Ryoko Hirosue in 20th Century Nostalgia: Infinity
Since 20th Century Nostalgia is one of the most inspiring movies ever made, you may feel one DVD release is not enough. That’s why there’s another disc available, called Infinity. But first, let’s look at what the 2002 Deluxe Edition DVD by
Pioneer comes with.
The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen, with an excellent transfer. No subtitles, of course. The extras are limited but not bad. Aside the original trailer, there’s a 29 minute making of documentary. The making of is not revolutionary by any means, but you do get to see:
Ryoko smile
Ryoko smile more
Ryoko laugh and smile
Ryoko look cute while laughing and smiling.
In other words, this is quality supplement. The film’s songs are played constantly on the background, and you get plenty of behind the scenes footage.
If you can’t find the Pioneer DVD but instead come across the
Geneon dvd, then don’t worry, all signs tell me you’ve got the exact same product with different publisher logo. The catalogue number being the same, I’m convinced the Geneon DVD is a re-issue of the Pioneer disc that I own. There’s a third release out there, too, the original 1998
Happinet / Daiei release. This DVD comes in jewel case, and reportedly features Laserdisc transfer. Any listing I could find only specifies bonus materials as 10 minutes of “something”. I see no reason to hunt down this disc. All of the 20th Century Nostalgia releases are out of print, including Infinity.
Ryoko Hirosue in 20th Century Nostalgia: Infinity is making of DVD released by Pioneer the same time as their feature film DVD. Infinity does not feature the film, but instead comes with the following content:
Making of movie (57 min)
Making of movie 2 (11 min)
Making of movie 3 (20 min)
Theatrical Trailer
4 Page booklet
What you get is three more documentaries, and the same theatrical trailer that is on the film disc, except non-anamorphic this time. Infinity is purely a fan product – the documentaries are nothing too special. Of course, you get plenty of more Ryoko footage, behind the scenes footage, opening day footage, press conference etc. But even through idol megane this disc isn’t especially exciting. The 29 minute documentary found on the film disc actually comes with a lot of same footage as Infinity.
Here's some of the best stuff from Infinity:
Kantoku Hara-kun
Ryoko sleeping
Kantoku receiving massage from Ryoko
For hard core Ryoko fans, yes, it would be a good purchase. It’s also a rare chance to see director Masato Hara at his art. He comes across as a real nice guy. But then again, the most important stuff can also be found on the film disc.
Still, it is kinda nice to have as a collector’s item considering what a gem the film itself is.
Here's some release arts
Original Daiei release, picture stolen from the web
2002 Pioneer release
Infinity + booklet
