Now on Blu-ray: TOSHIAKI TOYODA: THE EARLY YEARS Shows the Emergence of an Artist

Third Window Films release of Toshiaki Toyoda: The Early Years is an unmissable document of the genesis of an artist and his obsessions. The three films included in this set clearly show the growth and emergence of an incredible talent who has fallen a little by the wayside over the last few years. These films, Pornostar (AKA Tokyo Rampage), Unchain, and 9 Souls show a clear evolution in Toyoda's work that separates him from the everyman director. Why he doesn't work more, I don't know, but I do know that the talent on display in this set is exceptional.

I first saw Toyoda's Pornostar under its US home video title Tokyo Rampage. While both titles fit, the latter is more than a little clumsy in its description of a film that goes much deeper than an exploration of a guy with a baseball bat. In the film a young man with no direction gets involved with the Yakuza by accident, quickly becoming a danger to everyone around him, even those with whom he shares an uneasy alliance.

Pornostar is a brutal look at the disenfrachised and disillusioned youth of Japan at the tail end of the 20th century.  Thematically, the film shares a goal with Miike Takashi's later Ichi the Killer, a film both loved and reviled for its over the top violence. Both films, however, discuss the nature of isolation and the suffering it creates. Pornostar does it with slightly less over the top violence and perhaps a more subdued atmosphere, but that doesn't make it any less affecting.

The next two films in the set I had never seen before, but both made huge impressions on me through this set. The first is the boxing documentary Unchain, about the life and times of failed boxer Unchain Kaji and everyone who was unfortunate enough to come into his sphere. The film is a combination of contemporaneous interviews from 2000 and archival fight footage. The fight footage is super grainy, often shot on video, and somewhat difficult to decipher, however, it is clear th Unchain Kaji never had a chance, either in the ring or in life. His story only gets sadder as the run time wears on. Another lovable loser in boxing trunks who can't make the grade.

The last film is the set is the amazing 9 Souls, easily the best and most mainstream of this trio. In 9 Souls, a team of convicts escape a maximum security prison and tear ass across the country side on the way to finding a treasure held by one of the escapees. Along the way they try to find their own happiness, mend their own ways, and even frequently build bridges toward restoring their own troubled pasts. Sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't, and these 9 Souls wither away one by one until their reach their bot of gold and it's not what they were expecting.

The plight of the lovable loser is the thread that binds these three films together. Underdogs looking for a sense of peace, a way to make sense of their lives, a way to make right that which they have done wrong or wrongs that have been done to them. Ultimately, they all learn that they can only right themselves, and even that isn't a guaranteed cure for their troubles. These films are wonderful, especially 9 Souls, and should be in any Japanese film fan's collection

The Discs:

Third Window Films brings all of these films to Blu-ray for hte first time in this limited edition set. The quality of the audio and video varies between films, but all definitely look better than they could on DVD. The audio is nice and clear and while none features more than a Stereo audio track, dialogue is easily discernible.

In terms of extras we get a bran new interview with Toyoda right off the bat, along with commentaries from Japanese film scholars Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp which are incredibly helpful in providing context for these films. On the disc for Unchain there are a couple of musical interludes that help to lighten a somewhat dour mood, and 9 Souls includes some making of footage and outtakes. All three discs feature original trailers.

This is an exceptional box set from Third Window and Toshiaki Toyoda: The Early Years is an easy recommendation from me.

[Edit: This set is ALL REGION, which means that it will play on Blu-ray equipment around the world. Enjoy!]