In a Stellar Six-Disc Collection is MASAAKI YUASA: Five Films

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming in a stunning five film pack from director Masaaki Yuasa, GKids and Shout Studios comes a MASAAKI YUASA: Five Films.

Written and directed by Yuasa, MIND GAMES arrived in 2004 comedy that came about from Robin Nishi’s manga. In his directorial debut, Yuasa tells the story of Nishi from Osaka who wants to become a comic book artist. On night on the subway, he runs into Myon who happily takes him to meet her family.

But things turn bad and Nishi must come to Myon’s rescue in a violent turn-about. In a moment of life, death and brave choices, Nishi is on the run with Myon and her sister Yan. The yakuza men that started all of this are hot on their trail. Finding refuge in the most unlikely of places, it only buys them a little time before they once again must make life and death choices.

In 2017, director Yuasa brings the romantic comedy THE NIGHT IS SHORT, WALK ON GIRL based on an earlier novel of the same name written by Tomihiko Morimi. Two university students as Kohai meets Todo at a club but it is at a party where she participates in a drinking game with Rihaku (who is a powerful being) and wins.

At a school festival, Senpai and Kohai go to a book festival and Rihaku is also there but this time is having a food contest to win a rare book. Senpai wins a book but everything is side tracked as people fall ill. Finally, Senapi returns something meaningful to Kohai!

Also in 2017, director Yuasa brings LU OVER THE WALL which is also written by Yuasa and Reiko Yoshida. Kai is a young man who lives in Hinashi Town with his grandfather. He is part of a bank with his friends Kunio and Yuho. When Kai arrives on Merfolk Island, he meets Lu, a girl who has both a fin and legs. Along with her abilities come dangers.

When grandfather reopens a merfolk park, Kai’s band opens in a show but it is Lu who makes a splash. Yuho is upset and causes an uproar in the town that leads to Lu’s dangers becoming even more so. It becomes clear that the two sides must find a way to live together.

RIDE YOUR WAVE comes in 2019 as director Yuasa brings a stunningly beautiful story to the screen. Hinako Mukaimizu is a college student who takes on surfing the clear waves. The young woman is nineteen and quickly deals with life when a fire breaks out and she is rescued by Minato Hinageshi, a local firefighter.

Tragedy is not done with Hinako who leaves her beloved waves but Minato is not out of her life. Visiting his family, she meets sister Yoko and learns more about what inspired him to be a firefighter. Her brother also told her to ‘ride her own wave’. Again, tragedy strikes Hinako and her friends but now they have a choice on how they survive and grow stronger.

Finally, in 2021, Yuasa directs INU-OH based on the novel Tales of the Heike: Inu-Oh by Hideo Furukawa. The story is about Inu-Oh and his friend Tomoari. Living in Japan during the 14^th century, the dancer and musician have shunned by those around them but nothing is going to stop them from being creative.

Their performances bring unwanted attention but the troupe they perform with tell the story behind what has happened to Inu-Oh. How a young boy, a father and a mask all bring about a performance that will come again in the future with Tomoari’s patience.

SHOUT! Studios has grown into a tremendous multi-platform media company. Releasing new animated features such as the exquisite Long Way North, and the epic fantasy Beauty and The Beast. Also, their own original horror film, Fender Bender gives fans a good scare. For more of what SHOUT has to offer please visit www.shoutfactory.com.

GKIDS brings award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. The company has received ten Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations including The Secret of Kells, A Cat in Paris, The Tale of Princess Kaguya and The Breadwinner. GKIDS is also a distributor for Studio Ghibli films including Spirited Away and Princess Monokie and many more. To learn more about GKIDS please visit www.gkids.com.

Special Features include English-language dub of THE NIGHT IS SHORT, WALK ON GIRL for the first time on Bluray, Two Short Films by Masaaki Yuasa – Happy Machine (2007) and Kick-Heart (2013), Filmmaker Commentaries for MIND GAME, LU OVER THE WALL and INU-OH, and Scene Breakdowns and Commentaries from Each Feature Film, Masaaki Yuasa Draws Characters from MIND GAME, LU OVER THE WALL, and INU-OH.

Also, Filmmaker Interviews About LU OVER THE WALL, THE NIGHT IS SHORT, WALK ON GIRL, and INU-OH, A Night Out with Yuasa: An Exclusive Interview with Masaaki Yuasa at a Los Angeles Speakeasy, Where He Discusses His Inspirations, Favorite Type of Restaurants, Perfect Vacation, Dancing, and more, a 60-Page Book Featuring an Essay by Emily Yoshida and Excerpts from Masaaki Yuasa’s Sketchbooks and more!

This is a stunning collection and any anime fan would be absolutely thrilled to receive it as a gift. There are intense stories here but also vivid color, fantastic scenes, and brilliant animation from start to finish. The story telling is ethereal and, in fact, mesmerizing to watch come to fruition. If allowed to have a favorite, it would be RIDE YOUR WAVE because I live near the ocean and the colors are stunning in the film with a story that touches my heart.

Yuasa brings visual artistry and is the most visionary animator who is beloved and celebrated all over the world. This collection includes stunning art by Yuasa in the packaging, a 13x21 poster of the new art and an exclusive 60-page book celebrating the work of this one-of-a-kind storyteller. There are excerpts from the creative’s sketchbook and this six-disc set of MASAAKI YUASA: Five Films can be ordered on GKIDS.com/Yuasa and ShoutFactory.com.

Adding MASAAKI YUASA: Five Films to your own home entertainment library is going to be the crown jewel in any collection. Now, you still have time to ask Santa for that last special treat in time for Christmas too! Happy Holidays!

 

RWBY Brings Volume 5 for More Adventure on Bluray

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from Rooster Teeth and Cinedigm is the continuing adventure of RWBY.

The huntsman gang has made its way back to Haven Academy to discover that important relics are missing. The Spring Maiden has run away and Crow’s sister Raven has taken up with bandits and now Ruby Rose (Lindsay Jones), Crow Branwen (Vic Mignogna), Weiss Schnee (Kara Eberle), Blake Belladonna (Arryn Zech) and Yang Xiao Long (Barbara Dunkelman) have no choice but to track her down and retrieve what has been taken.

Leader Professor Leonardo Lionheart (Daman Mills) is upset that the kingdom is in shambles and knows he has to convince the council that they need to plan a rescue. What the group doesn’t is that Arthur has the Professor under close watch and he is answering to mystic power.

While waiting for what is to come, a young man names Oscar Pine (Aaron Dismuke) surprises the group.  Still dealing with the repercussions of White Fang, Sienna of Mistral has Adam being chastised for not dealing with the humans. He introduces the idea of waring with the humans by believing they should serve the Faunus and a coupe takes place.

On the island, the group hear about the Fallen Beacon from the Chieftan and they know it is Adam’s order that caused it all. They know about the potential attack on Haven Academy and want to help bridge the gap between the Faunus and Humans and stop Adam!

With Crow and Ruby gone, Oscar takes over the training of the group with only one month until the Academy is back in session. He swears he will not go easy on them!  While Yang looks for the two, she is surprised to find her mother but it works in her favor when a portal can be used to find them.

Instead she finds Weiss who isn’t about to let her friend Yang be pushed around. While in training, Oscar learns that everyone in the group is inspiring and even when they remember how difficult the journey has been so far. Ilia (Cherami Leigh) is told that Adam is now the leader of the group and that the White Fang is going through a change and the Belladonnas need to be silenced.  

Yang and Weiss learn staggering truths about Oscar and the Haven Academy. They learn about the Grimm and what they are capable of. When the group finally comes together once again, they share stories about where they have been. Yang learns that what her mother Raven (Anna Hullum) has said is the truth and the group must decide whether to continue or break away.

Weiss realizes that Yang is having a difficult time with family matters. Ruby is concerned as well but trusts that things will be okay. Ilia meets with Blake but what happens to them both is shocking.

Discovering the Maiden Spring in the care of Yang’s mother, Cinder and Arthur are trying to cut a deal with Raven. Unlock the relic and Salem will be left in peace. Creating a plan to attack on the Haven Academy, Raven has a condition that Cinder is happy to comply with.

Forced to fight Blake, Ilia is now in confusion knowing she has a dangerous choice between a friend and the White Fang. Stopping Adam from his path of destruction, Blake knows she needs to Faunus to help.

When Leonardo is exposed about where his loyalties lie, an internal battle begins when Cinder announces that the White Fang are about to destroy everything. Hazel is furious when discovering that Ozpin is near but she should be keeping an eye on Cinder as the vault is opened.

Raven has a surprise for Cinder and the battle for the Relic is on. Now Weiss must summon the Lancer Queen if they are to have any hope. Blake has one shot at stopping Adam as his plans to destroy the school come every closer.

Ghira becomes the new leader of the White Fang and despite being angry at Blake; they welcome her back into RWBY. Yang has a final row with Raven but it is what she does next that sets in motion the next chapter.

Cinedigm is a leading distributor of amazing content in storefronts, digital platforms, Internet and Demand platforms for cable television. With an extensive library of over 52,000 films and television shows, Docudrama films, next-gen Indies and Independent films. At its inception, Cinedigm has played a pioneering role in transitioning movie theatres from traditional film prints to digital distribution to advance worldwide cinema modernization. For more on what Cinedigm has to offer please visit http://www.cinedigm.com.

Rooster Teeth is responsible for some of the biggest and award-winning online series. From RED VS. BLUE and RWBY, Rooster Teeth has left a global footprint on YouTube with over 45 million subscribers. This is a site you need to explore at www.RoosterTeeth.com.

The Bonus Features on the RWBY Bluray include 5 Years of RWBY is a behind the scenes retrospective that explores how the production of RWBY has changed over the years. This exclusive content includes never before seen interviews and Weiss Character Short – All her life, Weiss Schnee has lived a privileged and pampered life…but it did not come without its own hardships.

Also included is Blake Character Short – The White Fang was once a peaceful organization fighting for true equality for the Faunus. Over the years, however, many members began to favor violent and extreme tactics in order to demand respect from the humans of Remnant. Though Blake Belladonna eventually decided to leave the White Fang and its growing acts of terror, not all of her friends made the same decision.

Yang Character Short- You know that Ruby is unstoppable with her scythe, but Yang knows the true power of hand-to-hand combat. In the midst of a weapon-free training session, can Yang convince her sister of the importance of fighting without a weapon? Finally, CRWBY Series – Have you ever wondered how RWBY is made? Each week, CRWBY: Behind the Episodes gives you a peek at the magic, highlights the animation process, and introduces you to the animator’s engineers, producers and artists who work tirelessly to bring the World of Remnant to life.

 That’s not all as an Official Manga Anthology Sampler of RWBY with MIRROR, MIRROR – RWBY reads from right to left and turn it over to begin again!

RWBY is created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth. In this anime web series, this show became a viral hit in July of 2013. The video game RWBY: Grimm Eclipse and a 2016 series RWBY Chibi that has been released as well. The music for RWBY is composed by Jeff Williams who was a Trocadero band member. He composed three seasons of Red Vs. Blue.

RWBY is an action packed animated series that will leave you constantly guessing as to who anyone can trust. Secrets are always being revealed but even then the viewer is never sure who is actually telling it all or their version. This two disc Bluray series is powerful in a strange world of creatures and magic.

This is an amazing series to experience and all 244 minutes and extras means it’s time to call friends, get the popcorn poppin’ and make it a binge anime time!

In the end – one destination is shared by all!