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Jin-Roh - The Wolf Brigade: SE
Bandai // Unrated // March 5, 2002
List Price: $59.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is an anime set in an alternative post-World War II Japan. This Japan established a totalitarian state after the war instead of the US coming in and helping them along. Within this new state there are several groups that protect the general populace and ones that are rebelling against the protectors and their ideas. These groups are the foundation this movie is built upon. Created by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor) and directed by Hiroyuki Okiura, this film is really good, especially for the anime viewers out there.
The beginning talks about this alternative Japan. Several groups have sprung out of the new situation. There is the Capital and Local Police, then there is the Special Unit and the rebellion group called the Sect. The beginning starts with an uprising in Tokyo. The Capital and Local Police are embroiled with stopping the protestors by the least force necessary. The Special Unit, who is sent out as a last resort, is on standby. A young girl goes to pick up a bag from a man and she hands it off to a guy who then pulls a pin and throws the bag at the police where it explodes and bodies go flying. It seems the Sect has attacked again and the Special Unit is sent in to stop the people of the Sect by any means necessary. A bloody battle ensues with the Special Unit easily killing many people in the Sect as they try to escape through the sewers of Tokyo. The main character, Constable Fuse, tracks down the young girl and has her in front of him. She has a bag with another bomb in it and Fuse tells her not to pull it. Then a dozen soldiers come and make the girl more frightened. Just before she pulls the pin Fuse asks her, "Why?" She then pulls the pin, kills herself and knocks all the power in Tokyo out.
Fuse seems to have gotten only minor injuries from the explosion. The political part of the story now begins. An inquiry board is deciding exactly what should be done with Constable Fuse. Fuse himself is having a hard time going on with his life knowing that a young girl died when he felt he could have saved her. The board questions Fuse's ability to serve in the Special Unit anymore given the emotional anguish he is going through. They reassign him for more training and the Special Unit comes under fire because of what happened in the sewers between them and the Sect. A short time later, Fuse meets up with the dead girl's sister and starts to fall in love with her. The government figures the easiest way to make what happened in the sewer between the Sect and the Special Unit blow over is to pin it all on Fuse. Add to this that there are rumors of a rogue Special Unit platoon known only as Jin-Roh, The Wolf Brigade, that is working outside of the Special Unit's interest. It seems every group has their own agenda in this movie, but it also seems like none of their agendas are really for the good of Tokyo as a whole. This makes the decisions of an individual far more important and possibly far more wrong than the decisions of the group. We can see this in the beginning where Fuse wants to save the girl, while the rest of the pack wants him to shoot her before the bomb goes off. We also see it throughout the movie in regards to the inquiry board, the Police units, etc.
This movie has ideas that reflect the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood. The girl who carried the bag in the beginning is in a group of young girls called Red Riding Hoods. This is a group that helps the Sect carry guns and explosives to their operatives. The Special Unit is like a pack of wolves. The way they move is akin to how wolves move. Their red optical glasses on their masks also are reminiscent of a wolf's eyes. The reflections to the fairy tale are very subtle, but the hints are there. This movie is character and story driven, it makes you think and feel instead of just watch and enjoy. Overall this film was very good.
The DVD
Video: This movie is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. I did not see any visual defects while watching the film. The quality definitely has a film feel to it, much like Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, instead of a pure digital quality to it. Some people like this and some people do not, but for this film it certainly makes it feel more real and more with the era the movie is trying to portray.
The animation of this movie was done by Production IG, a company known for pushing the envelope in anime such as Blood: The Last Vampire. Jin-Roh is a change of pace though. It is a very dark movie and it has a film quality to it that makes it feel like it was made in the era it is portraying. The story was obviously more important than the animation (the exact reverse of Blood in my opinion), but no expense was spared on the animation either.
Sound: Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 in both English and Japanese, as well as a DTS 5.1 Japanese track. All the tracks sounded good with excellent use of the surrounds and LFE. I listened primarily to the English version, but I listened to the beginning of the Japanese DTS version as well. Both sounded equally good with the DTS version a bit more full sounding in sound and music. For those that like dubs, this one is not half bad. And for those that like Japanese, you have two great mixes to choose from.
Menus: The menu has a nice animated screen of a Wolf Brigade member that changes for a few seconds into a straight wolf. A piece of music from the film is used and really sets the tone. The menus are pretty straight-forward.
Extras:
This release is actually 3 discs long, 2 on DVD and 1 CD. The movie disc has no extras on it, so we will go straight to Disc 2.
Disc 2
Director/Creator interviews: This is interviews with Oshii, Okiura, composer Mizoguchi and the art director. They talk about how the movie got started and what it took for it to finally be made. Oshii was originally going to direct this movie, but he gave it Okiura. It is funny that Oshii says he wishes he would have directed this movie, but he feels it would have come out the same way as Okiura did it.
Theatrical Trailers: 4 Japanese trailers and 1 American one.
Production Art Gallery: This contains over 100 pieces of conceptual artwork. Along with the interviews and what I talk about below, this is the biggest reason to get the SE over the regular version of the movie.
12 page booklet: Although not really an extra on the first disc, I thought it would be interesting to say there is a booklet included in this with art and information.
Soundtrack CD
Soundtrack to Jin-Roh: As an added benefit, we get the original soundtrack for the movie in this package as well. Once you see the movie you will probably appreciate the music in it quite a bit. You can continue your enjoyment of it on this CD. Bandai probably had to go through a lot of hoops to get the rights to this soundtrack and it is an added bonus for this edition.
Final Thoughts: Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is an excellent movie that stands up to another of Oshii's greats, Ghost in the Shell. This is a very character driven movie and is not as violent as I thought it was going to be by the trailers I had seen. There is some blood here and there, but it certainly does not take away from the story itself. This movie is one of the best recent movies anime has to offer and I highly recommend anyone that is into anime to check this movie out. As for the others, at least rent this movie and see if you like it.
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is an anime set in an alternative post-World War II Japan. This Japan established a totalitarian state after the war instead of the US coming in and helping them along. Within this new state there are several groups that protect the general populace and ones that are rebelling against the protectors and their ideas. These groups are the foundation this movie is built upon. Created by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor) and directed by Hiroyuki Okiura, this film is really good, especially for the anime viewers out there.
The beginning talks about this alternative Japan. Several groups have sprung out of the new situation. There is the Capital and Local Police, then there is the Special Unit and the rebellion group called the Sect. The beginning starts with an uprising in Tokyo. The Capital and Local Police are embroiled with stopping the protestors by the least force necessary. The Special Unit, who is sent out as a last resort, is on standby. A young girl goes to pick up a bag from a man and she hands it off to a guy who then pulls a pin and throws the bag at the police where it explodes and bodies go flying. It seems the Sect has attacked again and the Special Unit is sent in to stop the people of the Sect by any means necessary. A bloody battle ensues with the Special Unit easily killing many people in the Sect as they try to escape through the sewers of Tokyo. The main character, Constable Fuse, tracks down the young girl and has her in front of him. She has a bag with another bomb in it and Fuse tells her not to pull it. Then a dozen soldiers come and make the girl more frightened. Just before she pulls the pin Fuse asks her, "Why?" She then pulls the pin, kills herself and knocks all the power in Tokyo out.
Fuse seems to have gotten only minor injuries from the explosion. The political part of the story now begins. An inquiry board is deciding exactly what should be done with Constable Fuse. Fuse himself is having a hard time going on with his life knowing that a young girl died when he felt he could have saved her. The board questions Fuse's ability to serve in the Special Unit anymore given the emotional anguish he is going through. They reassign him for more training and the Special Unit comes under fire because of what happened in the sewers between them and the Sect. A short time later, Fuse meets up with the dead girl's sister and starts to fall in love with her. The government figures the easiest way to make what happened in the sewer between the Sect and the Special Unit blow over is to pin it all on Fuse. Add to this that there are rumors of a rogue Special Unit platoon known only as Jin-Roh, The Wolf Brigade, that is working outside of the Special Unit's interest. It seems every group has their own agenda in this movie, but it also seems like none of their agendas are really for the good of Tokyo as a whole. This makes the decisions of an individual far more important and possibly far more wrong than the decisions of the group. We can see this in the beginning where Fuse wants to save the girl, while the rest of the pack wants him to shoot her before the bomb goes off. We also see it throughout the movie in regards to the inquiry board, the Police units, etc.
This movie has ideas that reflect the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood. The girl who carried the bag in the beginning is in a group of young girls called Red Riding Hoods. This is a group that helps the Sect carry guns and explosives to their operatives. The Special Unit is like a pack of wolves. The way they move is akin to how wolves move. Their red optical glasses on their masks also are reminiscent of a wolf's eyes. The reflections to the fairy tale are very subtle, but the hints are there. This movie is character and story driven, it makes you think and feel instead of just watch and enjoy. Overall this film was very good.
The DVD
Video: This movie is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. I did not see any visual defects while watching the film. The quality definitely has a film feel to it, much like Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, instead of a pure digital quality to it. Some people like this and some people do not, but for this film it certainly makes it feel more real and more with the era the movie is trying to portray.
The animation of this movie was done by Production IG, a company known for pushing the envelope in anime such as Blood: The Last Vampire. Jin-Roh is a change of pace though. It is a very dark movie and it has a film quality to it that makes it feel like it was made in the era it is portraying. The story was obviously more important than the animation (the exact reverse of Blood in my opinion), but no expense was spared on the animation either.
Sound: Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 in both English and Japanese, as well as a DTS 5.1 Japanese track. All the tracks sounded good with excellent use of the surrounds and LFE. I listened primarily to the English version, but I listened to the beginning of the Japanese DTS version as well. Both sounded equally good with the DTS version a bit more full sounding in sound and music. For those that like dubs, this one is not half bad. And for those that like Japanese, you have two great mixes to choose from.
Menus: The menu has a nice animated screen of a Wolf Brigade member that changes for a few seconds into a straight wolf. A piece of music from the film is used and really sets the tone. The menus are pretty straight-forward.
Extras:
This release is actually 3 discs long, 2 on DVD and 1 CD. The movie disc has no extras on it, so we will go straight to Disc 2.
Disc 2
Director/Creator interviews: This is interviews with Oshii, Okiura, composer Mizoguchi and the art director. They talk about how the movie got started and what it took for it to finally be made. Oshii was originally going to direct this movie, but he gave it Okiura. It is funny that Oshii says he wishes he would have directed this movie, but he feels it would have come out the same way as Okiura did it.
Theatrical Trailers: 4 Japanese trailers and 1 American one.
Production Art Gallery: This contains over 100 pieces of conceptual artwork. Along with the interviews and what I talk about below, this is the biggest reason to get the SE over the regular version of the movie.
12 page booklet: Although not really an extra on the first disc, I thought it would be interesting to say there is a booklet included in this with art and information.
Soundtrack CD
Soundtrack to Jin-Roh: As an added benefit, we get the original soundtrack for the movie in this package as well. Once you see the movie you will probably appreciate the music in it quite a bit. You can continue your enjoyment of it on this CD. Bandai probably had to go through a lot of hoops to get the rights to this soundtrack and it is an added bonus for this edition.
Final Thoughts: Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is an excellent movie that stands up to another of Oshii's greats, Ghost in the Shell. This is a very character driven movie and is not as violent as I thought it was going to be by the trailers I had seen. There is some blood here and there, but it certainly does not take away from the story itself. This movie is one of the best recent movies anime has to offer and I highly recommend anyone that is into anime to check this movie out. As for the others, at least rent this movie and see if you like it.
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