Nobuhiko Obayashi's Anti-War Trilogy — Nobuhiko Obayashi's Anti-War Trilogy(Blu Ray)

Nobuhiko Obayashi's Anti-War Trilogy is a three-disc Blu Ray set bringing together three lengthy films from this Onomichi, Japan-born director. The three films here date from the early to late 2010s, and are a fairly distinctive blend of the dramatic, playful, and arty- bringing together formal acting, interviews with those involved in war, historic recreates, and quirky-if-dated graphics and effects. 

The release appears on Third Widow Films- with the three Blu Ray boxset is region B locked. It comes presented with a booklet featuring new writing by historian Aaron Gerow. With the release coming in an edition of 2000 copies. 

Nobuhiko Ôbayashi was born on January 9, 1938, in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan- he passed in 2020, at the age of eighty-three. His directing career started in the year 1944, running until 2019. In all he has an impressive seventy-three director credits to his name- forty of these are feature lengths, and the remainder of his filmography is made up of shorts, TV films, and a TV show episode. His first feature-length film was Confession (1968)- a colourfully edited selection of vignettes focusing on a group of young characters in the southwestern city of Onomichi.  Moving onto the likes weird, wacky, and vibrantly coloured House (1977), crime comedy  The Adventures of Kosuke Kindaich(1979), animation action-adventure Kenya Boy(1984), Sci-fi following an international school catapulted into the future The Drifting Classroom (1987), ’60s set rural teen comedy The Rocking Horsemen(1992), and romantic drama Nagoriyuki(2002). So, he’s clearly a versatile and genre-jumping director.

On the first disc, we find 2012’s Casting Blossoms to the Sky (Kono sora no hana: Nagaoka hanabi monogatari). The film is a mixture of then present-day journalist led drama, historic reenactment, and documentary/ interview footage. Its main plot follows investigative journalist Endo Reiko (Yasuko Matsuyuki) going to the riverside city Nagaoka to report on the aftermath of an earthquake. In time she learns from the locals about the city’s fireworks traditions, and how the area was destroyed during WWII.
Around this main plotline, we have a subplot of a teen girl writing a play about the human loss during the bombing of the city which is to be performed by the cites river. Around these key elements, we have shifts back in forth in time historic reenactments, interviews with survivors of the bombings and local people, and charting of general preparation for both the yearly fireworks and the play.
As with all three films here Casting Blossoms to the Sky has a lengthy runtime, coming in at two hours and thirty-nine-minute mark. And it does take a little time to get going, with introductions with-in introductions- when it finally gets on its way, the flow/ makeup of the whole thing is decidedly shifting, at times jarring- as we jump back & forth time, move between main plot & subplots, with stops off for animation recreations of the bombings, interviews with maps with red arrows on one side of the screen. You really have to contrate initially to make sense of what’s going on, and who is involved- after the first forty minutes of the film, I started to largely follow the different strands and sub-strands here. And there are some impactful moments here- be it the stories of the people who died and survived the bombings, documentary elements, and some of the present-day drama/ interactions. 
On the less positive side of things, we have crawlingly sentimental string soundtracking, characters sometimes talk directly to the camera in a rather awkward manner, and most of the effects/ animation look rather clunky/ dated- which does take away from some of the meant to be impactful moments. On the whole Casting Blossoms to the Sky is certainly a distinctive at times power film, which has its issues/ problems- but it’s largely worth its lengthy playtime and worth staying with.

On the second disc, we have 2014’s Seven Weeks (aka No no nanananoka)- this was the third to last film from Obayashi, who sadly passed in 2020 at the age of 82. The film clocks in at the two hours and fifty-one minutes mark, and is the longest of the three films here.
The film is set in the once-prosperous coal mine city Ashibetsu- which is located in Sorachi Subprefecture, an island off mainland Japan. It focuses on the gathering of a family after the death of in his 90’s Mitsuo (Tôru Shinagawa)- the family's patriarch, who was in health care most of his life, before going on to run a junk shop in his twilight years. 
The several generations of the family gather- to reminisce about their time with Mitsuo, with at points they seemingly hearing his voice or encountering his ghost. As the film moves on a mysterious woman appears, and with her arrival, Mitsuo past is revealed including WWII trauma, that seemingly none of the family was aware of.

To begin with, Seven Weeks is very much of a fairly straight grieving family drama, with occasional subtle touches of humour.  As the film moves into its second half, we start darting back and forth in time more and more- and the wartime trauma elements become revealed- taking in death and troubling mass suicide. In this part of the film Obayashi utilizers more visual effects, and subtle animation traces.  Though-out the film we have a collection of musicians appearing to play this rising if contemplative melody- the group is made out of formally dressed and formal playing players, as well as a few more quirky players like some with a toy horn, saw and a few other quirky not necessarily musical instruments.

On the whole, the film is beautifully captured, shifting through the seasonal changes in Ashibetsu, as well as of course time. The more clunky and dated visuals of Casting Blossoms to the Sky are largely not present, but we do get the at times dizzying darting back and forth through time & character structure. The cast is largely good & believable as an extended family. The lengthy runtime is largely fine and works with the story that’s been told- through towards the end certainly points are overly pressed/ repeated. On the whole Seven Weeks is an intriguing family drama, and when it’s dips into wartime trama some of this is both harrowing & effecting.

Finally, we have 2017’s Hanagatami, which comes in at two hours and forty-nine minutes mark. And once again the film is rather a mixed bag/ with pros and cons abound.
After overlong, and rather confusing credits/ after credits which mix fantasy tropes, gloomy gothic perched on the edge of rocks rambling, and flows of cherry blossom showers over black and white stock. We set down in springtime 1941 where we find sixteen-year-old Toshihiko (Shunsuke Kubozuka) is starting school in the Karatsu, a small town on the western coast of Japan, after moving from Amsterdam. He slowly but surely settles in, gaining a group of female and male friends. The group, who all seem a lot older than there meant to be teenage- go through adventures, romance, heartbreak, and rather bizarre drunken behaviour- like Toshihiko and one of his male buddies completely stripping off for a midnight nude ride on a horse down the beach. As things move on, we of course come to the outbreak war- seeing how this affects Toshihiko, his friends & family.
As with the other films, we find a mix of soapy type drama/ interaction, sudden darkly quirky war-based imagery, a fair bit of cough-up blood/ sucking blood-related imagery, and later on more lengthy swims in visual surrealism. We get a lot of green screen use, and sadly much of this looks rather shabby/ badly done- which does take away from some of the scenes' impact.

As a lead Shunsuke Kubozuka makes for a pleasing, largely happy-go-lucky presence. The surrounding cast- be it his group of friends, or town elders are all good- though the big, big issue is that the friends all look way older than there meant to be, with some of them looking moving towards their forties. 

On the whole, Hanagatami certainly has its moments of impactful-ness; be it dramatically, or visually- with the film making some great points about growing up & how big events compact on it. Though it feels way, way too long- with moments of puzzlement- sometimes effective, other times not. I’d say if you enjoyed the other two films here, you’ll find worth in Hanagatami, but just don’t start here!

Over the three discs, we get a few extras- on disc one, we get a forty-five-minute on-screen interview with the director and a trailer. On disc two we get a lengthy hour and a quarter making of for Seven Weeks and a trailer. Lastly, on disc three we have a nineteen-minute making of, a thirty-four-minute on-screen interview with the director, and a trailer. The finished release comes with an inlay booklet featuring new writing from historian Aaron Gerow.

Nobuhiko Obayashi’s Anti-War Trilogy highlights Ôbayashi distinctive take on the impacts war, and all that surrounds it. Yes, all three films here are lengthy, and at times can be decidedly mixed bags- with some of the more dated effects lessening their impacts. But there is no doubt Obayash is both passionate and thoughtful in his take on war, and how it alters and impacts those around it- and that we should be grateful for. The set has an ltd pressing of just two thousand copies worldwide- so if this sounds like your thing I’d act sooner, than eBay later. To buy direct from the folks at Third Widow films, head here.