The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 8, 2020

Note: This version of this film is available as part of Solid Metal Nightmares: The Films of Shinya Tsukamoto.

There are two names which American film fans may need either outright introductions to or at least reminders about when coming to Solid Metal Nightmares: The Films of Shinya Tsukamoto. The first name is that of Shinya Tsukamoto himself, a fascinating cult figure with a rather long and impressive filmography as a producer, director, actor, writer, editor, cinematographer, production designer and art director (one assumes if the IMDb had a tab for craft services contributions, he'd be listed there, too), but who is still kind of curiously unknown by the general public at large on this side of the pond. The other name that may come into play with regard to this handsome new set released for the North American market by Arrow is Third Window Films, a label that releases Blu-rays in the United Kingdom and which has in fact put out previous editions of several of the Tsukamoto films Arrow has included in this set. For that reason, fans or at least those interested in “comparison studies” are encouraged to visit our listings for the Third Window Films’ releases of Tetsuo: The Iron Man / Tetsuo II: Body Hammer, Tokyo Fist, Bullet Ballet, A Snake of June, and Kotoko, not just for Svet Atanasov’s thoughts about each of the films, but also to be able to do side by side looks at screenshots as well as to size up supplemental features on each release. (A sixth film offered in this set from Arrow, The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo, looks like it's included as a supplement on Third Windows' double feature offering the two Tetsuo films.) The Arrow set does at least offer ten films in one nicely aggregated and designed package which includes a rather beautiful hardback book, which may at least recommend the set to those trying to save a little shelf space, if nothing else.

The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo continues (or perhaps more accurately began, given that this experimental film came out before Tetsuo: The Iron Man) Tsukamoto’s frankly weird obsession with people becoming one with metal, but in this case he doesn’t really offer any transformation per se, instead positing a young boy named who just so happens to have what looks like the remnants of an electric utility pole growing out of his back. This understandably makes him the victim of bullying by those without such accoutrements, but some respite arrives in the form of a girl who accepts this kid for who (what?) he is.

This is actually relatively straightforward within the context of a Tsukamoto offering, but things of course turn even more surreal with a time travelling aspect and what can only be described as samurai vampires. This is a “smaller” film from Tsukamoto both in terms of its running time and its source format (8mm), no doubt due in part to its early genesis in Tsukamoto's career, but it still has Tsukamoto’s almost patented blend of cyberpunk plot elements with absolutely bizarre imagery.

The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Arrow's insert book offers only very generic data on all of the transfers in this set, with aspect ratios (at times misstated) and audio data detailed, and with a simple statement that the "high definition masters were provided by Nikkatsu Corporation". While this was evidently included as a supplement on Third Windows Film's release of the first two Tetsuo films, Svet's review doesn't contain any screenshots, but as with those main features, I'm assuming this master probably dates from the same 2012 timeframe of Svet's reviews of those main features. Shot on 8mm and almost drowning in the blue tones that Tsukamoto often tends to favor, this is a commendably organic looking presentation that still doesn't offer a wealth of fine detail. Some of the outdoor material looks like contrast has been pushed, leading to slightly blooming whites. There are some very appealing pops of color in the generally blue ambience of the film (see screenshot 4), and grain, while pretty gritty, resolves without any issues.

The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo features a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track in the original Japanese that is not quite as developed in terms of sound design as Tsukamoto's later feature length productions, but which still offer the auteur's typical assaulting blend of sound effects, weird clanging "music" and occasional dialogue. It does appear that this short was entirely post looped and so "sync is loose", as they say.

The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As can be seen in the last screenshot accompanying this review, this disc offers three films. I'm listing all of the supplements on the disc, since while some supplements are ostensibly specific to one feature, there's still a certain amount of spillover.

• Audio Commentary on Tetsuo: The Iron Man by Tom Mes


• Audio Commentary on Tetsuo II: Body Hammer by Tom Mes


• Audio Commentary on The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo by Tom Mes


• An Assault on the Senses (1080p; 16:31) is a really appealing visual essay by Jasper Sharp that covers a lot of material, and is an especially good starting point for those not already overly familiar with Tsukamoto.


• Archival Interviews with Shinya Tsukamoto can offer interstitial text questions followed by Tsukamoto's answers. In Japanese with English subtitles:

  Tetsuo and Tetsuo II (1080p; 18:57)

  
  

  The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo (1080p; 5:48)

• Trailers

  Tetsuo: The Iron Man Original Japanese Trailer (1080i; 3:00)

  
  

  Tetsuo II Original Japanese Trailer (1080i; 3:18) looks like it's sourced from old video with some tracking problems at the bottom of the frame.

  
  Tetsuo I and II UK Trailer (1080p; 2:00)

• Image Galleries

  Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1080p; 1:40)

  
  

  Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1080p; 1:10)

  
  

  The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo (1080p; 00:30)

The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While what might be thought of as a "student film", The Adventure of Denchu-Kozo finds Tsukamoto already delving into both visual and audio approaches he would continue to exploit for the next several years. This is another odd, hallucinatory experience that is completely unique and often bracingly visceral, even if it has even more of a "lo fi" ambience than some of Tsukamoto's other, later works. Technical merits are generally solid (given an understanding of the source elements), and the supplementary package very interesting, for those who are considering a purchase.