After recently releasing a special box set covering a few films from director Takashi Ishii, UK distributor Third Window Films continues the pre-2000s Japanese cinema releases with another box set already. Their latest release features a trilogy of films with the same lead actor released between 1994-1996, all directed & co-written by Kaizô Hayashi (林 海象). Let’s take a look at this box set featuring newly restored restorations.
Background:
Kaizô Hayashi (林 海象), born in Kyoto, Japan in 1957, has worked on a number of films as a director and screenplay writer in his career. His first major feature-length film was 1986’s To Sleep So as to Dream (夢みるように眠りたい) which paid homage to the silent cinema era. This film was also released for the first time in the UK in 2022 under Arrow Video. This black and white style also carried over to his next film Circus Boys (二十世紀少年読本) in 1989.
He’s also no stranger to adapting manga and novels into live-action, having brought Hiroshi Aramata’s Teito Monogatari and Tsukasa Hojo’s Cat’s Eye to the theatrical screens in 1988-1989 and 1997 respectively. He also collaborated with developer Konami on the 2000 video game 7 Blades (セブンブレイズ) for the PlayStation 2 which saw a release in Europe for English players.
Having directed roughly around 19 films in his career, three of his films celebrated their 30th anniversary with new 4K restorations which were also put together as a trilogy, focusing and named after the main lead Maiku Hama played by actor Masatoshi Nagase (Electric Dragon 80000V, Suicide Club). Each film can be watched standalone whilst they also share a connection to each other.
The Most Terrible Time in My Life (我が人生最悪の時, Waga jinsei saiaku no toki) is the first in the trilogy released in 1994. The staff credits joining director & writer Kaizô Hayashi include writer Daisuke Tengan (Audition, The Eel), music composers Yôko Kumagai (Crying Out Love in the Center of the World, GO) and Hidehiko Urayama (Asian Beat: I Love Nippon, To Sleep So as to Dream) and cinematographer Yuichi Nagata (Abnormal Family, Ritual).
“In THE MOST TERRIBLE TIME IN MY LIFE (1994) he gets embroiled in the disappearance of a Taiwanese immigrant’s brother, getting caught in the crosshairs of a gang war.”
Plot Synopsis via Third Window Films, October 2025.
The cast of the film alongside Masatoshi Nagase includes Kaho Minami (Angel Dust, The Great Yokai War), Joe Shishido (Branded to Kill, Cruel Gun Story), Shinya Tsukamoto (Shin Godzilla, Tetsuo: The Iron Man), Te-chien Hou (A Brighter Summer Day) and Haruko Wanibuchi (House, One Missed Call 2). The film was theatrically released in Japan in March 1994.
The Stairway to the Distant Past (遙かな時代の階段を, Harukana jidai no kaidan o) is the second in the trilogy released in 1995. The staff credits joining director & writer Kaizô Hayashi include the same writer, music composers and cinematographer from the previous film.
“In the 2nd film THE STAIRWAY TO THE DISTANT PAST (1995) he goes after a “Man in White” reigning over the embattled riverfront of Yokohama.”
Plot Synopsis via Third Window Films, October 2025.
The cast of the film alongside Masatoshi Nagase, Joe Shishido, Haruko Wanibuchi & Shinya Tsukamoto includes Eiji Okada (Hiroshima Mon Amour, Lady Snowblood), Sumiko Sakamoto (The Ballad of Narayama, Escape from Japan), Kiyotaka Nanbara (Death Note: L Change the WorLd, Labyrinth of Cinema), and Shiro Sano (To Sleep So as to Dream, Violent Cop). The film was theatrically released in Japan in March 1995.
The Trap (罠 THE TRAP) is the third & final film in the trilogy released in 1996. The staff credits joining director & writer Kaizô Hayashi include the same writer, music composers and cinematographer from the previous film.
“The ominous final chapter THE TRAP (1996) straddles the line of psychological horror as a series of drug-fueled murders instill fear in Yokohama.”
Plot Synopsis via Third Window Films, October 2025.
The cast of the film alongside Masatoshi Nagase, Joe Shishido, Haruko Wanibuchi & Shiro Sano includes Yui Natsukawa (Shikoku, Still Walking), Tomoko Yamaguchi (Ponyo, Swallowtail Butterfly), Tetta Sugimoto (Departures, Pornostar), and Akaji Maro (Kill Bill, Suicide Club). The film was theatrically released in Japan in May 1996.
About Third Window Films:
Third Window Films is an independent UK distributor for Asian Cinema, primarily releasing Japanese films. Their line-up features a variety of films of all genres from notable directors including Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Vital), Nobuhiko Obayashi (the Anti-War Trilogy, School in the Crosshairs), Toshiaki Toyoda (9 Souls, Blue Spring), Shinji Sōmai (Love Hotel, Typhoon Club), Gakuryū Ishii (The Box Man, Electric Dragon 80.000V), Shin’ichirō Ueda (One Cut of the Dead), Toshiharu Ikeda (Mermaid Legend, Scent of a Spell), Junta Yamaguchi (Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes) and Katsuhito Ishii (Funky Forest, Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl).
The distributor is smaller than 88 Films, Arrow Video, Eureka Entertainment and Radiance Films, but continues to provide more variety of Japanese films, both newer and older, to newer audiences. As of the time of this post, their upcoming releases will include Yuriyan Retriever’s Mag Mag, Toshiaki Toyoda’s Transcending Dimensions, Katsuhito Ishii, Shunichiro Miki & Hajime Ishimine’s Funky Forest: The Second Contact, a majority of the Angel Guts films in a single box set from directors Takashi Ishii, Toshiharu Ikeda, Noboru Tanaka & Chūsei Sone, and two very obscure early 2000s J-Horror cult films that have yet to be revealed.
Limited Edition Contents:
Similar to previous limited edition box sets from Third Window Films, Kaizô Hayashi’s Maiku Hama Trilogy bundles the films in a digipack package with an o-card slipcase. No rigid texture but does the job if you need to save a bit of space on the shelf.
Inside the digipack are three Blu-ray discs and a short 8-page booklet featuring an essay written by Josh Slater-Williams called “No Mere Imitation: The Maiku Hama Trilogy and Kaizô Hayashi as Postmodern Auteur”.
The SRP is £49.99 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. I pre-ordered my copy from retailer Terracotta Store alongside a few other titles.
Physical Contents:
- O-card slipcase with digipack packaging
- 8-page Booklet by Josh Slater-Williams
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Third Window Films
Released: 27th October 2025
The limited edition release for Kaizô Hayashi’s Maiku Hama Trilogy contains all three films spread across three 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 | The Most Terrible Time in My Life, The Stairway to the Distant Past, The Trap: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 |
| Video | The Most Terrible Time in My Life, The Stairway to the Distant Past, The Trap: 1080p High Definition Native format 2.35:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | B |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 3 BD-50s |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 1: The Most Terrible Time in My Life
- Jasper Sharp Audio Commentary
- Director Kaizo Hayashi Interview (28:46 runtime)
- Producer Shunsuke Koga Interview (13:28 runtime)
- Trailer (02:32 runtime)
Disc 2: The Stairway to the Distant Past
- Edmund Yeo Selected Scene Audio Commentary (20:02 runtime)
- Matthew Carter Video Essay (14:06 runtime)
- Trailer (01:54 runtime)
Disc 3: The Trap
- Samm Deighan Audio Commentary
- From Memphis to Yokohama – James Balmont Video Essay (20:45 runtime)
- Trailer (01:29 runtime)
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Kaizô Hayashi’s Maiku Hama Trilogy is available to purchase on Blu-ray by Third Window Films for the UK & Ireland.
The limited edition Blu-ray release can be bought from retailers Terracotta Store, Amazon UK, HMV, and Zavvi.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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