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AnimEigo's release of Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed
Swordsman, the 22nd film in the long running Zatoichi
series. As one can expect from AnimEigo, we are given
another solid release here that would rank up there
as one of the best Toho DVDs on the market. The video
presentation, while not AnimEigo's best, is still done
well here, and the audio presentation is also faithful
to the source material; the extras are kind of standard
for a AnimEigo release, with a small addition thrown
in this time, but are still adequate.
Video:
This DVD marks another excellent video transfer
from AnimEigo, although clearly not the best the company
has done. Gone in Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman
is the vibrant array of colors for which AnimEigo has
become known so well for, replaced this time around
with more monotone shades. It's the only flaw on this
release, though, and thankfully the brightness level
is set just right here, unlike AnimEigo's Lady
Snowblood release. Like all of AnimEigo's Toho
DVDs, the disc is devoid of any noticeable digital inconstancies,
and the film looks pretty sharp. The print used for
the DVD transfer is also in perfect condition, with
no noticeable scratches at all during the course of
the film. Very little grain is present as well, reportedly
removed painstakingly by AnimEigo themselves. Zatoichi
Meets the One-Armed Swordsman is also presented
here in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, or widescreen,
and is Anamorphic for widescreen TVs.
Audio:
The DVD includes the a 2.0 stereo audio track that,
although, due to the lack of speaker distinction, sounds
for all purposes to be a mono track. Thankfully, though,
Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman's score,
done by Isao Tomita, never hits those shrill notes to
the point where the audio track sounds scratchy, a problem
apparent on the Lone Wolf and Cub DVDs. Overall,
the audio track is done very well here, with dialogue
and sound effects coming through clear, although, as
expected with a mono release, the audio has very little
range in terms of the sounds. AnimEigo has complemented
the Japanese audio track here with English subtitles
that are color coded 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.
Extras:
Another standard selection of extras from AnimEigo are
included with this release. Which means a group of four
trailers, this time the trailers to Lone
Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance (how many releases
have this one, now?), Lady
Snowblood (a pleasant surprise as it was absent
on the film's own DVD), Lady Snowblood: Love Song
of Vengeance, and the film's own trailer. "Program
Notes", which are absent from this release in print
form unlike others, provide background information on
the time period that the Zatoichi series is set.
Also, as a added bonus for this release, AnimEigo has
thrown together 10 character bios for characters from
the film.
Overview:
Bottom line, Zatoichi Meets the One-Armed Swordsman
is another great DVD from AnimEigo in most regards.
Fans of the Zatoichi series, or the "Samurai"
genre in general, shouldn't hesitate to pick this title
up.
This disc is also featured in the box set: Zatoichi
The Blind Swordsman: DVD Collector's Edition Box.
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