In This Corner Of The World was released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory (11/14/17) and is an animated feature-length movie based on an award-winning manga. The movie takes place during World War II and follows Suzu a young girl living in Hiroshima Japan who is adjusting to life during wartime. While the movie didn’t resonate all that much with me it does come with some interesting extra features on the Blu-ray/DVD release.
In This Corner Of The World Bonus Features:
- Sunao Katabuchi (Director) 40-minute head and shoulders interview with subtitles and intercut with clips from the movie. Katabuchi talks about the inspiration for the movie and motivation behind the story and locations.
- Masao Maruyama (Producer) 12-minute sit-down interview with subtitles explaining how the movie is meant to transcend audiences both children and adults. Masao Maruyama also details the unique art style and how the visuals helped narrate the story.
- Hiroshima & Kure Then and Now is a 15-minute featurette that outlines the real world locations and their transition as expressed in the movie. There is intercutting between the movie animation and live-action clips to show how things have changed over the years. This montage is set to music and features factual text displayed on the screen.
- U.S. Tour Highlights is a 15-minute documentary with highlights from various convention and screening appearances by the Director Sunao Katabuchi and his team. It is mostly him answering questions about the production and there is also a brief segment where he incorporates illustrations into his lecture.
- Trailer/TV Spot
- 16 Page black and white manga preview of the story that inspired the film.
In This Corner Of The World Review Blu-ray Final Thoughts:
Overall this is an excellent package and if this movie is something you have seen that has captivated you then you will be interested in checking out the Blu-ray/DVD release. For my personal tastes, the movie didn’t hold my attention and the English language dubbing was completely bland like something you would hear in a classic Charlie Brown cartoon. There were also some moments when the animation was very jittery making it difficult to watch but I don’t believe this was a disc error but a stylized choice from the production department.
https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/in-this-corner-of-the-world?product_id=6403