Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Shikoku Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 23, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the J-Horror Rising set from Arrow Video.

When a set like J-Horror Rising offers someone like the venerable Tom Mes freely detailing how at least some elements that combined to create what is commonly called J-Horror (at least vis a vis J-Horror as it's about to be defined, below) might be likened to American B movies or even direct to video or made for television efforts, there may be a bit of a subliminal warning to be gleaned, all of which is to say, perhaps expectations need to be reasonably set when approaching some and potentially all of the films in this set. Mes unabashedly lists Ringu (the original Japanese Ring film, for the uninitiated) as a defining J-Horror landmark, at least within the context of the films offered here, in that none of these films probably could be imagined and almost certainly wouldn't have been made without the influence of the celebrated Hideo Nakata outing. It's also salient to note that several of the films in this collection were first exhibited as the "down ticket" item on "double features", sometimes not so coincidentally under main attractions like Ringu 2 and/or Ringu 0. As Mes overtly mentions in his overview of J-Horror included in this set, the wake left by Ringu was wide, but it wasn't particularly deep, at least as evidenced by how quickly this particular "rage" ebbed, and so as such even the Rising part of the title of this collection might be slightly misleading, since as Mes describes, by the time these offerings came along, things may have already been fading.

Note: Those interested in this release may want to also check out Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories, from Radiance, which is streeting the same day as this collection.

J-Horror Rising arguably gets off to a somewhat languid start with Shikoku, a ghost story of sorts that actually is almost more of a melodrama than it is a scare-a-thon. As Tom Mes gets into in both his commentary and the general overview of J-Horror included on this disc as a supplement, there's a folkloristic aspect to the film that may be its most evocative aspect, but it also has an unavoidably elegiac tone that tends to concentrate on death and loss, aside and apart from any "haunting" activity that may be ongoing. In a rather odd way, Shikoku reminded me at times of Rebecca, in that the "presence" of a dead former partner informs a newly developing relationship between two prospective new lovers. In this case, however, young woman Hinako Myoujin (Yui Natsukawa) and young man Fumiya Akizawa (Michitaka Tsutsui) had actually known each other as children, and have become reacquainted as adults when Hinako moves back to her hometown in rural Shikoku.

In the intervening years, it turns out that a third childhood friend of the pair, a young girl named Sayori Hiura (Chiaki Kuriyama), had drowned, leaving Sayori's priestess mother Teruko (Toshie Negishi) understandably distraught and performing some kind of unknown ritual. As Hinako and Fumiya rekindle their friendship (and maybe beyond), Sayori seems to be dropping by for some spectral visits. The film finally gets to its none too surprising "reveal" vis a vis what exactly Teruko has been up to, which then leads to an equally predictable if at least passably bittersweet finale.

The biggest issue confronting Shikoku may be preconceptions about this being a "J-horror" movie to begin with. Yes, there's a kind of ghost, and, yes, she emerges from water and has at least intermittently straggly hair covering her face, but none of that is really "relevant" to the film's story or its mood in the same way those tropes are utilized in the better known offerings in this curious (sub?)genre. The film does much better in its examination of loss and regret, though that makes the whole supernatural side of the story irrelevant in its own way.

Shikoku Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shikoku is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following minimal information on the transfer:

The films in this collection were remastered in high definition and supplied by Kadokawa.

Shikoku is presented in 1.85:1 with 5.1 and stereo sound. Additional remastering work was completed by R3Store Studios, London.

This is a somewhat variant looking transfer than can show some observable differences in everything from color timing to clarity to grain resolution, though I suspect some of these changes were part of the crew's intention in order to help craft a spookier ambience. Even given that hypothesis, though, there are some curious ranges of clarity that can be spotted in even the same sequence, or alternately between sequences. Some of the outdoor material in particular is pretty rough looking, with a grittier grain field and an overall darker look that tends to also mask shadow detail. Other, more brightly lit, outdoor material can actually offer decent detail levels and a more accurate accounting of the palette (see screenshot 1).

Shikoku Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Shikoku features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 options in the original Japanese. The film benefits from some quasi-ritualistic elements that include either chanting or even music, and those moments are at least marginally opened up in the surround track. There's quite a bit of outdoor material here (if you count what seems to be a cavern as "outside"), and many scenes have subtle but discernable surround activity courtesy of ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Shikoku Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Tom Mes


• The Aftermath (HD; 23:53) features Tom Mes again, giving an insightful analysis of trends in Japanese horror after Ringu took the world by storm.


• Something in the Water (HD; 22:54) features director Shunichi Nagasaki discussing the making of Shikoku. Subtitled in English.


• Archive Interview with Shunichi Nagasaki (HD; 3:47) is subtitled in English.


• Archive Interview with Chiaki Kuriyama (HD; 2:15) is subtitled in English.


• Archive Interview with Yui Natsukawa (HD; 3:34) is subtitled in English.


• On the Set of Shikoku (HD; 3;27) is subtitled in English.


• Trailers and Tv Spots

  Original Theatrical Trailer for Ring 2 and Shikoku Double Bill (HD; 1:25)

  
  

  Shikoku TV Spot 1 (HD; 00:18)

  
  

  Shikoku TV Spot 2 (HD; 00:38)

• Image Gallery (HD)

Shikoku Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's a suitably elegiac tone to a lot of Shikoku, but for whatever reason, it just never connects completely, even given not one, but potentially four, characters who are all tragic in their own ways. Technical merits are generally solid, with some caveats mentioned above, and the supplements on this disc featuring Tom Mes are really outstanding, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.