Young Thugs: Nostalgia: Technical Notes

Technical Notes Technical Notes:
Young Thugs: Nostalgia
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    by John Wallis



The DVD: Artsmagic. Another decent release from the company, whose previous Miike-related releases were The Black Society trilogy, Sabu, and Full Metal Yakuza . Artsmagic are releasing both Miike Young Thug films (Nostalgia and Innocent Blood) which serve as prequels for the first film, simply titled Young Thugs.

Picture: Anamorphic Widescreen. Being products of the "v-cinema" (Japanese direct-to-video) market, the Young Thugs films have some low budget irks. The transfer shows a nice image, with okay color levels, contrast, and sharpness details. In terms of color and sharpness, everything could be slightly more vibrant and the image tends to be a tad bright and soft. Minor edge enhancement and compression is noticeable in a few scenes but not to a degree that it seriously hampers viewing enjoyment. At the very least, the image doesn't have the muddy quality that plagues many Miike v-cinema era DVD transfers, and, having seen all of those releases, I was surprised at how good Nostalgia looked.

Sound: Japanese language, Dolby 2.0 Stereo or 5.1 Surround tracks with optional English subtitles. Pretty standard affair. Dialogue is nice and clean and centered. The music score and fx noise are settled in the rear and side speakers, though not with much stereo fx. Subtitle translation appears quite good with no glaring errors.

Extras: Bio/Filmographies— Takashi Miike Interview (14:44) Good interview with Miike going over basic stuff about the film, like his intention to capture the "small but memorable incidents of youth."— Original Trailer and Video Sleeve Art— Osaka People (9:38) Very interesting travelogue segment detailing facts about Okaska culture, dialect, and local features.

Conclusion: While Miike's films have been making their way onto US shores in increasing numbers, Young Thugs: Nostalgia is a film that didn't even manage, to my knowledge, a bootleg release. So, this release is highly welcome, especially since it turns out to be a superior piece of film making. While it isn't the genre bloodbath he is known for, it is a real charmer.




    by KFC Cinema
    www.kfccinema.com

Artsmagic keeps the ball rolling with another great release of a lesser known Miike gem. With one of the better transfers I’ve seen on an Artsmagic DVD to date, we get a fairly sharp, anamorphic widescreen presentation, with a 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack (with a 2.0 Stereo option as well). The highlight of the special features portion comes in the form of an interview with Miike concerning his reflections on the film, its actors, and Nostalgia in general. Another noteworthy special feature is the inclusion of the original V-Cinema cover in a gallery of sorts, complete with a detailed translation of the entire box’s text.



    by Michael Den Boer



The DVD:
Young Thugs Innocent Blood it presented in an anamorphic widescreen that preserves the films original aspect ratio. The colors are strong as they capture the late 1960's décor and the flesh tones look natural through out. The image is sharp through out with no sign of grain or artifacts the print used for this transfer in excellent shape. This DVD comes with two audio options Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 and Japanese Dolby Digital stereo. For this review I listened to the Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 which makes good use of the surrounds. The dialog is clear and the action is benefited by a dynamic Dolby Digital 5.1 track that has some bite. English subtitles have been included that are easy to read and follow.

Extras include the films original trailer, original sleeve concept art, bios/filmographies for the cast and Takashi Miike. Other extras include a nine minute featurette "Osaka people" about the people and place were the film takes place. Rounding out the extras is a fifteen minute interview with Takashi Miike. Artsmagic gives another lesser known Miike a solid DVD release. Young Thugs Nostalgia like its predecessor Young Thugs Innocent Blood is a character driven film that really showcases Miike's talents as a director.
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