Sleepy Eyes Of Death - Collectors Set Vol. 1

Whats in the box?The first four movies, out of a total of twelve in the Nemuri Kyoshiro series starring the great Raizo Ichikawa:1. Sleepy Eyes of Death 1: The Chinese Jade (1963)Dir: Tokuzô TanakaWri: Seiji Hoshikawa2. Sleepy Eyes of Death 2: Sword of Adventure (1964)Dir: Kenji MisumiWri: Seiji Hoshikawa3. Sleepy Eyes of Death 3: Full Circle Killing (1964)Dir: Kimiyoshi YasudaWri: Seiji Hoshikawa4. Sleepy Eyes of Death 4: Sword of Seduction (1964)Dir: Kazuo IkehiroWri: Kimiyoshi HoshikawaAll in the original theatrical ratio (2.35:1) and with 16/9 enhancement. Remastered, clean, with vibrant colors. They really look gorgeous. Subtitles, in English, are the usual AnimEigo excellent, either in colors (yellow, plus others) or white, and with or without translation notes.Extras:* Program notes / interactive map of Tokyo(screen text.)* Trailers* Audio commentary in the first movie, that deals with all four films in the box set, and all things Nemuri Kyoshiro in general, plus some Gamera thrown in. By the way, AnimeEigo doesn't usually include commentaries, this is a welcome extra. Sadly, they did not do the same in box 2.* 18-page booklet containing:-- A brief history of the movie series-- Historical background-- Christianity: The forbidden religion-- Short reviews of movies 1 & 4, taken from Patrick Galloway's book 'Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves'.-- Short bios of author Renzaburo Shibata and star Raizo Ichikawa.A no-brainer for any samurai / chambara film buff. The movies range from good (the first) to excellent (the others), Kyoshiro is really a fantastic character, no wonder the books and the movies were so popular. He's deadly and cynical, with a definite sympathy for the underdog, and for ladies of all social conditions. But also with a dark, bloodthirsty streak. A true antihero. And we also have Tomisaburo Wakayama in two of them movies, showing some dismal martial arts skills. He's great in his dialogue scenes, though.My only complaint, $80 is a tad expensive. Of course, i bought it at $54 from amazon, which is a more reasonable price. Just shop around if the price goes up again. If you are in the US, AnimEigo normally sells them cheap from their own website.

This is what you will hear a lot in this series. Mostly by women who either hate or love Nemuri Kyoshiro. Visually, these films don't look like they are pushing close to 50 years old. The image is beautiful. The sound also gets top marks. There is no English language track for these films, and I praise AnimEigo for not including it, if there ever was an English track. The sub-titles are glorious. If AnimEigo is known for anything other than their anime, it must be for their sub-titles. They are a joy to read, and produce quite a bit of chuckles and laughter. I have been waiting for this series to come out on DVD for over 10 years now. I really thought I would never see it. As usual, Animeigo also includes a booklet with a detailed history of the film, and its star, Ichikawa Raizo. Anyone who loves Japanese Cinema or Samurai films must get this box set. Please try some of the other films by AnimEigo, especially "Lone Wolf and Cub" and "Zatoichi", you will not be sorry.

Very watchable samurai series. I've seen a lot of Japanese cinema, a lot of samurai movies and a lot of Japanese cinema filmed in the 50s 60s 70s. I think these are well-made, the lead, Raizo Ichikawa has that young outsider's rebel thing going on, the stories are all good, some better than others. Based on all that film watching experience, I'd say these are a solid B+, very worth watching, but none of them is a must-watch classic. I may by the next set, but I have other stuff to watch, kind of thing.

The first three movies really set up an interesting character. He struggles with Christianity. From the fourth movie on he seems to hate and detest all religion. I hated to see that struggle disappear from the series. That is my only complaint. Great series. Certainly worth getting all three volumes. Good action. Many different directors each with their own style. If you like Zatoichi or Lone Wolf and Cub then you will probably enjoy this. Classic sword fighting wanderer getting sucked into trouble no matter how much he tries to avoid it.

Clear picture with great subtitles.

brought back memories...I believe these were made around 50 years ago...he passed away too young. My husband and I are enjoying them. Plan to buy the rest of the series.Looking for Raizo Ichikawa movie called Daibosatsu Tohge...series of 3. He portrayed a cold blooded killer.

The tales of the mysterious master swordsman born of the rape of his mother by a european monk during a black mass. He travels by himself with his famous sword. Plenty of action as he goes about the country.

This is an excellent rendition and translation. Buy it. A lot of work went into this set. Get all three for the complete series.

Simply Great, Animeigo does it again. I can hardly wait for more of this series!