The Daimajin Trilogy (Limited Edition) – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1966 (Daimajin, Return of Daimajin, Wrath of Daimajin)
Directors: Kimiyoshi Yasuda (Daimajin), Kenji Misumi (Return of Daimajin), Kazuo Mori (Wrath of Daimajin)
Cast: Miwa Takada, Yoshihiko Aoyama, Jun Fujimaki, Ryûtarô Gomi, Ryûzô Shimada, Tatsuo Endô, Shôsaku Sugiyama, Saburô Date (Daimajin), Kôjirô Hongô, Shiho Fujimura, Tarô Marui, Takashi Kanda (Return of Daimajin), Hideki Ninomiya, Shinji Hori, Masahide Iizuka, Muneyuki Nagatomo, Junichiro Yamashita, Tôru Abe, Takashi Nakamura, Hiroshi Nawa, Tanie Kitabayashi (Wrath of Daimajin)

Release Date: July 26th, 2021 (UK), August 3rd, 2021 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 83 Minutes 46 Seconds (Daimajin), 78 Minutes 56 Seconds (Return of Daimajin), 87 Minutes 18 Seconds (Wrath of Daimajin)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese, LPCM Mono English (Daimajin), DTS-HD Mono Japanese, DTS-HD Mono English (Return of Daimajin, Wrath of Daimajin)
Subtitles: English, English SDH (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £59.99 (UK), $99.95 (USA)

"In Daimajin, directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda (Yokai Monsters, Zatoichi on the Road), the young son and daughter of the benevolent feudal lord Hanabusa flee to the mountains when their parents are slain by the treacherous usurper Odate. Ten years later, when the elderly priestess who has harboured them is also murdered, the rage of the slumbering ancient god that lies beneath the crumbling giant stone idol hidden deep in the forests in the mountains is invoked.

In Return of Daimajin, Kenji Misumi (Tale of Zatoichi, Lone Wolf and Cub) brings his usual stylistic flourish, as the wrathful deity is roused from his new home on an island in the middle of a lake by the violent incursions of a vicious warlord.

In the final film, Wrath of Daimajin, by veteran jidaigeki director Kazuo Mori, four young boys make a perilous trip to elicit the help of the ancient mountain god in freeing their family members who have been enslaved by a tyrannical lord." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5 (Daimajin, Wrath of Daimajin), 3.75/5 (Return of Daimajin)

Here’s the information provided about the transfers, “The High-Definition masters were produced and supplied by Kadokowa, with additional and restoration by Arrow Films at R3Store Studios.

Additional English language version materials for Majin, the Monster of Terror (Daimajin) and The Return of the Giant Majin (Return of Daimajin) were sourced from MGM. The picture elements were scanned at Company 3 and audio transfer work was completed at Deluxe Media, Los Angeles. Grading and restoration and audio work was completed at R3Store Studios and The Engine House Media Services.”

Daimajin comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34.9 GB

Feature: 25.4 GB

Return of Daimajin comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 31.5 GB

Feature: 22.8 GB

Wrath of Daimajin comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.7 GB

Feature: 25.2 GB

The sources used for all three films are in great shape and any source related debris is minimal. Colors look very good, image clarity and black levels are strong throughout. That said, when compared to Mill Creeks Daimajin Trilogy Blu-ray these transfers are a marked improvement in every way.

Audio: 3.5/5 (Daimajin, Return of Daimajin, Wrath of Daimajin)

Daimajin comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese and a LPCM mono mix in English. Return of Daimajin and Wrath of Daimajin come with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in Japanese and a DTS-HD mono mix in English. All of the audio mixes sound clean, clear and balanced throughout. Included with this release are removable English subtitles for the Japanese language tracks and removable English SDH subtitles for the English language tracks.

Extras:

Extras on Daimajin include an image gallery, U.S. TV spot for Daimajin (1 minute 7 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate U.S. TV spot for Daimajin (1 minute 7 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Daimajin & Gamera vs Barugon double feature trailer (1 minute 14 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with English subtitles), theatrical trailer for Daimajin (2 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with English subtitles), alternate opening credits for the U.S. release Majin, the Monster of Terror (56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles - this extra can-be viewed in two aspect ratios 2.35:1 0r 1.33:1), a video essay about the special effects of the Daimajin films by Japanese film historian Ed Godziszewski titled Bringing the Avenging God to Life (17 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an introduction by film critic/historian Kim Newman  (15 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and an audio commentary with Japanese film expert Stuart Galbraith IV.

Extras on Return of Daimajin include image gallery, storyboards, U.S. TV spot for Return of Daimajin (1 minute 2 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), theatrical trailer for Return of Daimajin (1 minute 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with English subtitles), alternate opening credits for the U.S. release The Return of the Giant Majin (56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles - this extra can-be viewed in two aspect ratios 2.35:1 0r 1.33:1), an interview with Professor Yoneo Ota, director of the Toy Film Museum, Kyoto Film Art Culture Research Institute, about the production of the Daimajin films at Daiei Kyoto titled My Summer Holidays with Daimajin (33 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with English subtitles) and an audio commentary with Japanese film experts Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp.

Extras on Wrath of Daimajin include image gallery, teaser trailer for Wrath of Daimajin (56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with English subtitles), trailer for Wrath of Daimajin (2 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Japanese with English subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Fujio Morita discussing his career at Daiei and his work on the Daimajin trilogy (87 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with English subtitles) and an audio commentary by Asian historian Jonathan Clements.

Other extras include postcards featuring the original Japanese artwork for all three films, a double-sided fold-out poster, reversible cover art for each film and a one hundred page booklet with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled A Blast from the Past written by Jonathan Clements, an essay titled Of Dubs and Titles written by Keith Aiken, an essay titled Special Effects and Daimajin: The Pride of Daiei Kyoto Studios written by Ed Godziszewski, an essay titled Search for Daimajin written by Raffael Coronelli, an essay titled Music Fit for a Kami: Akira Ifukube and the Daimajin Trilogy written by Erik Homenick, an essay titled A Tribute to Film Giant Fujio Morita written by Robin Gatto, an essay titled Daimajin’s Pop Culture Footprints written by Kevin Derendorf and information about the transfers.

Summary:

Though these three films were all released a few months apart in 1966, they were actually shot simultaneously. That said, it’s not surprising that a lot of elements overlap in the three films that makeup The Daimajin Trilogy. Also, all three Daimajin films were written by Tetsuro Yoshida (Yokai Monsters trilogy).

Story wise, Daimajin and Return of Daimajin are essentially the same story. Both of these films revolve around an evil warlord who rules over their territories with the utmost cruelty and anyone who tries to stand up to them gets crushed. Broken and desperate, a character than summons Daimajin who then proceeds to annihilate the evil warlord and his minions. 

Story wise, though Wrath of Daimajin features the same evil warlord scenario. The result is a film that differs greatly from Daimajin and Return of Daimajin. Where its predecessors start's off with a battle between the evil warlord and a good warlord. There is no good warlord Wrath of Daimajin. Also, another way which Wrath of Daimajin sets itself apart from its predecessors is how the protagonists are four young-boys who go on a dangerous trek to save their fathers.

From a production standpoint, these three films use many of the same sets and locations. And though each film Daimajin had a different director. Behind the scenes they share a lot of the same crew. With scores being composed by Akira Ifukube who's most known for his collaborations with Ishirô Honda, most notable Godzilla.

Though the special effects look primitive by today's standards. This actually works in these films' favor. There’s something magical about special effects miniatures and no one was better when it came to special effects miniatures than Japanese cinema of the late 1950’s and 1960’s. That said, another strength of the special effects is how Daimajin disintegrates after expelling evil.

Having seen The Daimajin Trilogy many years ago. Revisiting them for this release, It surprised me how well they hold up. That said, though the strongest film is Daimajin, Wrath of Daimajin is not far behind. With the weakest film being Return of Daimajin because of its familiarity to Daimajin.

The Daimajin Trilogy is another impressive release from Arrow Video. All three films have never looked and sounded better, and Arrow Video have assembled a wealth of insightful extra content, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer