First Love Blu-ray Review

"First Love" is presented on Blu-ray by Well Go USA, offering an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The Blu-ray's video quality benefits from the dynamic direction and notable production values, delivering a largely impressive visual experience. The film showcases director Takashi Miike's trademark stylistic flair, including unconventional lighting schemes and bold grading choices that fluctuate in detail levels. For example, yellow or yellow-green scenes sometimes appear slightly washed out with reduced fine detail, while darker blue-green scenes maintain a more consistent level of detail. The inclusion of various artistic flourishes and a brief, striking anime sequence further enhances the visual narrative.

This Blu-ray release embraces the atmospheric qualities of the film with strong black levels and relatively high fine detail, contingent on the scene's tonal palette. While it doesn't reach the pinnacle of demo material, the transfer is proficiently handled, devoid of any noticeable digital artifacts and presenting a faithful replication of the source material. The video retains a cinematic feel appropriate for a recent production, emphasizing clarity without sacrificing the director's stylistic intent. It does not include the original Japanese theatrical cut, instead providing the edited version for North American and UK audiences. This release is a commendable effort, perfect for cinephiles appreciating strong visual storytelling within Miike's avant-garde framework.

The Blu-ray release of "First Love" presents DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks available in both the original Japanese and an English dub. The audio remains engaging and highly dynamic regardless of language selection, rendering no discernible differences in mixing or amplitude levels. The Japanese track stands out with an energetic, immersive soundscape characterized by a substantial low end and vivid sound effects, especially during the film's intense showdowns. The urban environment is brought to life through rich background noise, enhancing the sense of being amidst bustling city streets. Both dialogue and score maintain impeccable clarity throughout, ensuring a thoroughly enjoyable auditory experience.

The Japanese audio, in particular, surpasses typical expectations for Japanese productions, which are often restrained in sound design. This title, however, harnesses a robust surround mix that truly envelops the listener, providing pronounced bass, dynamic range, and precise dialogue reproduction. The English dub is equally clear in 5.1 DTS-HD MA, though some may find its tone too comedic due to the fittingly younger voice actors drawn from the anime industry. Meanwhile, secondary audio options include 2.0 Dolby Digital tracks for both Japanese and English, though their purpose remains obscure given the superiority of the 5.1 DTS-HD MA tracks.

Ultimately, "First Love" delivers an impressively active and enjoyable auditory experience. The sound design is meticulous, ensuring that both dialogue and environmental effects blend seamlessly, enriching the film’s dynamic urban setting. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 tracks deftly balance intense action sequences with nuanced cityscapes and dialogue, making the audio presentation a significant highlight of this Blu-ray release.

Well Go USA's Blu-ray release of "First Love" features a modest collection of supplementary material, largely comprising trailers. The extras follow an automatic play sequence, starting with the film's teaser and main trailers before moving onto additional trailers for other Well Go USA releases that also initiate during the disc's boot-up. While comprehensive bonus content is minimal, the supplementation of related promotional material serves to maintain engagement with potential Well Go USA titles, albeit lacking depth into "First Love" itself. Noteworthy additions include a Region A coded Blu-ray and a BD/DVD combo pack with a slipcover.

Extras included in this disc:

• First Love Teaser Trailer: Brief introduction to the film.
• First Love Trailer: Extended preview of the movie.
• Well Go USA Trailers: Trailers for "Ip Man 4: The Finale", "The Divine Fury", and "Freaks".

Takashi Miike once again proves his versatility and daring sense of humor with "First Love," a quirky, violent yakuza caper that stands out as one of his most entertaining films to date. The film's complex narrative weaves together various characters, including a terminally ill boxer Leo (Masataka Kubota) and a drug-addled call girl Monica (Sakurako Konishi), both caught in a chaotic whirlwind of crime involving the yakuza and a Chinese gang. Miike channels the energies and iconoclasm of Quentin Tarantino, creating an experience that blends hilarious, surreal action with brutal, graphic violence.

The plot pivots around the unlucky but engaging duo getting inadvertently entangled in a nightmarish drug-smuggling operation. The integration of diverse, idiosyncratic characters such as the battle-hardened yakuza Gondo (Seiyō Uchino) and the hilariously lethal Julie (Becky) enriches the narrative. The film's momentum never falters, maintaining an electrifying pace with its intricate subplots and comedic elements. Julie's almost slapstick resilience juxtaposed with Kase's bumbling ascent in the yakuza hierarchy adds a layer of dark comedy amidst the bloodshed.

Technically, "First Love" shines with Miike's masterful direction, vivid visual storytelling, and a fearless commitment to over-the-top violence mixed with sardonic humor. The film's climax, set in a store filled with chaotic brawls and copious gore, encapsulates Miike's blend of physical humor and graphic content. Although "First Love" may not represent Miike's magnum opus, its thrilling pace, memorable characters, and impactful scenes render it an exhilarating cinematic experience.

First Love, directed by Takashi Miike, delivers an enthralling yakuza adventure that masterfully blends comedy and violence in a way that only Miike can. The film's narrative is compelling, constantly throwing the audience into unexpected situations involving striking characters and plot twists reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino’s work. Miike’s unique approach brings levity to the intense action sequences and offers viewers a rollercoaster ride of emotions, injecting humor into grim moments with seamless finesse.

The technical aspects of the Blu-ray release are solid, providing a visually pristine and acoustically satisfying experience. The audio mix is vibrant and dynamic, ensuring that every punch, gunshot, and line of dialogue is delivered with clarity. The high-definition transfer captures the film's high-energy choreography and vivid Tokyo nightscapes beautifully, enriching the viewer's immersion into this chaotic, yet riveting world. The supplementary features included offer additional insight into Miike's creative process and further enhance appreciation for the intricate, often offbeat artistry behind First Love.

The fact that it's taken until the closing words of this review to get around to mentioning that Monica is chased for much of the film by a grimacing ghost clad in a sheet with a Sumo wrestler diaper may indicate just how off the wall First Love often is. My personal advice is that if you're acquainted with Miike and tend to like his more outlandishly funny films like The Happiness of the Katakuris, you're probably going to love First Love. Others may want to consider that this supposed love story is stuffed to the gills with a lot of violence and killing, though much of it is played for laughs. Technical merits are solid, and First Love comes Recommended.