From the makers of Daimajin comes a trilogy of terror ripped from the pages of Japanese folklore, with ghosts and monsters from ancient myths and legends brought to life through stunning special effects, alongside an epic, big-budget reboot of the series from a modern-day master of the macabre. In the first film in the trilogy, 100 Monsters, a greedy slumlord’s attempts to forcefully evict his tenants invite the wrath of the titular spirits when a cleansing ritual is botched, with terrifying results. The second film, Spook Warfare, tells the tale of an evil Babylonian vampire inadvertently awoken by treasure hunters, and a brave samurai that teams with the yokai to defeat the bloodthirsty demon. In the final film, Along with Ghosts (released only 12 months after 100 Monsters), the yokai are roused to defend a little girl on the run from deadly yakuza. Decades later, none other than Takashi Miike (Audition) helmed The Great Yokai War, a loose remake of Spook Warfare that used cutting-edge digital effects to renew the franchise for a new generation. In it, a young boy is given a grave responsibility: to band together with a group of yokai to defend humanity against a vengeful and powerful demon that has sworn retribution against modern-day Japan.
For thoughts on Yokai Monsters Collection, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic here.
For additional thoughts on the collection, check out our discussion on the Homedance Film Festival podcast.
Video Quality
Yokai Monsters Collection comes to Blu-Ray with four films spread over three discs. These films share a lot of the same qualities, so I will mostly be judging them in groups while pointing out noticeable differences when necessary. Masters prepared by the Kadokawa Corporation for these four Japanese films were provided to Arrow Video. Only Spook Warfare was given a 4K restoration with none of the other three films noted as having additional restoration done beyond the standard HD master. Overall, these transfers represent something of a mixed bag in terms of quality. No one presentation in this set represents a 5-star effort, but the quality ranges from good to great. Every film suffers from some form of print damage and other source anomalies, but the severity varies from film to film.
100 Monsters and Along With Ghosts offer a comparable experience that I would deem to be good, but the films have issues that should not be overlooked. These two films handle the basics fairly well such as color saturation, but not all moments are as vibrant as you might hope. Fine detail should be chalked up to middling to strong with some scenes presenting as soft or even a bit unfocused in some shots. The films do still exhibit a bit of wear and tear, and some foggy moments open up to some chunky compression artifacts. The strongest effort overall is not surprisingly Spook Warfare, which is both natural and consistent throughout thanks to its 4K restoration. These films occasionally suffer from instances of black crush or lack of detail in the darkest scenes. Overall these three films are pleasing, but having 4K restorations for all of them would have been even better.
The final film, The Great Yokai War, is another strong effort in terms of quality outside of a few small aspects. The presentation does not struggle with issues of brightness or contrast as all the gorgeous, natural colors come through nicely. This transfer exhibits fine details and textures are rendered quite pleasingly. The CGI can appear a bit dated by modern standards, but this transfer displays it how it was originally intended. The presentation is a huge step up from DVD, and the only area where it falters ever so slightly is when some of the grain looks a bit unnatural. With this said, it is still an easy recommendation for those who love the series. Arrow Video has done a tremendous job with this collection.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray set presents 100 Monsters with an LPCM 1.0 mono track, while Spook Warfare and Along With Ghosts are provided with DTS-HD 1.0 Master Audio Mono tracks in the original Japanese. Dialogue is very clear and easily distinguishable throughout this set of films. These films employ some atmospheric sound effects in the mix that thankfully do not get muddled. The score maintains a pleasing fidelity among these titles, although there does appear to be instances of age related wear and tear at the highest amplitudes. The latter two films are the worst offenders in this respect, but all three have moments that can sound a bit harsh. All three films included in this set have optional English subtitles provided. This series is not an audio powerhouse, but it mostly gets the job done in a pleasing way.
The Great Yokai War is provided with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the original Japanese along with an English dub, plus an LPCM 2.0 track in the original Japanese. The biggest improvement when it comes to this more modern film is the gut-punch of a surround sound audio track that makes certain yokai interactions feel as frightening as it appears to be. While the early three films had to be restrained, this film has monsters flying around the room in the mix, the low end being engaged and environmental effects playing more to establish a core mood. The film employs some atmospheric sound effects in the mix that thankfully do not get muddled. Dialogue is crystal clear and easily distinguishable throughout this one. The music maintains a pleasing fidelity and there does not appear to be many egregious instances of age related wear and tear. The film comes with optional English subtitles. This finale will thrill fans with a good surround system.
Special Features
Disc One – Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters
- Hiding In Plain Sight – A Brief History Of Yokai: A 41-minute documentary featuring experts Matt Alt, Zack Davisson, Kim Newman, Lynda E. Rucker, and Hiroko Yoda in which they discuss the designation of a “yokai”, the development of the yokai as entertainment, how they have been portrayed on screen, kid-friendly version of the characters, different notable yokai archetypes, how they tie into society and more. This is a very entertaining piece which is not to be missed.
- Trailers: This disc provides the Theatrical Trailer (2:16) and the US Re-release Trailer (1:08).
- Image Gallery: A collection of stills, behind-the-scenes photos and marketing material is provided here.
Disc Two – Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare & Along With Ghosts
- Trailers: This disc provides the Theatrical Trailer (2:12) and the US Re-release Trailer (1:55) for Spook Warfare. This disc also provides the Theatrical Trailer (2:13) and the US Re-release Trailer (1:19) for Along With Ghosts.
- Image Gallery: A collection of stills, behind-the-scenes photos and marketing material is provided here for each film.
Disc Three – The Great Yokai War
- Audio Commentary: Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes gives a steady and very informative commentary track in which he delves into the career of Takashi Miike, his transition into mainstream filmmaking, the elements that make this stand out as a Miike film, the themes that are imbued into this film, the depiction of yokai within the film and more.
- Interviews With The Cast: Various members of the cast take a minute to discuss their characters in depth and how they fit into the narrative. These interviews often feature the performers in costume or with makeup on as their characters, and they are all conducted in Japanese with English subtitles.
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- Hiroyuki Miyasako as Sada (5:42)
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- Masaomi Kondo as Shoujou (5:59)
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- Sadao Abe as Kawataro (6:41)
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- Mai Takahashi as Kawahime (6:44)
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- Takashi Okamura as Azuki-arai (6:14)
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- Bunta Sugawara as Shuntaro Ino (4:44)
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- Chiaki Kuriyama as Agi (6:28)
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- Kiyoshiro Imawano as Nurarihyon (3:20)
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- Etsushi Toyokawa as Yasunori Kato (4:48)
- Interviews With The Crew: Various creative figures from the film take some time to discuss their involvement with the movie and how their jobs impact the finished project, along with some impressions of their experience working on the production.
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- Takashi Miike (Director) (12:16)
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- Junya Inouse (Yokai Design) (5:52)
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- Tomo Hyakutake (Yokai Design and Molding) (4:25)
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- Yuichi Matsui (Yokai Special Make-up) (4:25)
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- Hisashi Sasaki (Art Director) (4:24)
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- Yasushi Nirasawa & Takayuki Takeya (Yokai Design) (3:30)
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- Kaori Otagaki (CGI Director) (6:27)
- Short Drama Of Yokai: Two low-rent skits are provided here of some oddball yokai content.
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- Episode 1 – Whose Hotcakes Are These? (6:03)
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- Episode 2 – Who’s The Most Annoying? (7:45)
- Another Story Of Kawatoro: Two shorts featuring the continuing story of the kappa character in the film.
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- Part One (6:32)
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- Part Two (10:25)
- World Yokai Conference: A 13-minute featurette showcasing a publicity event where Miike speaks about the film alongside other members of the creative team. There is a nice sense of spectacle to the event.
- Promotional Events: A series of brief videos detailing the start of production and the release of the film for the media.
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- Announcement Event (7:40)
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- Press Conference (3:43)
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- Premiere (6:09)
- Documentary Of Ryunosuke Kamiki: A 27-minute documentary in which we follow the young star of the film and his journey through production and eventually to the Venice Film Festival.
- Theatrical Trailer: The nearly two-minute trailer is provided here.
- Image Gallery: A collection of stills, behind-the-scenes photos and marketing material is provided here.
Final Thoughts
The Yokai Monsters Collection is a terrific bit of fun that should please anyone with a soft spot for Japanese folklore. The practical effects and costumes that are utilized in the original trilogy make them the more appealing entries, but the Takashi Miike feature has its own commendable elements that will keep you entertained. This depiction of yokai will likely spark a curiosity inside of you that will make you seek out more of this type of amazing content. Arrow Video has bundled these four films together into a Blu-Ray collection featuring a strong A/V presentation and some worthwhile features. Japan has such a rich cinematic history that we are lucky to live in a time where labels are releasing so much in great quality. Do not miss out on this set! Highly Recommended
Yokai Monsters Collection is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.