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Sister Street Fighter Collection – Arrow Video (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1974 (Sister Street Fighter, Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread), 1975 (Return of the Sister Street Fighter), 1976 (Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist)
Directors: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (Sister Street Fighter, Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread, Return of the Sister Street Fighter), Shigehiro Ozawa (Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist)
Cast: Etsuko Shihomi, Hiroshi Miyauchi, Sanae Obori, Kenji Ohba, Tatsuya Nanjo, Sonny Chiba, Emi Hayakawa, Harry Kondo, Asao Uchida, Masashi Ishibashi, Hideo Murota, Akane Kawasaki, Yasuaki Kurata, Mitch Love

Release Date: March 4th, 2019 (UK), March 5th, 2019 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 85 Minutes 53 Seconds (Sister Street Fighter - Uncut Version), 81 Minutes 13 Seconds (Sister Street Fighter - R-Rated Version), 85 Minutes 24 Seconds (Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread), 76 Minutes 56 Seconds (Return of the Sister Street Fighter), 76 Minutes 49 Seconds (Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 18 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese, LPCM Mono English (Sister Street Fighter - Uncut Version), LPCM Mono English (Sister Street Fighter - R-Rated Version), LPCM Mono Japanese (Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread, Return of the Sister Street Fighter, Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist)
Subtitles: English (All Films), English SDH (Sister Street Fighter - Both Versions)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"In 1974's Sister Street Fighter, Shihomi is the half-Chinese, half-Japanese Li Koryu, who travels to Yokohama to investigate the disappearance of her brother, an undercover cop. Li discovers a smuggling ring run by a drug lord with his own personal army of deadly fighters, and must penetrate his evil lair with the help of a fellow karate master (played by Chiba). Shihomi and director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (Wolf Guy) made two additional films based on the same character over the next year, Sister Street Fighter: Hanging By A Thread and Return Of The Sister Street Fighter, with a final unrelated follow-up (Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist) helmed by original Street Fighter director Shigehiro Ozawa appearing in 1976." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here is the information given about the transfers, “All four films were remastered in high definition and supplied for the release by Toei Company, LTD.”

Sister Street Fighter comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.4 GB

Feature: 22.2 GB (Uncut Version), 14.3 GB (R-Rated Version)

Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread, Return of the Sister Street Fighter and Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.6 GB

Feature: 14.2 GB (Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread), 12.8 GB (Return of the Sister Street Fighter), 12.8 GB (Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist)

Quality-wise, these transfers are on par with Arrow Video’s other Toei releases. And when compared to previous home video releases for these films, Noticeable areas of improvement include image clarity, contrast, black levels, and color saturation. The R-rated version appears to use the same source as the uncut version, except for the credits, which come from a different source.

Audio: 4/5

Sister Street Fighter comes with two audio options, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese and a LPCM mono mix in English. Both of these audio mixes sound clean, clear, and balanced throughout. Range-wise, these audio mixes sound robust when they need to, and the ambient sounds are well presented. Included are English-language subtitles for the Japanese language track and English SDH subtitles for the English language track.

Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread, Return of the Sister Street Fighter, and Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist each come with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese, and all three films have removable English subtitles. All of the audio mixes sound clean, clear, and balanced throughout. Range-wise, they sound robust when they need to, and the ambient sounds are well presented.

Extras:

Extras on disc one includes a still & poster gallery (136 images), a theatrical trailer for Sister Street Fighter (2 minutes 47 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a U.S. trailer for Sister Street Fighter (2 minutes 35 seconds, LPCM mono English, no subtitles), German opening credits for Sister Street Fighter (2 minutes 11 seconds, LPCM mono with German text and removable English subtitles), a German theatrical trailer for Sister Street Fighter (2 minutes 35 seconds, LPCM mono German with removable English subtitles), an extra titled Isolated Score Highlights (11 minutes 43 seconds, LPCM mono), an interview with actor Sonny Chiba titled Sonny Chiba: A Life in Action, Vol. 3 (10 minutes 10 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi titled Kazuhiko Yamaguchi: Kick-Ass Sisters (10 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles) and an interview with screenwriter Masahiro Kakefuda titled Masahiro Kakefuda: Subversive Action (10 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles).

Extras on disc two include a theatrical trailer for Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread (2 minutes 44 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Return of the Sister Street Fighter (2 minutes 57 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist (2 minutes 57 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), Isolated Score Highlights for Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread (19 minutes 26 seconds, LPCM mono) and Isolated Score Highlights for Return of the Sister Street Fighter (10 minutes 15 seconds, LPCM mono).

Rounding out the extras is a reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to first pressing) and a forty-four-page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled The Legend of Karate Lady written by Patrick Macias, an essay titled Made in Japan – And Reborn in the U.S.A. written by Chris Poggiali, Etsuko Shihomi Biography written by Patrick Macias and information about the transfers.

Summary:

As a teenager, Etsuko Shihomi was a huge fan of Sonny Chiba's, and after writing him a few times, she joined his elite Japan Action Club. She was one of the few women in the Japan Action Club ranks, and she quickly rose to the top and became one of the best known. She made her feature film debut opposite Sonny Chiba in 1973’s Bodyguard Kiba, and she also had a supporting role in Sonny Chiba’s The Street Fighter. In 1974, she would star in the Street Fighter spin-off Sister Street Fighter, and she would go on to star in the two sequels.

In addition to being a gymnast and martial artist, she was a risk-taker who liked to live on the edge. She liked to leap from places, and for Samurai Reincarnation’s promotion, she jumped from one building to the next, much to the delight of her onlooking fans. As the martial arts craze died down by the early 1980s, she shifted towards more period melodramas and dramatic TV work. Since 1986, Etsuko Shihomi has been missing in action from the movie scene, and no one has filled the huge void she has left. One would have to look to Hong Kong cinema to find a contemporary that could match her grace, beauty, and brutality.

Sister Street Fighter is a sequel in name only, as it has nothing to do with the Sonny Chiba series. Sonny Chiba even has a small cameo as a character named Sonny Kawasaka. Sister Street Fighter was directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, who would go on to direct the next two sequels. Besides the Sister Street Fighter films, Kazuhiko Yamaguchi is also known for directing Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess and a trilogy of films with Sonny Chiba: Karate Bullfighter, Karate Bearfighter, and Karate for Life.

The screenplay for Sister Street Fighter was co-written by maverick filmmaker Norifumi Suzuki, who has directed several genre classics like Girl Boss Guerilla, Sex and Fury, Terrifying Girls’ High School: Lynch Law Classroom, Convent of the Sacred Beast, Killing Machine, and Star of David: Beauty Hunting.

Martial arts films have been known to try to outdo their earlier box-office hits. And since Sister Street Fighter is loosely based on the Sonny Chiba Street Fighter series, it might come as no surprise that Sister Street Fighter is sleazier, bloodier, crazier, and just downright more violent than any of Chiba’s Street Fighter films.

Sonny Chiba protégée Etsuko Shihomi portrays Koryu Lee, and unlike her earlier film roles, she gets plenty of screen time. Her incredible martial arts skills are on full display. And what is most impressive about Etsuko Shiomi’s skills in Sister Street Fighter is that she wasn’t even eighteen years old when she completed the film.

Sonny Chiba has very little screen time, but that doesn’t matter because Etsuko Shihomi is the star of this thrill ride. One of the heavy’s Hammerheads, Masashi Ishibashi, also appeared in The Street Fighter and The Return of the Street Fighter.

The narrative is fast-paced, and the action set pieces are well-executed. If you are looking for backstory in character development, you won’t find it here. That said, Sister Street Fighter is a solid martial arts film that fans of wall-to-wall action should thoroughly enjoy.

Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread was released just a few months after its predecessor, Sister Street Fighter. Many of the key characters from Sister Street Fighter, like director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi and screenwriter Norifumi Suzuki, would come back for this squeal.

Once again, the opening credits showcase Etsuko Shihomi’s ability with various weapons as she stands in front of mirrors. This film's score, like its predecessors', mixes eclectic music with classical compositions. The action sequences are top-notch as Etsuko Shihomi creates some of her greatest moves ever committed to screen. That said, Etsuko Shihomi delivers what is arguably the finest performance of her career.

Frequently cast as a heavy, Masashi Ishibashi, who also starred in the previous Sister Street Fighter film as Hammerhead, returns as one of the three assassin brothers. This film also features a variety of villains, and each one comes with their own unique fighting style. And though the fight scenes are well executed, there are several instances in this film, like the high-flying finale, that are reminiscent of the first Sister Street Fighter film.

Despite rehashing some of the ideas from its predecessor, Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread stands out as another solid entry in this series. And it has enough strengths that I would have a tough time choosing the first Sister Street Fighter film over Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread as the best film in the Sister Street Fighter series.

Return of the Sister Street Fighter is a fast-moving film that is overflowing with mind-blowing action sequences. And just when you thought you had seen it all, Etsuko Shihomi comes back with moves that almost defy logic and gravity.

Story-wise, Return of the Sister Street Fighter is the weakest of the series. And a lot of it has to do with the fact that this one feels cobbled together almost like a greatest hits package. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any outstanding action set pieces in this film. like when Koryu arrives in Japan and is met by a group of gangsters on a dock or when she is hung upside down and tortured.

This would mark the last Sister Street Fighter film directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi. He would go on to work on a trilogy of films with Sonny Chiba.

Several actors who belong to the Japan action club, including Sonny Chiba’s brother Jiro, make an appearance in this film. Back once again and yet again as another bad guy is actor Masashi Ishibashi, who makes the perfect heavy, and one could see why he was cast so many times as the villain.

Just like the earlier films in this series, this film opens with an elaborate opening credits sequence. Although Return of the Sister Street Fighter lacks the freshness that its predecessors had, it is still a highly entertaining film.

Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist is one of those bizarre instances when a film is named after a series of films in which it has no story or character ties. The film was most likely named a "Sister Street Fighter" film just because of the immense popularity of the three Sister Street Fighter films.

Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist was directed by Shigehiro Ozawa, who was the same director who directed the Street Fighter trilogy. Shigehiro Ozawa, often known for his off-the-wall direction, tones things down in Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist. In this film, he focuses more on performance than style. The action sequences do have his trademark style, but they feel out of place because they contrast with the style he goes for with the rest of the film.

Etsuko Shihomi, with each new Sister Street Fighter film, exudes more confidence as her fighting scenes get more and more ambitious. The tone of the films is the exact opposite of the Sister Street Fighter films, and one has to wonder how it ever started being referred to as a Sister Street Fighter film. The story moves along quickly, and the high-flying action set pieces are perfectly augmented by dark humor. Ultimately, Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist is a bizarre film that has several solid fight scenes, and it really shouldn’t be judged as or considered a Sister Street Fighter film since it is an entirely different genre altogether.

Arrow Video gives the Sister Street Fighter films their best home video release to date; highly recommended.