Arrow Video is the first distributor that got me into the world of Asian Cinema, with their release of Battle Royale on DVD. But it wasn’t until a few years later that I eventually looked into their Blu-ray releases for titles like Battle Royale (again) and Blade of the Immortal. I also then jumped into more of the J-Horror scene and so forth.
While I have since been focusing more on Third Window Films, 88 Films and Eureka Entertainment, Arrow does have some really interesting titles from time to time. In July 2021, they released a new box set of classic Japanese kaiju films from a franchise called Daimajin (大魔神), which was created by Daiei Film and directors Kimiyoshi Yasuda, Kenji Misumi, and Kazuo Mori.
These films are very niche, and were probably overshadowed by other kaiju films like Godzilla, Gamera and others, but thanks to distributors like Arrow these old franchises receive a new fanbase by bringing them back to home video on the Blu-ray format.
Background:
Kimiyoshi Yasuda (安田公義), born in Tokyo, Japan in 1911, directed a number of action Japanese films during the 50s to 70s. His notable works include a couple of films from the Suzunosuke Akado series in 1957 including Suzunosuke Akado: The One-Legged Demon (赤胴鈴之助 一本足の魔人, Akadō Suzunosuke: Ippon ashi no majin), as well as six films for the Zatoichi series with 1963’s Zatoichi: On the Road (座頭市喧嘩旅, Zatōichi kenka-tabi), 1964’s Adventures of Zatoichi (座頭市関所破りZatōichi sekisho-yaburi) and 1971’s Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman (新座頭市・破れ！唐人剣, Shin Zatōichi: Yabure! Tōjin-ken). He also directed the Yokai Monsters Trilogy starting with 1968’s Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters (妖怪百物語, Yōkai Hyaku Monogatari). The director passed away in 1983.
Kenji Misumi (三隅 研次), born in Kyoto, Japan in 1921, directed Satan’s Sword (大菩薩峠, Daibosatsu Tōge) in 1960 which spawned two sequels, but is also more well-known for directing four of the six Lone Wolf & Cub live-action film series including 1972’s Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (子連れ狼 子を貸し腕貸しつかまつる, Kozure Ōkami: Kowokashi udekashi tsukamatsuru) and 1973’s Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons (子連れ狼 冥府魔道, Kozure Ōkami: Meifu Madō), as well as five films in the Zatoichi series, including 1962’s The Tale of Zatoichi (座頭市物語, Zatōichi monogatari) and 1970’s Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (座頭市あばれ火祭り, Zatōichi abare-himatsuri). The director passed away in 1975.
Kazuo Mori (森 一生), born in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan in 1911, has directed over a hundred films throughout his career. Like the other two directors, he has also directed a few films in the Zatoichi series with 1962’s The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (続・座頭市物語, Zoku Zatōichi monogatari) and 1972’s Zatoichi at Large (座頭市御用旅, Zatōichi goyō-tabi). The director passed away in 1989.
The Daimajin Trilogy features three films from three directors, but all of them were released in the same year and were worked on by mostly the same team!
Daimajin (大魔神), released in April 1966, is directed by Kimiyoshi Yasuda starring Riki Hoshimoto, Miwa Takada, Yoshihiko Aoyama, Jun Fujimaki, and Ryūtarō Gomi.
Return of Daimajin (大魔神怒る, Daimajin ikaru), released in August 1966, is directed by Kenji Misumi starring Riki Hoshimoto, Kōjirō Hongō, Shiho Fujimura, Taro Marui, and Takashi Kanda.
Wrath of Daimajin (大魔神逆襲, Daimajin gyakushu), released in December 1966, is directed by Kazuo Mori starring Riki Hoshimoto, Hideki Ninomiya, Shinji Hori, Masahide Iizuka, and Muneyuki Nagatomo.
About Arrow Video / Arrow Films:
Arrow Films, also known as Arrow Video, is an independent UK distributor for Asian Cinema, Spaghetti Westerns, Italian Cinema, Horror, Cult Classics and Action. Their line-up of films in the Asian Cinema scene includes the works of Chan-Wook Park (JSA, Oldboy), Hideo Nakata (Dark Water, Ringu), Kinji Fukasaku (Battle Royale, Battles Without Honour & Humanity), Takashi Miike (Audition, Dead or Alive Trilogy), Teruo Ishii (Blind Woman’s Curse, Horrors of Malformed Men), Yasuzo Masumura (Black Test Car, Giants & Toys) and also many individual films from Hirokazu Kore-eda, Jia Zhangke, Seijun Suzuki, Shohei Imamura, Tomu Uchida and more. The distributor also has a US branch which offers some of the same range as titles that are available in the UK. Their 2022 line-up for Asian Cinema is quiet but will include more Shaw Brothers films including The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and more volumes of the Shaw Scope series.
Limited Edition Contents:
UK distributor Arrow Video have gone for an interesting presentation for the Daimajin franchise.
The box set is rigid but you open it from above, and inside is where it houses the contents. The Blu-ray cases are the slim-type but each have reversible artwork. Each case also houses a postcard, while one of them also houses the poster. Next to the cases is a 100-page Book that contains information about each film, a note of the transfer and new essays by Jonathan Clements, Keith Aiken, Ed Godziszewski, Raffael Coronelli, Erik Homenick, Robin Gatto and Kevin Derendorf.
The SRP is £49.99 and has an unspecified print run. Once the print run is out of stock, this edition won’t be available. A standard edition was recently released that replaces the rigid box with a cardboard sleeve and none of the physical items are included. Arrow don’t usually go for a cardboard sleeve but this has been a recent approach for the past year which does make their standard edition releases feel cheap compared to before.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with clean artwork and Amaray packaging
- 100-page Book featuring new essays by Jonathan Clements, Keith Aiken, Ed Godziszewski, Raffael Coronelli, Erik Homenick, Robin Gatto and Kevin Derendorf
- Double-sided Postcards, with one side featuring original Japanese artwork for all three films
- Fold-out Double-sided Poster
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Arrow Video
Released: 26th July 2021
The limited edition release of The Daimajin Trilogy contains all three films spread across three Blu-ray discs. All films are presented with Japanese audio with English subtitles, and the classic English dubs are included. The white subtitles are unlockable during playback, and the regions are accessible to Blu-ray players set to A & B.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | Japanese |
| Audio | Japanese Linear PCM Mono 1.0 English Linear PCM Mono 1.0 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 2.35:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | A B |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 3 BD-50s |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 1: Daimajin
- Audio Commentary by Stuart Galbraith IV
- Introduction by Kim Newman
- Bringing the Avenging God to Life
- Alternate Credits
- Trailers
- Image Gallery
Disc 2: Return of Daimajin
- Audio Commentary by Jasper Sharp and Tom Mes
- My Summer Holidays with Daimajin
- Alternate Opening Credits
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- US TV Spot
- Storyboards
- Image Gallery
Disc 3: Wrath of Daimajin
- Audio Commentary by Jonathan Clements
- Interview with Fujio Morita
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Original Teaser Trailer
- Image Gallery
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
The Daimajin Trilogy limited edition box set is licensed and released by UK distributor Arrow Video. The limited edition is close to selling out, but a standard edition is available across multiple retailers including the Arrow store.
The Normanic Vault 
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