To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the theatrical release of the animated film "Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade," which was written and created by Mamoru Oshii and directed by Hiroyuki Okiura, the film has been remastered in 4K and converted to Dolby Atmos. Comments have been made by the main staff and Tatsuki Fujimoto , a manga artist known for works such as " Chainsaw Man ."
Fujimoto said, "It's a wonderful work packed with first-class techniques, from the weight of people leaning on tatami mats and sliding down slides, to the colors unique to cel animation, to the realism of the human body. I love how, within the heavy story of the battle between anti-government forces and the police, there is a strangely realistic and pop love story. The story feels like it revolves around a single fairy tale, and I stole it directly from the Reze arc of Chainsaw Man. I'm sorry!!"
Oshii commented, "'A Comment on the 4K Version of Jin-Roh': It's been a while since I last saw Jin-Roh. As expected, the newly updated 4K version had fantastic visuals and sound, but more than anything, it brought me to tears with the classic drama of 'the conflict between politics and love', something that is rarely seen in Japanese films these days. There was once a time when a man like this lived, met a woman like this, and was at the mercy of the rough waves of the times. It's a story that goes directly against the current post-ideological trend. It's quite ironic that such a story has been revived as an anime. Even if you're not an anime fan, you should definitely check it out."
The film is an original anime based on the manga "Kerberos Panzer Cop" by director Oshii and Kamui Fujiwara. Kazuki Fuse, a young man from the Metropolitan Police, a security force tasked with controlling anti-government forces, encounters a shocking incident while pursuing an underground organization. This incident triggers changes in Kazuki Fuse's own "inner world." The film was released in 2000.
The 4K remaster and Dolby Atmos edition brings back Production IG's final cel-animated film with ultra-high-definition images and ultra-high-quality sound. It has been showing in theaters since March 6th, and the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and 4K remaster Blu-ray sets will be released on the 25th.
◇Comment from director Kenji Kamiyama
Comments on the 4K remaster and Dolby Atmos version of "Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade" This is a wonderful production that once again demonstrates the fact that "the quality of an animated film is determined by how great the animation is." It fully captures the beliefs of the staff who were involved in drawing the pictures at the time of production. The original version had strong filtering applied to the images to express the era of the story, but the 4K remaster has been color graded to clearly convey the power of hand-drawn images. I was simply blown away by the attempt to express all the events in the film through hand-drawn animation, something that is now difficult to achieve.
◇Comment from Assistant Animation Director Toshiyuki Inoue
I was a bit worried about the 4K remaster, but as a member of the staff, I'm very pleased that it looks completely natural and is easy to watch. Even so, I can't help but think, "Wow, they really drew it well!" or, "They really did make me draw it (wry smile)." I hope you'll take this opportunity to see it in the theater.
◇Comment from art director Hiromasa Ogura
I recently saw the film "Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade" at a 4K remaster preview screening. The cityscapes and old residential areas depicted in the film were largely based on my memories of the town I lived in as a child, and they brought back memories of nostalgia. There weren't many shops or streetlights at night, and the darkness of the alleys reminded me of that experience, making this a film that resonated with me. However, I've never been inside the underground sewers. I hope this film gives viewers a sense of the old town's atmosphere.
◇Comment from musician Hajime Mizoguchi
It's been over a quarter of a century since I was involved in the music production for "Jin-Roh." At the time, animation was in the final days of hand-drawn animation. The staff's dedication, pouring their soul into every frame, resulted in the overwhelming density of the images. Music was also in the midst of a transition from analog to digital. The production process took an immense amount of time, but I believe that each and every step of the deliberation and trial and error was what fueled the passion for the work and etched into the music's depth. I believe the sound we pursued through recording with an overseas orchestra fully captured the loneliness and sadness inherent in this story. I am truly delighted that this work, which captures the passion of an era when no effort or time was spared, has been revived in the perfect vessel of (4K UHD) Blu-ray. I hope you enjoy every last detail of the images and sounds.
◇Comment from Sound Director Kazuhiro Wakabayashi
It's been 25 years since the film's release... What a blessing it is to have been given such an opportunity. I believe that this remastering and re-release is the result of our utmost efforts in both visuals and audio within the environment we were given at the time. In this Dolby Atmos work, we have endeavored to depict aspects that could not be fully expressed on the system at the time, without changing the original presentation. The sense of reverberation in the underground sewer tunnels that appear at the beginning and latter half of the film, and the sense of heaviness and sound pressure of the MGs fired by the assault squadrons have been expanded and strengthened compared to the original. It's only a small change, though. If you take a second look, I believe that although the changes are only modest, they will be well worth the effort. So please enjoy until the end!
