Shintaro! – The Samurai
Sensation That Swept The Nation (2009/Region Free/0/Zero
PAL DVD Imports/Madman Entertainment Australia)
Picture: C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D Documentary: B-
PLEASE NOTE: The DVD can only be operated on
machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region Free/0/Zero PAL
format software and can be ordered from our friends at Madman Entertainment at
the website address provided at the end of the review.
From 1962
to 1965, Shintaro! was one of the
many hit TV successes that brought Japanese TV to worldwide success and
life. A now-familiar tale of samurais
and ninjas battling in a simple good vs. evil way we have long overdosed on by
now. It was special then and though not
big in the U.S., it hit in Australia and
was a hugely controversial and successful TV show. Marco Sinigaglia’s Shintaro! – The Samurai Sensation That Swept The Nation (2009)
tells about the success.
About 20
years after WWII ended, the bad memories of what Japan did to Australia was
very fresh in the memories of many adults when the very Japanese show became a
big afternoon hit with children who had no idea about the country the series
came from. Whites in the country were
not happy, but the more they resisted, the bigger the show became.
The series
(also known as Onmitsu kenshi)
arrived down under in 1964 and that meant more episodes were ready to show so
the attacks had to face several seasons already in the can. The attacks on the show were and are amazing,
showing what a threat the simple show with its bad acting, low budget and
senseless action posed to the uptight establishment. Interviews include stars of the show, Aussies
who were there when the phenomenon happened and much more. And yes, it was one of the first shows to
cash in with tie-in merchandise.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image mixes new 1080i HD footage, old film footage
and other clips throughout in a well-edited mix typical of such
documentaries. The Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo has some mono audio from the show and in other clips, but is not
bad. There are no extras, though an
episode of the show would have been nice.
As noted
above, you can order this PAL DVD import set exclusively from Madman at:
https://www.madman.com.au/actions/channel.do?method=view
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Nicholas Sheffo