Sister Street Fighter Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Sister Street Fighter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 12, 2019

Note: This version of this film is available as part of Sister Street Fighter Collection.

As if “proof” were needed that female superheroes are a phenomenon to be reckoned with, simply witness the incredible box office returns of 2017’s Wonder Woman and the current (as this review is being published) explosion of Captain Marvel. While it’s arguable as to whether she really fits into the standard mold of a “superhero”, the character who sports the name of Li Koryu in the first three Sister Street Fighter films was literally kicking butt long enough ago that Cathy Lee Crosby had just made her debut in a television movie version of Wonder Woman, one which would soon kinda sorta go on to series with Lynda Carter in the title role, and any lingering memories of Captain Marvel were of a, well, male. As Sonny Chiba gets into in an enjoyable interview included as a supplement with this set, star Etsuko Shihomi was felt by some “experts” not to be “curvy” or “feminine” enough looking to become a star, but Chiba had been immediately struck by Shihomi’s ability to execute virtually any stunt presented to her — instantly. And it is Shihomi’s physicality that helps to energize at least the first three films in this set (Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist is a “sequel” in name only, despite also starring Shihomi. The first two films were released some years ago at the dawn of the Blu- ray age in a double feature that my colleague Ken Brown wasn’t particularly impressed by in the technical department. Arrow is now offering those same two films, to my eyes looking much better than on the BCI disc, along with the two later follow-ups.

While overly complicated plots aren't exactly a staple of any of the Sister Street Fighter films, my colleague Ken Brown gives a bit of an overview of the stories of the first two films in his Sister Street Fighter / Sister Street Fighter II Blu-ray review. That review also provides a good source to compare screenshots between the two Blu-ray releases of the first two films.

Sister Street Fighter Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

All four films in the Sister Street Fighter collection are presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet offers the following brief and pretty generic information on the transfers:

The four films in the Sister Street Fighter series are presented in their original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and with their original mono sound. All four films were remastered in high definition for this release by Toei Company, Ltd.

Sister Street Fighter and Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread both show marked improvements with these new transfers, but both are still occasionally variant in terms of saturation, overall color temperature, stability of some of the text elements, grain structure and damage. Sister Street Fighter can look nicely saturated, especially in terms of blues and reds (helping Koryu's outfit to pop nicely), but there are certain moments, as in the first dojo sequence, where things can look at least relatively less vividly suffused, with a kind of grayish undertone. Other sequences, notably a lot of the dark or even nighttime scenes, can have a slightly bluish look to the blacks, with a resultant lack of shadow detail and at times fairly minimal fine detail. Sharpness and clarity can also vary, with certain moments (circa 47:03 is a good example) looking soft in master shots, but retaining decent sharpness and detail levels in close-ups. Grain can be quite heavy at times, looking especially prevalent in many of the outdoor scenes, where it can attain a slightly chunky, yellowish quality against bright blue skies. Damage is relatively minor, but noticeable (see screenshot 7).

Sister Street Fighter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sister Street Fighter offers LPCM Mono tracks in Japanese and English, and I frankly didn't hear a ton of difference between them in terms of overall amplitude and mixes. I found the voice work in the English language track to actually be distracting, but it along with the Japanese track offer decent fidelity, even if I wouldn't have minded if the upper midrange could have been a bit brighter. The goofy music and sound effects reverberate with occasional force, and dialogue comes through fine, though both tracks have a pretty narrow, even slightly tinny, sound at times. This is the rare Arrow release (in my experience, anyway) that doesn't allow "on the fly" toggling between audio options — you need to access them via the Pop Up Menu and make any changes that way.

Sister Street Fighter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Arrow has packaged this release with the first film on one disc and the other three on a second disc, and so there will probably be some more "generalist" supplements on the first disc in particular which contain content linked to some of the films on the second disc. Therefore, the score above reflects the total package, rather than extras limited in scope to any given particular film.

Disc One

• Sonny Chiba: A Life in Action, Vol. 3 (1080p; 10:10) is an enjoyable 2016 interview with the legend, where he discusses his "action academy" and how he discovered and fostered Etsuko Shihomi.


• Kazuhiko Yamaguchi: Kick Ass Sisters (1080p; 10:06) is another 2016 interview with the director, who discusses some of his films which prominently feature women.


• Masahiro Kaketuda: Subversive Action (1080p; 10:51) is the third 2016 interview of the set, with the co-screenwriter of the first three Sister Street Fighter films.


• Isolated Score Highlights (1080p; 11:43) are presented in LPCM Mono.


• Original Trailer (1080p; 2:47)


• Still and Poster Gallery (1080p; 22:41)


• International Releases

  R Rated Version (1080p; 1:21:13) is a censored English language version which it's stated was the only version available in English speaking territories for 30 years. This comes with a text card warning that film elements could not be located for this version, and so a number of standard definition inserts, typically in moments where English text is utilized (as in the credits) are utilized which are noticeably more ragged looking than the bulk of the presentation.

  
  

  U.S. Trailer (1080p; 2:35)

  
  

  German Opening Titles (1080p; 2:11)

  
  

  German Trailer (1080p; 2:35)

Disc Two

• Isolated Score Highlights are offered in LPCM Mono:

  Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread (1080p; 19:26)

  
  

  Return of the Sister Street Fighter (1080p; 10:15)

• Trailers

  Sister Street Fighter: Hanging by a Thread (1080p; 2:44)

  
  

  Return of the Sister Street Fighter (1080p; 2:57)

  
  

  Sister Street Fighter: Fifth Level Fist (1080p; 2:57)

As tends to be standard operating procedure with this label, Arrow has also provided a nicely appointed insert booklet.

Sister Street Fighter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This first Lady Street Fighter benefits from some really fun and often pretty gonzo fight sequences, and despite some aspersions cast at her early acting ability, Shihomi acquits herself rather well, creating an instantly likable persona and carrying the action set pieces with absolute ease. Technical merits are definitely improved over the previous Blu-ray release, and the total supplemental package quite enjoyable. Recommended.