Red Peony Gambler I - III

I almost missed this one because I've OD'd on '70s Yakuza films. Though described as yakuza, these stories take place circa 1890 and were made in the late '60s - so much more in common with Lone Wolf, Lady Snowblood, etc. The first film is a stone cold classic. The two sequels are very strong, though a slight step down from the first. The scenarios are very similar to the Zatoichi series with the wandering lady gambler, though there are a number of carryover characters so there is some attention to continuity. Transfers are fine, the booklet essay decent, though I would have preferred maybe a little more since the on-disc features are not overly abundant.

The audio and video are fantastic as usual, and I'm thrilled we got the first three. I'm hoping we eventually get the rest of the series because these were a lot of fun and not the typical pinky violence films I initially thought they were.

What floored me about this great set was seeing Tomisaburo Wakayama in a role in the first film that was totally opposite his famous lone wolf character. Really enjoyable films and well presented. Recommended.

Truly beautiful cinema

Still working my way through them but so far they are awesome. The restoration looks very good.