Thursday, July 2, 2009

Finally! AnimEigo to release 4-disc set of Tora-san films in November

by Chris MaGee

All I can say is that it's about bloody time! Wildgrounds is reporting that the first four films of Yoji Yamada's legendary "Tora-san" films are being released by the folks at AnimEigo this November. While Shochiku recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of the longest running film series in movie history by releasing all 48 films in a mammoth box-set, AnimEigo's 4-disc set that will include “It's Tough being a Man”, “Tora-san's Cherished Mother”, “Tora-san, His Tender Love”, and “Tora-san's Grand Scheme”, may be much more modest, but still very, very welcome. The adventures of the lovable tramp from Shibamata are as Japanese as Kentucky Fried Chicken for Christmas dinner, but they have never been officially released here in North America, much to the chagrin of Japanese film fans like myself and I'd suspect a few of you out there too.

No word on extras on these discs or retails cost yet, but frankly whatever they cost I'll be forking it over. Just call it cost of doing business. Now, to whet your appetites a bit for this 4-disc set check out the trailer for the first in Yamada's 48-film series "It's Tough being a Man".

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