6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
An adaptation of Hinako Sugiura’s cult manga, a beautiful story revolving around O-Ei, daughter of master painter Hokusai. The director of the exquisite "Colorful" created this portrayal of a family and an age, the era of the city of Edo during the early 19th century. And it also fulfills a major challenge with flying colors: to turn the pictures by the author of "The Great Wave of Kanagawa" into animated images.
Starring: Anne Watanabe, Kengo Kora, Gaku Hamada, Michitaka Tsutsui, Yutaka MatsushigeForeign | 100% |
Anime | 87% |
Fantasy | 15% |
Comic book | 12% |
Drama | 2% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Miss Hokusai isn't a traditional film with a traditional point-to-point narrative arc. It's instead a simple exploration of life and art in olden Japan. Based on a Manga, itself based on real individuals, it explores the lives of two artists, Hokusai and his daughter, Katsushika Ōi, herself a talented artist forced to work behind the scenes and under her father's name and fame. The somewhat loose plot follows Ōi as she travels about and seeks to escape from her father's shadow and find success and respect for her own work, but the movie seems tailored more towards both a casual tale of life in its time and the search for freedom from tradition and for expression and the tangible spirit within art itself. It's very well done, though it might alienate some viewers given its departure from more traditional structure and plotting.
The secret artist.
Miss Hokusai's 1080p Blu-ray presentation looks marvelous. The image struggles with some very light, nearly imperceptible, and very infrequent banding. Lines are occasionally a little uneven, but seemingly at the source. Otherwise, the animation is crisp. Details are impressive along a diverse range of elements, such as clothes, woods, decorations, and of course artwork. The image is clean and well defined throughout the frame; it's never soft or smudgy or lacking in any apparent textural delights. Colors are bold and rich. Blue skies are a major standout, as are an assortment of reds. Various colors on clothes, decorations, and environments impress. The palette is bold and diverse and never wanting for more saturation or finely tuned contrast. Blacks are fine and beyond the trace banding the image shows no other eyesore of note. Fans of the film and the style should be delighted.
Miss Hokusai's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack excels in all areas. Music is rich and wide. It features balanced wrap into the backs, boasts excellent instrumental definition, and offers a supportive low end weight as needed. The track is filled with small atmospheric support pieces. Whether lightly jingling bells, chirping birds, or gently falling rain, the track consistently positions and presents its environmental effects with positive clarity and definition. More powerful gusts of wind and some of the more chaotic moments of frenzied sound enjoy excellent balance throughout the stage and, again, a well defined low end. Dialogue is well prioritized, clear, and naturally positioned in the center channel. This disc contains both english and Japanese language tracks of the same lossless configuration. Beyond, of course, the language, there doesn't appear to be any perceptible differences between the tracks; music and effects seem at the same volume and clarity when alternating between and comparing them.
Miss Hokusai contains one supplement of note, a making-of that's longer than the movie itself. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a
UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase.
Miss Hokusai is a great movie. It's a little -- a lot -- different, sure, but it's a very rewarding watching experience that challenges the viewer to think a bit outside the more traditional cinematic and narrative boxes and gradually come to appreciate the movie's fine-tuned character and world exploration and its deeper, more insightful themes and structure, not to mention its commentary on art. It's nicely animated and voiced in both languages. Universal's Blu-ray contains only one special feature of note, but it's a nearly two-hour making-of. Video and audio are excellent. Highly recommended.
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