited (1500 copies worldwide) it is one of the best presented digipaks I have come across. The fold out case is brimming with colourful imagery that truly encapsulates the filmmaker's taste for art and flamboyance, but also hints at the soulful stories that he is telling with these films. These films are poignant, somewhat harrowing tales of civilian life during some of the darkest days in modern Japanese history. If you are a fan of works such as "Sansho the Bailiff "and the heartbreaking "Hiroshima", then you owe it to yourself to pick up this wonderful set whilst you cant. At any price, this is a wonderful addition to any Japanese cinema fan's shelf. 9/10