I think I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. Isao Takahata's 1981 movie Jarinko Chie will be released on Blu-Ray DVD in Japan on July 25. I don't know whether or not this version will include English-language subtitles, but I'm assuming it won't, since the standard DVD release didn't. The film was likely perceived as too Japanese, and too heavily dependent on Japanese culture, to make much sense to Westerners. It's as much a story about Osaka as anything else, depicted lovingly in that Takahata documentary style. It also happens to be wildly funny, even delving into the "blue" humor here and there.
I think this is a wonderful movie, and it deserves to be seen in North America, like everything else. But it's not very likely. If you thought Disney would be squeamish about Tanuki body parts from Pom Poko, Jarinko Chie's gross-out humor would leave them reeling. What would we tell the children? Ohhh, my! I feel faint! My lace hankerchief!
Ahem. Fortunately, Chie is now fansubbed, and as soon as I can remember to do so, I'll add the direct link for you to share. Not that you couldn't figure this out with a simple Google search, mind you. Wink, wink.
I'm really looking forward to seeing how clear and sharp the picture will be. Blu-Ray is a great boon for animation, and there are already a number of top releases that attest to this. Best yet, Japan and North America share the same "region" for Blu-Ray (the format uses three regions, instead of standard DVD's six), which means no fiddling around with easter egg codes or hacks to watch on your system.
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