BD 337-338 Cloud / Charisma: Two Films by Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Message

#1 Post by **Finch** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 1:01 pm

SYNOPSIS
A revered auteur noted for his deliberate pacing and haunting, methodical style, Kiyoshi Kurosawa is the celebrated filmmaker behind a string of modern classics, including Cure, Pulse, Tokyo Sonata and Creepy. Collected here are two more great works by this master of psychological cinema: Charisma and Cloud.

Charisma follows Goro Yabuike (Koji Yakusho, Cure), an overworked police officer who leaves his job behind after he fails to resolve a hostage situation, resulting in the deaths of both a high-profile politician and his captor. Reeling from this incident, he seeks solitude in a mountain forest, where he finds himself at the centre of a conflict over an enigmatic tree that the locals have named “Charisma.” In Cloud, factory worker Ryosuke Yoshii (Masaki Suda, Wilderness) quits his job to pursue a new career as an unscrupulous online reseller, becoming increasingly ruthless as he turns a profit from desperate customers. Eventually, though, those customers have had enough of being ripped off by Yoshii – and go looking for him to exact their revenge.

Made 25 years apart, Charisma and Cloud illustrate the singular vision of one of Japan’s most talented working filmmakers. Following previous releases of Tokyo Sonata, Journey to the Shore, Cure and Creepy, the Masters of Cinema series is proud to present two more of Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s films on Blu-ray, both making their debuts on UK home video.

SPECIAL FEATURES
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju) [2000 copies]
Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on Charisma and Cloud by East Asian film expert and Midnight Eye co-founder Tom Mes [2000 copies]
Limited Edition Exclusive Bonus Disc: Cloud [2000 copies]
1080p HD presentations of both films across two Blu-ray discs
Original Japanese audio (Uncompressed LPCM 2.0 for Charisma, DTS-HD MA 5.1 for Cloud)
Optional English subtitles, revised for this release
New audio commentaries on both Charisma and Cloud by Japanese cinema expert Jonathan Wroot
A Cerebral Cinema – new video essay exploring the work of Kiyoshi Kurosawa by Japanese cinema expert Joe Hickinbottom
Original theatrical trailers

JSC · #2 Post by **JSC** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 1:42 pm

Including Charisma gives this release the edge

dadaistnun · #3 Post by **dadaistnun** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 1:56 pm

Yessss! A weird pairing, but I'll take it.

#4 Post by **Finch** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 2:03 pm

Cover and specs are up. I noticed that Cloud is listed as a bonus disc.

Limited Edition Exclusive Bonus Disc: Cloud [2000 copies]

#5 Post by **swo17** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 2:50 pm

dadaistnun wrote: Thu Oct 23, 2025 1:56 pm Yessss! A weird pairing, but I'll take it.

Presumably just for the alliteration?

Michael Kerpan · #6 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 3:27 pm

Sounds like an essential release. The long-ago DVD of Charisma looked pretty bad. I wonder what a well-done, restored BluRay release will look like?

beamish14 · #7 Post by **beamish14** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 3:28 pm

JSC wrote: Thu Oct 23, 2025 1:42 pmIncluding Charisma gives this release the edge

Absolutely. I love it more than Pulse, that’s for certain

rapta · #8 Post by **rapta** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 6:46 pm

Would've bought Charisma on its own, but adding Cloud has made this an immediate no-brainer. Really want to see both films, and will be conveniently sold together.

Zot! · #9 Post by **Zot!** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 8:21 pm

Awesome, I'm glad for this package, even if Cloud didn't do too much for me...a terrific double feature.

#10 Post by **Matt** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 8:41 pm

I'm a little concerned by the absence of any note regarding restoration or a new transfer for Charisma. I suppose we might get a sense of the quality from the forthcoming release trailer.

criterionsnob · #11 Post by **criterionsnob** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 8:45 pm

They already released a trailer for the two films today. Charisma looks okay, but maybe like a dated HD master. It's hard to tell from YouTube.

#12 Post by **Matt** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 8:48 pm

It looks much better than I was expecting!

#13 Post by **mfunk9786** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 8:57 pm

Still didn't have the Cure UHD, so this was an easy preorder along with that.

Michael Kerpan · #14 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Thu Oct 23, 2025 10:41 pm

I agree with Matt -- Charisma looks unbelievably better.

pistolwink · #15 Post by **pistolwink** » Fri Oct 24, 2025 1:14 am

Cloud is a really good movie, too. Constantly swerves in unexpected directions, and sometimes very funny. I can't decide if it's more misanthropic or moralistic, but it's very nasty. Hard to believe this guy is still at the top of his game after > 40(!) years of making features.

pzadvance · #16 Post by **pzadvance** » Fri Oct 24, 2025 8:22 am

Wow, what a great combo! Charisma is one of his most enigmatic and obtuse films, whereas Cloud is one of his most enjoyable. A funny pairing but I'm thrilled about it, didn't expect that Charisma would be on the top of anyone's list for a proper release. Instant pre-order for me

Michael Kerpan · #17 Post by **Michael Kerpan** » Fri Oct 24, 2025 1:44 pm

I have been waiting so long for a visually decent version of Charisma. I had almost given up all hope.

Aunt Peg · #18 Post by **Aunt Peg** » Fri Oct 24, 2025 1:46 pm

Ordered.

dadaistnun · #19 Post by **dadaistnun** » Thu Nov 20, 2025 5:45 pm

The individual covers:

Site Menu