Wandering Ginza Butterfly: She-Cat Gambler (1972)
銀蝶流れ者 牝猫博奕
Action, Drama • 1h 26m
Overview
Meiko Kaji reprises her role as Nami, a vengeful female gang leader, in the second installment of this high-action series that casts a new actor -- martial arts legend Sonny Chiba -- in the role of Nami's loyal friend Ryuji. This time around, Nami is looking for Hoshiden, the man who murdered her father and shattered her once-hopeful childhood. But living under an assumed name, Hoshiden could stay hidden forever.
Director: Kazuhiko Yamaguchi
Cast: Meiko Kaji, Sonny Chiba, Junzaburō Ban, Yukie Kagawa, Tamayo Mitsukawa, Shingo Yamashiro, Tōru Yuri, Hideo Murota, Maki Kawamura, Chie Kobayashi, Hiroshi Tachi, Kōji Hio, Osamu Kimura, Keiichi Kitagawa, Akira Kuji, Toshiaki Minami, Seiya Satō, Ryō Suga, Nakajirō Tomita, Toshiyuki Tsuchiyama, Tomotaka Ueda, Tsunehiko Watase
Director: Robert Towne
Arrow includes the original Dolby Stereo mix in a matrixed stereo form, as well as a discrete 4.0 track.
Director: Robert Towne
Arrow includes the original Dolby Stereo mix in a matrixed stereo form, as well as a discrete 4.0 track.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Arrow 4K Blu-ray Both cuts are excellent in 4K. See caps
Director's cut: 2007 WB Blu-ray; Arrow is a lossy transcode with dynamics compression.
2007 BD's AC-3 track with dynamic range compression enabled is nearly identical to Arrow's, see comparison
Theatrical cut is fine.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Arrow 4K Blu-ray Both cuts are excellent in 4K. See caps
Director's cut: 2007 WB Blu-ray; Arrow is a lossy transcode with dynamics compression.
2007 BD's AC-3 track with dynamic range compression enabled is nearly identical to Arrow's, see comparison
Theatrical cut is fine.
Director: Renny Harlin
Arrow 4K Blu-ray caps by cinemaniac. Gorgeous upgrade
Atmos track on Arrow cuts off the end credits music 1 minute before the credits end. 5.1 doesn't have this issue.
Digital 4K appears to be fixed. Could the International WB 4K Blu-ray also be fixed?
Director: Renny Harlin
Arrow 4K Blu-ray caps by cinemaniac. Gorgeous upgrade
Atmos track on Arrow cuts off the end credits music 1 minute before the credits end. 5.1 doesn't have this issue.
Digital 4K appears to be fixed. Could the International WB 4K Blu-ray also be fixed?
Director: Lee Cronin
Arrow 4K Blu-ray > French Metropolitan 4K Blu-Ray > WB 4K Blu-Ray
Britain StudioCanal/French Metropolitan 4K Blu-Ray has a exclusive director's solo commentary.
Director: Lee Cronin
Arrow 4K Blu-ray > French Metropolitan 4K Blu-Ray > WB 4K Blu-Ray
Britain StudioCanal/French Metropolitan 4K Blu-Ray has a exclusive director's solo commentary.
US Toy Robot and UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray
US Toy Robot and UK 88 Films 4K Blu-ray
Director: Joel Coen
Arrow 4K Blu-ray scheduled for November 2026 release
All the same
Director: Joel Coen
Arrow 4K Blu-ray scheduled for November 2026 release
All the same
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray > US Shout! Factory
Arrow has a slightly better encode, edging out SF even with FEL, and has done some additional damage cleanup. Caps
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray > US Shout! Factory
Arrow has a slightly better encode, edging out SF even with FEL, and has done some additional damage cleanup. Caps
Director: Takashi Miike
2026 Arrow 4K Blu-ray
2026 Arrow 4K Blu-ray
Original matrixed DTS Stereo mix: 2026 Arrow 4K Blu-ray
5.0 surround remix: 2009 Shout! Factory US Blu-ray
Arrow includes three audio tracks, matrixed stereo, discrete 4.0, and a 5.0 surround remix. Unfortunately, only the first one is usable. The 4.0 desyncs partway through. The 5.0 has incorrect (lower) pitch. Fortunately, the matrixed stereo track sounds great, but it is still a major disappointment.
There has been no replacement disc announced. See nicwood's BR post.
Director: Takashi Miike
2026 Arrow 4K Blu-ray
2026 Arrow 4K Blu-ray
Original matrixed DTS Stereo mix: 2026 Arrow 4K Blu-ray
5.0 surround remix: 2009 Shout! Factory US Blu-ray
Arrow includes three audio tracks, matrixed stereo, discrete 4.0, and a 5.0 surround remix. Unfortunately, only the first one is usable. The 4.0 desyncs partway through. The 5.0 has incorrect (lower) pitch. Fortunately, the matrixed stereo track sounds great, but it is still a major disappointment.
There has been no replacement disc announced. See nicwood's BR post.
Director: James Mangold
Arrow 4K Blu-ray see caps
Director: James Mangold
Arrow 4K Blu-ray see caps
More Action on Blu-ray
Director: Robert Altman
Paramount Blu-ray
Popeye was mixed for a failed Vistasonic system with 4 discrete tracks (L/C/R/S). That mix has never been released on home video in its original form.
The older 5.1 track appearing on older DVD/BD releases sounds excellent. It appears to be a slight upmix of the original mix, only splitting the surrounds and adding LFE. It sounds close to the old analog LaserDisc, which is likely the original mix in a matrixed form.
The 5.1 included on the UHD is a new remix which significantly differs from previous tracks. There are new foley effects all over the place. Music is jarringly spliced in from different sources. Unlike the old 5.1 which had clearly discrete surrounds, the channels surrounds overlap somewhat with the fronts here.
Details on the new mix from Paramount's former head of restoration: https://youtu.be/P-AmjqViJyE?t=788
The 2.0 tracks on all DVDs/BDs are just downmixes of their respective 5.1 mixes.
Samples
Director: Robert Altman
Paramount Blu-ray
Popeye was mixed for a failed Vistasonic system with 4 discrete tracks (L/C/R/S). That mix has never been released on home video in its original form.
The older 5.1 track appearing on older DVD/BD releases sounds excellent. It appears to be a slight upmix of the original mix, only splitting the surrounds and adding LFE. It sounds close to the old analog LaserDisc, which is likely the original mix in a matrixed form.
The 5.1 included on the UHD is a new remix which significantly differs from previous tracks. There are new foley effects all over the place. Music is jarringly spliced in from different sources. Unlike the old 5.1 which had clearly discrete surrounds, the channels surrounds overlap somewhat with the fronts here.
Details on the new mix from Paramount's former head of restoration: https://youtu.be/P-AmjqViJyE?t=788
The 2.0 tracks on all DVDs/BDs are just downmixes of their respective 5.1 mixes.
Samples
Director: Phillip Noyce
Director: Phillip Noyce
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Bandai Japan 4K Blu-ray
Bandai JP 4K Blu-ray
All 4K releases are sourced from the same mediocre transfer provided by Bandai, with various amounts of tweaks. Japanese disc presents it with the least tinkering.
The best attempt at improving it comes from the German/French releases from KSM/All the Anime, both of which use the same master with HDR regrading (original grade is SDR in HDR container), tasteful regraining and sharpening, in an attempt to breathe some life into the middling transfer, making for an arguably more pleasing viewing experience.
All earlier releases are from an even worse transfer, with significant black crush, with the exception of a Japanese TV airing, which doesn't suffer from that issue, but instead is heavily sharpened and suffers from poor encoding.
Comparisons: JPN UHD, USA UHD, FRA/GER UHD, ITA UHD (tonemapped), JPN UHD, USA UHD, FRA/GER UHD, ITA UHD, ESP UHD (PQ), All 1080p BDs, HDTV, HDTV filtered
Original matrixed stereo mix: Bandai JP 4K Blu-ray
Most discs include this track with comparable fidelity (which is excellent).
Dolby Atmos remix: Lionsgate US 4K / All the Anime FR 4K
6.1 remix (from Ghost in the Shell 2.0): KSM DE 4K / All the Anime FR 4K
All tracks on the Lionsgate US 4K replace the original ending song with the one heard on the English dub. As the Atmos track on the FR 4K is just a port, it also has this song replaced.
Japanese 4K includes English dub and subtitles.
French/German 4Ks are not English friendly, with no dub or subtitles.
French disc includes the Atmos track, but the German disc does not.
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Bandai Japan 4K Blu-ray
Bandai JP 4K Blu-ray
All 4K releases are sourced from the same mediocre transfer provided by Bandai, with various amounts of tweaks. Japanese disc presents it with the least tinkering.
The best attempt at improving it comes from the German/French releases from KSM/All the Anime, both of which use the same master with HDR regrading (original grade is SDR in HDR container), tasteful regraining and sharpening, in an attempt to breathe some life into the middling transfer, making for an arguably more pleasing viewing experience.
All earlier releases are from an even worse transfer, with significant black crush, with the exception of a Japanese TV airing, which doesn't suffer from that issue, but instead is heavily sharpened and suffers from poor encoding.
Comparisons: JPN UHD, USA UHD, FRA/GER UHD, ITA UHD (tonemapped), JPN UHD, USA UHD, FRA/GER UHD, ITA UHD, ESP UHD (PQ), All 1080p BDs, HDTV, HDTV filtered
Original matrixed stereo mix: Bandai JP 4K Blu-ray
Most discs include this track with comparable fidelity (which is excellent).
Dolby Atmos remix: Lionsgate US 4K / All the Anime FR 4K
6.1 remix (from Ghost in the Shell 2.0): KSM DE 4K / All the Anime FR 4K
All tracks on the Lionsgate US 4K replace the original ending song with the one heard on the English dub. As the Atmos track on the FR 4K is just a port, it also has this song replaced.
Japanese 4K includes English dub and subtitles.
French/German 4Ks are not English friendly, with no dub or subtitles.
French disc includes the Atmos track, but the German disc does not.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Sony 4K Blu-ray has the original theatrical Dolby Atmos mix
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Sony 4K Blu-ray has the original theatrical Dolby Atmos mix
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Criterion 4K Blu-ray: intact grain compared to Toho/BFI UHDs' DNR'd master
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is good, derived from the 1995 Criterion LaserDisc (which would be minimally better due to its lack of filtering) see blah-ray
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Criterion 4K Blu-ray: intact grain compared to Toho/BFI UHDs' DNR'd master
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is good, derived from the 1995 Criterion LaserDisc (which would be minimally better due to its lack of filtering) see blah-ray
Directors: Sam Liu & Lauren Montgomery
Directors: Sam Liu & Lauren Montgomery
Director: Zhang Yimou
Director: Zhang Yimou
Edit History
Made with ❤️ 📀 by vanshady