Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Great Yokai War Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 7, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Yokai Monsters Collection.

Louis Malle's 1958 film The Lovers has nary a spirit or monster in it, and yet it provides a kind of interesting entrée into the world (or at least the term) of yōkai. In one of the more contentious and perhaps even weirdly amusing decisions ever handed down by the Supreme Court, in a 1964 case known as Jacobellis v. Ohio the Court famously (some might say infamously) reversed some lower court decisions in Ohio which had held a theater owner liable for exhibiting "pornography" when he screened the sexually provocative Malle opus. While the vote was a relatively lopsided six to three in favor of reversing the theater owner's conviction, there was absolutely no agreement among the justices as to why the film wasn't obscene, or tangentially why the state could or could not regulate what kinds of "pornography" could be shown. In a phrase which has since entered the public vernacular, Justice Potter Stewart, in trying to explain his rationale for deeming The Lovers as not being pornography, perhaps hemmed and hawed just a bit, before announcing that while there may not be an all encompassing or agreed upon definition of what or what not constitutes so-called hard core pornography, "I know it when I see it" (which of course may beg the question as to what kind of material Potter was watching in his spare time, and, yes, that's a joke). In somewhat the same way, there seem to be about as many definitions of yōkai as there are people offering those definitions, and in fact both the insert booklet and a number of supplements included on the discs in this set offer various interpretations of what exactly yōkai are. While there may indeed be no ultimate agreement on the term, the often whimsically entrancing films included in Arrow's set may help viewers to "know it (and/or them) when they see it (and/or them)".

Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare was evidently released under the title The Great Yokai War, and that's just one of several tethers between that film and this one, though the fact that this is a Takashi Miike outing may be the most relevant data point. One of the perceived deficits younger viewers in particular may have with the three original sixties films is their "old school" effects, and Miike, who frequently turns his visual sensibilities "up to 11" (so to speak), delivers a carnival of visions in this film which may help to distract from a somewhat disjointed narrative (something else that can sometimes be a Miike "tradition").

The hero of this story is a young boy named Tadashi (Ryûnosuke Kamiki), who is pitted against arch-villain Katō (Etsushi Toyokawa), who rather interestingly is almost like some of the yōkai in the sixties era films in that he's discouraged by "modern" Japan's lack of fealty to tradition and observance. Of course, being an arch-villain means he doesn't have particularly genial ideas on how to respond to the situation. The fact that this is a Miike film may alert viewers acquainted with Miike about the manic energy levels on display, as well as some more overtly disturbing elements that show up and which probably make this the least suitable film in the set for younger children. Even some of the emotional subtext here, including a sidebar involving Tadashi's parents, make this a bit of a calamitous undertaking at times.

The Great Yokai War Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Yokai Monsters: Along with Ghosts is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Arrow's insert booklet aggregates all of the films in this set together on its page devoted to information on the transfers:

100 Monsters, Spook Warfare, and Along with Ghosts are presented in their original 2.35:1 aspect ratios with their original mono soundtracks.

The Great Yokai War is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with its original 5.1 Japanese soundtrack as well as a 5.1 English dub track.

The High Definition masters for 100 Monsters, Along with Ghosts, and The Great Yokai War were supplied to Arrow Films by Kadokawa Pictures; Spook Warfare was restored in 4K resolution by Kadokawa Pictures and supplied to Arrow Films.

Additional optimization on all four films was completed at R3Store Studios, London.

Miike shot The Great Yokai War on 35mm, but he at least had the virtues of CGI to aid in the special effects department, and the result is a generally very nicely detailed offering that preserves a filmic texture while supporting excellent detail levels on practical items and very good to excellent levels on some of the CGI. A kind of almost post-Apocalyptic fervor is on hand in some of the presentational aspects, which can highlight hellish reds, oranges and purples. The kind of fuzzy fur balls at the center of the story are decently rendered, though some of the "group" shots don't seem to offer consistent detail at times. While grain resolves naturally for the most part, there are a few passing moments that have something approaching the "mottled" look I mentioned in our Yokai Monsters: Along with Ghosts Blu-ray review, though not anywhere near the degree seen in that presentation. My score is 4.25.

The Great Yokai War Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Great Yokai War features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks in either Japanese or English, and an additional Japanese track in LPCM 2.0. The two surround tracks sounded quite similar to me in terms of overall mix as I toggled between them, but as usual, my recommendation is to stick with the original language track unless you can't stand reading subtitles. This is more of a special effects extravaganza than the sixties era films, and as such the surround tracks have intermittently showy effects which can offer noticeable pans or discrete channelization, along with bursts of LFE. Dialogue, score and effects are all presented without any problems whatsoever. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Great Yokai War Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary by Tom Mes


• Interviews with the Cast

  Hiroyuki Miyasako as Sada (HD; 5:42)

  
  

  Masaomi Kondo as Shoujou (HD; 5:59)

  
  

  Sadao Abe as Kawataro (HD; 6:41)

  
  

  Mai Takahashi as Kawahime (HD; 6:44)

  
  

  Takashi Okamura as Azuki-arai (HD; 6:14)

  
  

  Bunta Sugawara as Shuntaro Ino (HD; 4:44)

  
  

  Chiaki Kuriyama as Agi (HD; 6:28)

  
  

  Kiyoshiro Imawano as Nurarihyon (HD; 3:20)

  
  

  Etsushi Toyokawa as Yasunori Kato (HD; 4:48)

  
  Note: All of the above are in Japanese with English subtitles. Several of these feature the actors in their makeup and/or costumes, which is kind of delightful.

• Interviews with the Crew

  Takashi Miike (Director) (HD; 12:16)

  
  

  Junya Inouse (Yokai Design) (HD; 5:52)

  
  

  Tomo Hyakutake (Yokai Design and Molding) (HD; 4:25)

  
  

  Yuichi Matsui (Yokai Special Make-up) (HD; 4:25)

  
  

  Hisashi Sasaki (Art Director) (HD; 4:24

  
  

  Yasushi Nirasawa & Takayuki Takeya (Yokai Design) (HD; 3:30)

  
  

  Kaori Otagaki (CGI Director) (HD; 6:27)

  
  Note: All of the above are in Japanese with English subtitles.

• Short Drama of Yokai

  Episode 1: Whose Hotcakes Are These? (HD; 6:03)

  
  

  Episode 2: Who's the Most Annoying? (HD; 7:45)

  
  Note: Both shorts are in Japanese with English subtitles.

• Another Story of Kawatoro

  Part One (HD; 6:32)

  
  

  Part Two (HD; 10:25)

  
  Note: Both parts are in Japanese with English subtitles.

• World Yokai Conference (HD; 13:07) is a kind of Comiccon Q&A session. In Japanese with English subtitles.


• Promotional Events

  Announcement Event (HD; 7:40)

  
  

  Press Conference (HD; 3:43)

  
  

  Premiere (HD; 6:09)

  
  Note: All of the above are in Japanese with English subtitles.

• Documentary of Ryunosuki Kamiki (HD; 27:19) includes footage from the Venice Film Festival where this screened. In Japanese with English subtitles.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:44)


• Image Gallery (HD)

The Great Yokai War Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Takashi Miike can be an acquired taste, but I have to say within the overall confines (if that's the right word, all things considered) of Miike's filmography, this is a relatively restrained outing, but one that perhaps derives its appreciation from being seen in the context of the other films in this set, rather than as a standalone property. Technical merits are solid, and this disc comes with some of the more bounteous supplements. Recommended.