Japanese title: Kiraware Matsuko no Isshô (嫌われ松子の一生)
DVD publisher's official website: http://www.amuse-s-e.co.jp/matsuko/
Release date: Nov. 17, 2006
Publisher: Amuse Soft Entertainment
Region code: 2
NTSC
First off, this DVD does NOT have English subtitles.
Its lavish and unusual packaging is the main reason I decided to write about it here.
There are 2 (or 3) editions of Japanese DVD of the movie,
the 2-disc "Collector's Edition" in "photo album" packaging.
The contents of 1-disc edition seems to be identical to the 1st disc of the 2-disc edition.
The "Photo album" edition is limited, and it's supposed to be replaced by standard packaging 2-disc set, but I haven't seen that one.
The "Photo album" edition is relatively easily found on online shops, often with good discount. And I got my copy from such shop recently and want to give informations about it.
The Packaging
It's large. Slightly smaller than vinyl LP sleeve.
Under the factory sealing, the "album" is protected with a plastic cover. A nice precaution.
According to the advertisement slip, this "album" is designed to look like the one found in Matsuko's apartment room.
It has 26 pages, most of which consist of photos.
The discs are housed in the last page:
One minor complaint: the discs are rather easily come off, and it's hard to put the discs back to the holders properly.
This package looks good and I'm glad that I got it, but practically it doesn't work very well.
Disc 1: The Movie
Single-sided, Dual-layered.
Running time: 130 mins
Video: VistaVision 16:9 enhanced Widescreen
Audio:
- Japanese DD 5.1
- Japanese DTS 5.1
- Audio commentary: Japanese DD 2.0
Subtitles:
- Japanese
- None
Supplements:
- Audio commentary
- Trailers & TV spots
- 3 types of chapter menus
Audio commentary is describled as "by the frequent customers of Matsuko's snack bar."
Actually it's done by a group of crew:
- Tetsuya Nakajima (writer/director),
- Towako Kuwashima (art director)
- Masahide Yanagase (VFX)
- Toyohiko Kanahashi (music producer)
- Yûji Ishida (producer)
- a woman who calls herself Natsuko, who served as a waitress of the bar.
Trailers & TV spots section has 3 teaser trailers, 1 theatrical trailer, 11 TV spots (total: 7 mins).
This disc has 3 types of chapter menus entitled
- History of Matsuko
- Characters
- Music
History of Matsuko menu serve as normal chapter index you expect for DVD.
It looks like a chronicle of Matsuko's life,
each chapter has the year of the event and Matsuko's age at the time.
- 1971 23 Resigned as school teacher
- 1971 23 Lived with Tetsuya Yamekawa
- 1972 24 Had an affair with Kenta Okano
- 1973 25 Worked as "soap lady" in Nakasu
- 1974 26 Murdered the pimp who betrayed her, attempted suicide
- 1974 26 Imprisoned
- 1983 36 Met her former student Ryû again
- 1989 41 Started living alone
- 2001 53 Found dead on the riverside
- 2006 -- Happy End Credits
Character menu is a cast list of minor characters in order of appearance in the movie.
You can go to the scene where each character first appears.
Despite their short screen time, some of them are very well known in Japan.
Page 1:
- Kaela Kimura - A very popular singer
- Sola Aoi - A girl picked up on the street
- Nagisa Katahira - Herself
- Hirotarô Honda - The murderer in "Woman Lawyer" drama
- Hideo Sakaki - The leader of Megumi's bodyguards
- Maggie - Detective
- Masahiro Kômoto - A clerk in the hotel of the school excursion
- Midoriko Kimujra - Tamie, Matsuko's mother
- Takuzô Kadono - Headmaster
- Risa Ai - An idol singer
- Kayoko Ôkubo - Okano's wife
Page 2:
- Mari Hamada - Norio's wife
- Hana Kino - Female police officer
- Tetsu Watanabe - Detetcive A
- Kôji Yamamoto - Detective B
- Anna Tsuchiya - Prisoner C: Bride
- AI: Prisoner A: Song
- Yorie Yamashita - Prisoner B: Family
- Hanako Yamada - Prisoner D: Memory
- Takejô Aki - Prison ward
- Kyûsaku Shimada - Clergyman
- Hôka Kinoshita - A resident of Hikari-sô apartment
Music menu is an index for the songs:
- Too Lil Too Lil Liquor by Kaela Kimura
- faker by ch feat. B-BANDJ
- Love Is Bubble by Bonnie Pink
- Dream Train by Rin Oikawa
- What Is A Life by AI & Rin Oikawa
- Endless by Joe Himeji feat. J.
- Candy Tree by Rin Oikawa
- Happy Wednesday by Miki Nakatani
- Magete Nobashite by Ami Yuasa
- Furui Nikki by Akiko Wada
- USO by Risa Ai
- Anata no Kokoro ni by Chinatsu Nakayama
- Feeling Good / Michael Buble
- Walking On Springtime / Barbara Borra
- Here, Always by Tommy Snyder & Yoshika
- She's What I Want To Be by ch
- Matsuko Medley by Matsuko Singers
Interestingly, the order of the songs in the menu is different from the movie, but almost the same as the soundtrack CD (which has 2 more songs.)
Disc 2: Supplements
Single-sided, Dual-layered.
Running time: 100 mins
Video: 4:3
Audio: Japanese DD 2.0
- Making-of entitled "285 days of Kiraware Tetsuya" (30 mins)
An ordinary documentary with lots of behind-the-scvenes, interviews with cast & crew.
It mostly covers the events chronologically from the inception to the theatrical release. Very comprehensible.
- 2 deleted scenes (with making-of footages)
- The first shooting day of Megumi Sawamura's AE video (1'20")
- Matsuko sings "Koibito-yo" (1'10") - a yakuza is touched by her song.
- How to love Kiraware Matsuko (total: 20 mins)
is a collection of various fun bits with making-of footages:
- Aoi Mizusawa (Megumi Sawamura) filmography (2'45")
- Shunji Ôkura's Tattoo (2'45")
- Nagisa Katahira played by Nagisa Katahira (2'30")
- The Shimazu Family (1'40")
- Daddy is a playboy (2'00") - Kenji Shimazu's transformation to a handsome guy
- Minna no Uta (4'00") - about the song "Magete Nobashite" sung by many characters at the end
- Matsuko's fashion and hairstyles (4'07")
- Storyboards (12 mins)
First we see how director Nakajima uses storyboards to explain his intention to actors.
Then we see lengthy storyboard-to-film comparisons on musical scenes.
Also, occasionally storyboards are replaced with rehearsal footage of dancers.
- Matsuko Kawajiri's Best Friends
is a collection of short interviews with 22 actors and writer/director Nakajima.
Most of them run less than one minute.
- Bonnie Pink "Love is Buibble" music video (3'55")
- Textless end title (4 mins)
A note on the movie's Japanese title "Kiraware Matsuko no Isshô":
A literal translation would be "The life of disliked Matsuko".
I think the word "kiraware" (disliked, hated) is probably an expression of how her love had been unfairly treated, rejected, neglected, or so it seemed. Just MHO.
DVD:
Soundtracks:
Book on the making-of:
UK versions:
