Video:

Video: Picture quality was very good. Couldn't find that many problems, even on a 29 inch screen.

Audio:

Audio: Play this loud. Really loud!

Subtitle:

Subs: Like other reviews, this was where it lost points. Alot of lines from other characters were missing. Some will say it's not that important, since this story is pure blood&gore. Still, it's about Ichi origins...what made him the way he is.

Comment:

A great dvd to own, especially since its 2 for 1. The 'live' movie is a real blast! So was the anime. But this was the worst MAC dvd i bought in terms of the subs. Still this concept of a anime prequel to a corresponding 'live" movie works pretty well.

Video:

5/5 The video quality for my copy was very good. The main feature had excellent art which was executed with crystal clear precision. Even the special features (yes, thats right! special features) were of a decent quality. The only actual spat I had with the video was for the trailer of the live action "1CHI" film. The colors were blurred and bled like they were victims of Ichi's rage. Even then, the overall video quality was very impressive.

Audio:

5/5 The audio was great as well. My favorite part of the audio was the ending theme song where they sampled Ichi's crying and integrated them into the song. Believe it or not, the ending theme is good stuff. Japanese audio only, no English dub.

Subtitle:

4/5 Here is where the points drop. The subs used are fan subs. ALOT, and I mean ALOT of the dialogue was not translated. It was like a sub would go up every 3-4 lines spoken. Yet, miraculously by the end of the film I knew exactly what I needed to know. The subs were done in a way that the important points were given. If the subbing was a screenplay/script one would not think that lines were missing. Also, there were a couple instances of Engrish. But other than that I thought the subs did their job.

Comment:

I saw the Takashi Miike film and was floored. I found out there was an anime and didn't know what to expect. The story itself is focused more on Ichi and his background. It's sorta like a "What if" prequel to the live action film. The only part I didn't entirely grasp was whether the story was an alternate take or "What if" on the Miike live action film. If you watch both the live action and anime you'll know what I mean (I don't want to spoil it for anyone). And speaking of Miike, one of the bonus features is of the director lending his vocal talents to play the part of Kakihara. Please take note: I haven't read the manga, I've only seen the Miike and anime versions, so my comments pertain to the Ichi film universe only. Anyways, the film is very short (40-45 min) and as twisted as anything you'll come across. A definite MUST HAVE fro Ichi fans.

Video:

Gernerally good video from beginning to end but there are obvious casses of compression problems. anti aliasing is present andlong with the ocassional hiccup every now and then. The movie, video wise, is pretty good and watching on a normal tv will deifinitely hide some of the video problem. The video for the live movie section is generally the same for the animation section. Overall the video doesn't dissapoint. Not bad stuff!

Audio:

Watching the movie for the fist time is quite an experience and with top notch audio it will greatly add to this experience. This movie deliver this good audio. there are 5.1 audio and stereo audio selections so there is a choice. Audio won't dissapoint in this film, animation or live movie. Good stuff.

Subtitle:

Here is where the video fails particulary in the animation section. Many line are dropped and or just not translated, being a japanese speaker myself, pera pera de nihongo no shaberisha, I noticed many missing things and many many missing subtitles. As for the live movie, a lot of the translation seems to in a literal translation form, so many of the subtiltes might be confusing to the non speaking japanese english person. I was personally let down by the animation subtitles but the live movie section was done relatively well.

Comment:

I wish america would take a hint and start making interesing ,movies that actually make the viewer think a little. Even thought this little gem is gory I think it was used to move the intereing plot and not gratuitously placed for the sake of gore itself. Good twisted stroy about people with mental probelms, if I got anything from this movive it would be an understaning how to treat people and how not to treat people. My Girl friend said the move was sickening but I thought it was intricately woven with plot and deisre to show what messed up people are capable of. I really enjoyed this movie, and again, please american directors do something original. Good stuff!

Video:

The video is fine. Watching with a 47 inch Proj. TV.

Audio:

No Noticable problems

Subtitle:

Subtitles for the most part are great! Very good translation and no engrish. A few lines of dialogue are skipped here and there, but nothing that takes away from the story.

Comment:

The great thing about this purchase is that the DVD comes with the original live-action movie and the Ichi the Killer animation. This is a must see for sado masicism fans. The live-action movie is morbid and very gory. Ichi has some serious issues. Lots of inflicted pain. I think its pretty original. I only recommend it if you like gore and you are a sick sadistical mother f*cker!!