Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films

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While I didn’t discover director, screenwriter, and animator Masaaki Yuasa until the release of 2021’s Inu-Oh, and fell in love with it’s art, animation and story,I’m so glad Shout Studios made it easy to go back and catch up on his past works with the Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films set. Fans will love having this on their shelf while newcomers get to see why Yuasa and his films are so treasured.

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This set includes 2004’s Mind Game, 2017’s The Night is Short, Walk On Girl (which makes its English dub Blu-ray debut on this set), 2017’s Lu Over the Wall, 2019’s Ride Your Wave, and the recent 2021 hit Inu-Oh. These amazing films give viewers a perfect look into why Yuasa and his films are beloved by the world as they span themes we can all relate to, such as romance, comedy, and even drama.

As if these awesome films weren’t enough, this set also comes packed with a ton of special features that are so extensive, they had to be placed on a separate disc. Some of these extras include two short films by Yuasa called Happy Machine (2007) and Kick-Heart (2013) that have never been released here until now, audio commentaries on Mind Game, Lu Over the Wall, and Inu-Oh, clips of Masaaki Yuasa drawing some of his characters from Mind Game, Lu Over the Wall, and Inu-Oh, some breakdowns of select scenes from his movies, and some other sweet extras.

Perhaps the greatest of the extras is “A Night Out with Yuasa” that has him being interviewed at a speakeasy in Los Angeles, where he discusses what inspires him to create what he does, his favorite restaurants, dancing, and more fun things fans will love to know about him. This feature reminded me heavily of the one presented on the Weathering with You Blu-ray with director Makoto Shinkai having a beer at a bar while being interviewed. It makes me wish more extras were candid like these as it’s always fun to see famous people relaxed and loose while blending in with people in a public area.

I also love the hardcover box these films come in that features newly designed art by Masaaki Yuasa, the awesome and nice-sized poster included that has more new art, and lastly an exclusive 60-page book with an essay by film critic Emily Yoshida that celebrates and delves into the work of Yuasa and also features some excerpts from his personal sketchbook.

Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films is the perfect Blu-ray set for fans of the creator’s work as well as those new to his films and are looking for the best starting point. Loaded with special features and showcasing Yuasa’s art on the set case, the included poster, and even pieces from his sketchbook seals the deal on this must-own collection.