I received Mondo Macabro’s Bohachi Bushido UHD / BD combo. What can I say… honestly, this is a crushing disappointment as far as image quality goes.
I adore this film, and I have seen it a dozen times since I first bought the Toei DVD 20 years ago. That disc doesn’t look too great on a modern display, but it does basic justice to the film within the limits of the format and disc production era. There’s a gorgeous 35mm print that screens in Tokyo every few years and it’s a real stunner! Viewing the film from that print is like watching Suspiria at home from the Synapse BD / UHD. And now we’ve got the pale yet at times over-saturated, overly bright, purple leaning, and frankly quite artificial looking Mondo UHD and BD.
I love Mondo Macabro and will certainly support them in the future too, but this transfer... I viewed the UHD a few nights ago, and this was the first time I had trouble focusing on the film because the visual presentation looked so distracting to me. I ended up taking two hours to finish the 81 min film because I stopped every 15 minutes to adjust my TV in hopes of somehow making it look a bit better. The purple skin colours, the purple autumn foliage, and the overly bright look really took a lot away from the film's cinematic look and at times almost resembled a modern digitally shot TV drama. I can't recall ever having seen a Japanese vintage film look like this (and I've seen a few thousands, including nearly 400 from Toei's 70s output alone).
Luckily Toei’s 2024 restoration looks much better. To be honest it also doesn’t do full justice to the film’s incredible visuals, and I was a little disappointed when I first saw it after getting used to seeing this film in near-pristine 35mm, but compared to the Mondo disc it's a God-given. It looks at least reasonably close to the 35mm print and has the usual look of a 70s Toei film, though it can look a bit murky and greenish at times, and has a couple of shots that don't fare well.
Below is a comparison between the 2005 Toei DVD, the 2024 Toei Channel TV airing, and Mondo Macabro BD (I can't take screencaps from the UHD).
Top: Toei DVD (2005)
Middle: Toei Channel (note: heavily compressed TV airing) (2024)
Bottom: Mondo Macabro BD (I’m unable to do UHD caps) (2025)
Toei DVD (2005)
Toei Channel (2024)
Mondo Macabro BD (2025)
I knew we were in trouble when the Toei logo had turned blue and lost its blacks...
Toei DVD (2005)
Toei Channel (2024)
Mondo Macabro BD (2025)
The opening scene looks striking on the Mondo disc... except I don't think the sunset was meant to be blazing red here. Oh and just as a side note, the MM compression is obviously far superior as we are comparing a BD50 to a 5GB TV broadcasting.
Toei DVD (2005)
Toei Channel (2024)
Mondo Macabro BD (2025)
Purple autumn foliage. It's not just the colour that's problematic here, though. It's like colour, contrast and all are missing. Not sure how to put it in words.
Toei DVD (2005)
Toei Channel (2024)
Mondo Macabro BD (2025)
Toei DVD (2005)
Toei Channel (2024)
Mondo Macabro BD (2025)
MM might look fine in a still frame here, but this is one of the parts where I stopped to adjust my TV. It's way over-bright, taking away the cinematic look of the film, way too pink, and makes the film look just plain artificial. Toei CH is a bit green but not distractingly so.
Toei DVD (2005)
Toei Channel (2024)
Mondo Macabro BD (2025)
For fairness' sake, this is one of few shots where Toei Channel doesn't look all that good.
Toei DVD (2005)
Toei Channel (2024)
Mondo Macabro BD (2025)
The Code of the Forgotten Smurfs?
Toei DVD (2005)
Toei Channel (2024)
Mondo Macabro BD (2025)
The shot above doesn't look good in any version...
Toei DVD (2005)
Toei Channel (2024)
Mondo Macabro BD (2025)
More brightness does not mean better, as evidenced by MM's almost daylight night scene. And what happened to the sword? Remastering error?
Toei DVD (2005)
Toei Channel (2024)
Mondo Macabro BD (2025)
Again Mondo look just completely unnatural...
Toei DVD (2005)
Toei Channel (2024)
Mondo Macabro BD (2025)
Toei DVD (2005)
Toei Channel (2024)
Mondo Macabro BD (2025)
