It’s been almost a decade since I have delved into watching films made from Asia, and a fair amount of the releases came from our UK local distributors like Arrow, Eureka, 88 Films and Third Window Films.
Last year, we saw the release of a special box set dedicated to three films from the late Nobuhiko Obayashi (大林宣彦) named the Anti-War Trilogy with Hanagatami (花筐), Casting Blossoms to the Sky (この空の花 長岡花火物語, Kono Sora no Hana: Nagaoka Hanabi Monogatari), and Seven Weeks (野のなななのか, No no nanananoka). Admittedly I had not yet watched them, but I liked how Third Window was taking a risk and releasing films that were not full of action and horror but were also longer in length.
And it seems the risk has paid off because a year later we have another batch of films from Nobuhiko Obayashi and were released back in the 1980s!
Background:
Nobuhiko Obayashi (大林宣彦), born in Onomichi, Japan in 1938, has directed many experimental films throughout his career. His 1977 film House (ハウス, Hausu) was basically the one that gathered him the most success, and by this day is considered a cult classic. His other noteworthy films include 1982’s I Are You, You Am Me (転校生, Tenkōsei), the 1987 live-action adaptation of The Drifting Classroom (漂流教室, Hyōryū Kyōshitsu), and in 2020, his final film Labyrinth of Cinema (海辺の映画館 キネマの玉手箱, Umibe no Eigakan – Kinema no Tamatebako).
While Eureka Entertainment released House on Blu-ray over half a decade ago, Nobuhiko Obayashi’s other films barely received any attention until Third Window Films stepped in with Hanagatami followed by the Anti-War Trilogy box set. As mentioned, there’s also the challenge of his films being longer than average, which means it’s much harder to advertise as well as high BBFC costs.
Today, we have the second box set called 80s Kadokawa Years. This comprises of four of his works that were released during the 80s and produced by Kadokawa in Japan. Two of these films you may recognise by the source material they adapted from.
School in the Crosshairs (ねらわれた学園, Nerawareta Gakuen), released in 1981 starring Hiroko Yakushimaru, Ryôichi Takayanagi, Masami Hasegawa, Makoto Tezuka, Kôichi Yamamoto, Miyoko Akaza, and Hajime Hana. The story is based on the 1973 novel written by Taku Mayumura, which was also adapted again numerous times including a 2012 anime by Ryosuke Nakamura under the name ‘Psychic School Wars’.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女, Toki o Kakeru Shōjo), released in 1983 starring Tomoyo Harada, Ryōichi Takayanagi, Toshinori Omi, Yukari Tsuda, and Ittoku Kishibe. The story is based on the 1965 novel written by Yasutaka Tsutsui, which was eventually adapted again by Mamoru Hosoda as an anime film in 2006.
The Island Closest to Heaven (天国にいちばん近い島, Tengoku ni ichiban chikai shima), released in 1984 starring Tomoyo Harada, Miyoko Akaza, Wakaba Irie, Nenji Kobayashi, and Kayo Matsuo.
His Motorbike, Her Island (彼のオートバイ、彼女の島, Kare no ootobai, Kanojo no shima), released in 1984 starring Riki Takeuchi, Kiwako Harada, Noriko Watanabe, Ryôichi Takayanagi, and Takahiro Tamura. The story is based on the 1977 novel written by Yoshio Kataoka.
About Third Window Films:
Third Window Films is an independent UK distributor for Asian Cinema, primarily Japanese films. Their line-up includes films from notable directors including Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man), Sion Sono (Love Exposure), Takeshi Kitano (Hana-bi), Macoto Tezka (Legend of the Stardust Brothers) and most recently more niche directors like Shin’ichirō Ueda (One Cut of the Dead), Junta Yamaguchi (Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes) and Katsuhito Ishii (Funky Forest: The First Contact). The distributor is smaller than 88 Films, Arrow and Eureka Entertainment, but continues to provide more variety of Japanese films both newer and older in the future. As of the time of this post, their next batch of releases includes a re-release of Satoshi Miki’s Adrift in Tokyo and Sion Sono’s Suicide Club.
Limited Edition Contents:
This is the fourth special edition box set in this style that UK distributor Third Window Films has offered following their two Toshiaki Toyoda box sets and the first Nobuhiko Obayashi box set. The height is slightly larger, but the design and content are pretty consistent which is great for the shelf.
The box set consists of a sturdy cardboard slipcase with a digipack that contains the four films across four Blu-ray discs. Each disc is also packed full of on-disc bonus features. In addition to the digipack, a booklet is also included, written by Ren Scateni and Joseph Kime with a mini essay on each of the films.
The SRP is £79.99 and has a 2000-unit print run. Once the print run is out of stock, this edition won’t be available. It is uncertain whether the films will be re-released in standalone sets over time but currently no details on that yet.
Physical Contents:
- Limited Edition slipcase with digipack packaging
- Booklet
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Third Window Films
Released: 17th October 2022
The limited edition release for Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 80s Kadokawa Years contains all four films spread across four Blu-ray discs. No English dub was ever produced for these films so they are all presented in Japanese audio with English subtitles. The white subtitles are unlockable during playback and each Blu-ray disc is Region B locked.
Each disc comes with a couple of on-disc features which are listed below.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | Japanese |
| Audio | School in the Crosshairs & The Girl Who Leapt Through Time: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 The Island Closest to Heaven & His Motorbike, Her Island: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 1:85:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | B |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 3 BD-50s, 1 BD-25 |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 1: School in the Crosshairs
- Selected Audio Commentary by Aaron Gerow (27 mins)
- Chigumi Obayashi and Aarow Gerow in Conversaion (27 mins)
- Translation Notes (10 mins)
- Trailer
Disc 2: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
- Director Nobuhiko Obayashi Interview (25 mins)
- The Tomoyo Harada Story (8 mins)
- Toki o Kakeru Shojo Music Video (3 mins)
- Trailer
Disc 3: The Island Closest to Heaven
- Sann Deighan Commentary
- Obayashi – Feminity in Transition by Robert Edwards (15 mins)
- Trailer
Disc 4: His Motorbike, Her Island
- Tom Mes Commentary
- Trailer
- Interview with Nobuhiko Obayashi (16 mins)
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Nobuhiko Obayashi’s 80s Kadokawa Years limited edition box set is licensed and released by UK distributor Third Window Films. You can order the box set on Terracotta Distribution’s store.
The Normanic Vault 
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