#as usual tumblr blitzes the quality which is a shame.

[thebumblecee]

The 126 + food and drink

(With thanks to @thisbuildinghasfeelings for the food and drink list)

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Bonus Cronut Carlos for @paperstorm

[bog-o-bones]

Today I received three Blu-Rays from bootleg website Showa Video. Since they are a relatively unknown website in the greater kaiju community, I thought I’d do a review of the releases I bought from them. Check it out in the Read More link below!

Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Discs: 1

Audio: Japanese LPCM 2.0 & TrueHD 5.1

Extras:

Trailer

1970 Champion Festival cut

8mm Promotional Footage for Mothra (1961)

Storybook Gallery w/ narration

Interview with Yuji Sakai

Behind-the-scenes photo gallery

Concept Art/Storyboards feature

(Assumed) Japanese audio commentary from 2003 Toho DVD

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)

Discs: 1

Audio:  Japanese LPCM 2.0. TrueHD 5.1, & Dialogue-less track (Sound FX and Score only)

Extras:

Trailer

1971 Champion Festival cut (re-titled Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: The Greatest Battle on Earth)

8mm Behind-the-scenes footage (HD) (Narrated in Japanese)

Interview with Haruo Nakajima

8mm Promotional footage

(Assumed) Japanese audio commentary from 2003 Toho DVD

Destroy All Monsters (1968)

Discs: 1

Audio: Japanese 2.0 & 5.1, AIP/Titra dub, International dub

Extras:

Rare Media Blasters commentary by Steve Ryfle & Ed Godziszewski from recalled DVD/Blu-Ray

Trailer

1972 Champion Festival cut (re-titled Godzilla: The Grand Blitz Operation)

Interview with Yukiko Kobayashi

Storyboards & Designs by Yasuyuki Inoue

Three narrated storybooks

8mm Promotional Footage for Atragon (1963)

8mm Promotional Footage for Destroy All Monsters (1968)

Theater program gallery

Japanese audio commentary from 2003 Toho DVD

For those who don’t know, Showa Video is a bootlegging website that sells unofficial copies of various unreleased Japanese science-fiction movies and television shows. The selection is mind-boggling and at times, it’s hard to not fawn over the releases they have. Not to mention, a flat $6.75 shipping rate (U.S. only) is quite a deal. Arguably their greatest “line of products” is their Toho Godzilla Blu-Rays which are bootleg copies of the Japanese Blu-Rays released by Toho. The bootlegs are almost entirely the same as their Japanese counterparts but with the added bonus of English subtitles which the genuine copies do not have. These subtitles appear to be direct translations as opposed to dubtitles usually found on official releases. 

I won’t go over audio or video on these reviews as I’m not particularly well-versed in film quality know-how so I’d be lost in my element trying to compare the quality to Region 1 DVDs or any other releases around the world. From my own viewing, the films look great on Blu-Ray. I’ve read some reports that on Toho Blu-Rays, colors like black and blue tend to be washed out during night scenes and that it’s recommended to adjust your TV settings accordingly. This was apparent on the Showa Video releases and it’s not a huge deal to me personally as I am always fiddling with my TV’s visual settings. The audio was also of good quality on these releases, the voices are clear and there isn’t any hissing found on films like Godzilla (1954).

Now on to the main attraction (and the reason most Godzilla fans are interested in these releases): special features! Yes, it’s true; the Japanese Blu-Rays come packed with all kinds of bonus material that puts their American counterparts (both DVD & BR) to shame. The most prominent feature found on all three releases is the inclusion of the Champion Festival cuts of the films. Here is a wonderful article on the Champion Festival if you do not know what it is. Basically, these are “kiddie matinee” versions of the film that Toho released in the late 60′s/70′s that are edited to be shorter and sometimes even feature new titles. These cuts have never been released on Region 1 DVD and it’s a real pleasure to finally see them in their entirety. I did not check if these cuts of the film feature subtitles, but I do not think that they do. Regardless, their inclusion is great for those who are interested in the history and different versions of these films.

But what is probably the best out of all three discs is the 8mm Behind-the-Scenes featurette on the Ghidorah disc. This feature is not only in pretty good quality for such old footage, it’s the only actual film footage I’ve ever seen of BTS for the Showa-era. To see Ghidorah in his early stages of creation as well as a rare public appearance by Haruo Nakajima in the 1964 suit is an absolute treat and well worth the $15 asking price for the Blu-Ray. I only hope that there is someone out there who is willing to translate the commentary on it so we can learn more awesome BTS details about one of the greatest films in the Showa era.

Some other noteworthy features were on the Destroy All Monsters disc, most notably the inclusion of the Media Blasters commentary by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski. It’s a shame that this was taken off of the disc before shipping as the information in it is astonishing and well worth a listen. It’s made me appreciate DAM a lot more. Another awesome inclusion is the original AIP/Titra Studios dub of the film, which is how it was released in America. This dub was previously unreleased on home video (the ADV VHS contains the arguably inferior International dub) until the release of the Media Blasters DVD/Blu-Ray which has become considerably rare these days.

Other extras include a strange feature which is basically a slideshow of vintage storybooks from the late 70′s (maybe?) with voiceover narration. I’m unsure as to what exactly this is, but the artwork is reminiscent of those weird crossover images that are passed around on Tumblr a lot these days. Then of course, you’ve got your standard photo galleries, interviews (in this case, Yuji Sakai, famed Godzilla sculptor, Haruo Nakajima, and Yukiko Kobayashi, the lead woman in Destroy All Monsters), and standard trailers. There appears to be Japanese-language audio commentary on the Mothra and Ghidorah discs, but from what I tried, I can’t get either to work. I don’t think this is a fault of Showa Video, it’s probably something I’m doing wrong myself.

Overall, Showa Video may sell nothing but bootlegs, but I’ll be damned if these aren’t some of the best bootleg discs I’ve ever owned. They all come in high-quality cases with colorful and wonderfully printed artwork (which themselves are just awesome in their design). I highly recommend anyone who is impatient with companies like Classic Media or Universal to give in to the underground bug and purchase some of Showa Video’s releases. They are manufactured on-demand so stock will never run out. I’m honestly considering selling my R1 Godzilla Blu-Rays so I can replace them with these bootlegs, they are that good.

Overall Ratings:

Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964): 4.9 stars. This would’ve gotten a perfect five if it included the American cut.

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964): 4.9 stars. This would’ve gotten a perfect five if it included the American cut.

Destroy All Monsters (1968): 5.0 stars