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AnimEigo's release of Zatoichi's Conspiracy,
the last film in the long running Zatoichi series to
go through Toho, is sadly not up to snuff with the company's
many other releases. The video presentation here is
all right, but lacks the normal polish one associates
with the company, while the audio presentation on the
disc is lacking slightly as well, and the extras are
kind of standard fare for a AnimEigo release, which
is still better than what's seen on most other region
1 Toho DVDs though.
Video:
The video presentation on this disc, while not bad,
seems rather meek when stacked up to AnimEigo's other
DVDs. Like with Zatoichi
Meets the One-Armed Swordsman, the company's
usual vibrant array of colors are mostly gone. Instead
the disc "boasts" more monotone shades, while
the colors overall appear to have a slight brown tint
to them, most noticeable during the main title of the
film (seen
here). It's not the only flaw, though, as the brightness
level is also set too low here, making some scenes hard
to distinguish details during. In regards to digital
inconsistencies, artifacting isn't a huge problem, although
the film appears more blurred on this release than it
should. As for the print used in the transfer, which
is the film's original Japanese version, it's thankfully
in great condition. Hardly any grain is visible during
the course of the movie, removed painstakingly by AnimEigo
as with their other discs; furthermore, there are no
visible scratches during the course of the film. Zatoichi's
Conspiracy is also presented here in its original
aspect ratio of 2.35:1, or widescreen, and is Anamorphic
for widescreen TVs.
Audio:
The DVD, according to the cover, includes a stereo presentation
of the movie, although that's debatable. On all accounts,
the presentation sounds more like a mono track, failing
to have any notable speaker distinction through out
the film. Even the explosions sound notably flat, although
they are stock Toho sound effects. Akira
Ifukube's score also sounds scratchy during the
main title, although for the rest of the film it sounds
fine, more or less. On the bright side, AnimEigo has
complemented the Japanese audio track here with English
subtitles that are color coded (yellow, green, and red)
to signify when more than one character is talking during
a scene. Like other AnimEigo DVDs, the subtitles can
be toggled on and off, and are available in two varieties:
a general one, and one which provides definitions for
words which apply to Japanese customs or alternate translations
that might apply.
Extras:
The disc boasts AnimEigo's standard selection of extras,
which are adequate, but not much stands out here save
the trailers. In total, there are four trailers on the
DVD: Zatoichi Meets the One-armed Swordsman,
Lady
Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance, Lone
Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell, and
the film's own trailer. "Program Notes", which
can be found on the disc itself and in print format,
provide background information on the time period that
the Zatoichi series is set and a further explanation
on some of the Japanese customs or references that occur
during the film. Also present are ten character biographies,
which are rather generic and serve no distinct purpose
after one has seen the film, but they are a quick reference
source so one can't complain.
Overview:
Bottom line, Zatoichi's Conspiracy is far from
a bad release, but it's a rather large let down when
compared with AnimEigo's early selection of excellent
titles.
This disc is also featured in the box set: Zatoichi
The Blind Swordsman: DVD Collector's Edition Box.
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