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After several years spent working almost exclusively in the direct-to-video world of "V-cinema" in Japan, Takashi Miike announced himself as a world-class filmmaking talent with this trio of thematically-connected, character-centric crime stories about violence, the underworld of Japanese society, families both real and surrogate, and the possibly hopeless task of finding one's place in the world. His first films made specifically for theatrical release, and his first for a major studio, the "Black Society Trilogy" was the beginning of Miike's mature career as a filmmaker and they remain among the prolific director's finest works.

Set in the bustling Kabuki-cho nightlife neighborhood of Tokyo, Shinjuku Triad Society follows a mixed-race cop (Kippei Shiina, Outrage) struggling with private issues while hunting a psychotic criminal (Tomorowo Taguchi, Tetsuo the Iron Man) who traffics in children's organs. Rainy Dog, shot entirely in Taiwan, is about an exiled yakuza (Dead or Alive's Show Aikawa) who finds himself saddled with a son he never knew he had and a price on his head after the Chinese gang he works for decides to turn on him. Ley Lines moves from the countryside to the city and back, as three Japanese youths of Chinese descent (including The Raid 2's Kazuki Kitamura) seek their fortune in Tokyo, only to run afoul of a violent gang boss (Naoto Takenaka, The Happiness of the Katakuris).

Three of the most dramatically moving films created by the director, the "Black Society Trilogy" offers clear proof that Miike's frequent pigeonholing as a specialist in bloody spectacle is only one aspect of his filmmaking career, and taken as a whole, the films are among the finest works ever to deal with the way violence and brutality can unexpectedly destroy even the most innocent of lives.

CONTENTS

• High Definition digital transfers of all three films
• Original uncompressed stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles for all three films
• New interview with director Takashi Miike
• New interview with actor Show Aikawa (Rainy Dog, Ley Lines)
• New audio commentaries for all three films by Miike biographer Tom Mes
• Original theatrical trailers for all three films
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon

FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films

This should be especially interesting from the point of view of extra features. Tartan Video released these three films (Shinjuku Triad Society, Rainy Dog and Ley Lines) separately in the UK on DVD in the early 2000s with very few extra features. Then a couple of years later the Artsmagic DVD label bundled the three films together under the Black Society Trilogy name for their US release, which was the definitive one up to this point. I'll be particularly curious to see whether the Tom Mes commentaries for each of the films get carried over to the Arrow edition.

Here are the specs, including (new?) Mes commentaries.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:
•High Definition digital transfers of all three films
•Original uncompressed stereo audio
•Optional English subtitles for all three films
•New interview with director Takashi Miike
•New interview with actor Show Aikawa (Rainy Dog, Ley Lines)
•New audio commentaries for all three films by Miike biographer Tom Mes
•Original theatrical trailers for all three films
•Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Malbon
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films

They could be entirely new, but even the older commentaries would at least be new to the UK market.

colinr0380 wrote:They could be entirely new, but even the older commentaries would at least be new to the UK market.

Apparently they're new (from twitter):

"Up next! I'm providing new audio commentaries for @ArrowFilmsVideo's Black Society trilogy, coming your way in January."

I hope this release ends up earning these films a bigger following. They're not nearly as famous as some of Miike's other work, but they're among his best. Rainy Dog, in particular, is a truly wonderful film - tough but quietly lyrical, and filled with an unshowy, no-nonsense craftsmanship that belies the fact that Miike was basically an upstart at the time. Genre filmmaking doesn't come much better.

kindaikun wrote:

colinr0380 wrote:They could be entirely new, but even the older commentaries would at least be new to the UK market.

Apparently they're new (from twitter):

"Up next! I'm providing new audio commentaries for @ArrowFilmsVideo's Black Society trilogy, coming your way in January."

Were the rights to the old commentaries unavailable?

Just received my copy today from Amazon.ca. Apparently we are getting slipcases with these for those who like to take a bit more time opening packages.

The commentaries are definitely new, as Mes announces at the beginning of his commentary on Shinjuku Triad Society.

The Artsmagic (?) DVDs of these have been in my kevyip for 11 years. I blind bought them 11 years ago... should I just blind buy the Blu-ray or call 'em a day. Reputation and my taste for Miike leads me to believe I'll be in good shape. Those ~2005 Miike DVDs always had the grungiest transfers.

Banasa wrote:The commentaries are definitely new, as Mes announces at the beginning of his commentary on Shinjuku Triad Society.

Tom Mes is one of those people like Tim Lucas and David Del Valle who'd rather record a new commentary with updated info than recycle a now ancient one.

That's also what makes previous commentaries valuable, in the sense that they provide a snapshot of thinking on a subject from a particular period of time. I always find it fun to do a little compare and contrast project on these kinds of things, if it is possible to do so. Its also why I think its important to provide a recording date for a commentary track if possible for future audiences to place it in a particular period of time.

(Plus of course that even by conservative estimates Takashi Miike has made 25 films since the last commentary was recorded, so its worth putting the Black Society Trilogy into the context of all of that later work too!)