Toho is the Tokyo studio, distributor and cinema chain behind Godzilla and most of Akira Kurosawa's films, and part of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. In Japan it issues its own Blu-rays and 4K UHDs, including a run of new 4K Kurosawa remasters from 2023, though these domestic discs often lack English subtitles. The same masters are licensed to labels abroad for English-friendly editions.
Toho
Best 4K release by tier:
- Excellent1
- Solid3
How we pick the best Toho releases
6 in 4K
Best video release on UHD Blu-ray or 4K streaming
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Best English-Friendly & Audio:
Audio Notes:
Caveat: Songs are only in Japanese, even with the English dub selected.
JP Toho 4K Blu-ray for the alternate Japanese audio with English songs, and US OOP Funimation Blu-ray for the English dub with English songs
Best Video:
US GKIDS/Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
(US GKIDS 4K Blu-ray has a higher bitrate than the Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray, but improvements are minimal, if visible.)
Directors: Shinji Higuchi & Hideaki Anno
Best Video, Audio & English-Friendly:
US Toho/GKIDS 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
US Toho/GKIDS 4K Blu-ray > France 4K Blu-ray > Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray; caps
US disc includes original Japanese intertitles, as well as stylized English translations for all of them, both burned-in.
Audio Notes:
US Toho/GKIDS 4K Blu-ray has no limiting, unlike other releases.
Additional Info:
US Toho/GKIDS 4K Blu-ray has a new English dub, different from the old Funimation US Blu-ray
Best Video:
Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray
Best Audio:
Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray for uncensored Japanese audio and original 6.1 mix
Additional Info:
Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray is an upscale of the original 2K DI but has no English subtitles, all past releases are flawed scans from filmout sources.
Director: Ishirō Honda
Best Video:
Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray
Additional Info:
AIP Dub is only found on the 2011 Media Blasters Blu-ray along with other exclusive extras (NOT the 2014 reissue)
4 in HD
Best video release on Blu-ray or HD streaming · by Letterboxd rating
5 for audio only
The best audio is Toho's; the video and English-friendly picks are other releases · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Best Audio:
Toho 1993 LaserDisc
Audio Notes:
BFI Player used to have the same mastering available to stream in 2019.
Best English-Friendly:
Video Notes:
France Carlotta > Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps: https://slow.pics/c/s7AfL3XW
Grain is sharper/clearer on the new Carlotta/Criterion 4K; BFI's grain resolves slightly worse and more so in motion, being a standard Blu-ray; The Toho 4K's grain is softer, probably DNR'd.
Director: Jūzō Itami
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Best Audio:
Restored original mono mix: Toho Japan 4K Blu-ray
Unrestored original mono: 2014 BFI Blu-ray
BFI 4K Blu-ray has OG Perspecta (in 5.1 container) and a stereo downmix of it; no original mono.
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Video Notes:
BFI 4K Blu-ray has excellent master and grade, no DNR and tasteful HDR
Additional Info:
The unrestored track on BFI's earlier release appears to be an almost entirely unmanipulated transfer of the original mix. It suffers from a distracting low-frequency hum. The 4K restoration comes with a restored track, which appears to be the same transfer, but which appears to be cleaned up with a moderate amount of noise reduction and some EQ, nicely opening up the high-end, and which is likely to be preferable to most listeners. All earlier releases sound poor.
Perspecta isn't a discrete surround format, instead only relying on manipulating volume and panning of the mono track across L/C/R channels, based on embedded control tones. As such, even the Perspecta track is technically just the mono mix, though the omission of the proper mono on BFI's 4K is still unfortunate.
Director: Makoto Shinkai
Best Audio:
Hong Kong Neofilms 4K Blu-ray/Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray
Upcoming Release:
US/UK Crunchyroll 4K Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:
Hong Kong Neofilms 4K Blu-ray
Best Video:
Hong Kong Neofilms 4K Blu-ray
Additional Info:
Hong Kong Neofilms 4K Blu-ray has better bitrate and detail than Japan Toho 4K Blu-ray, both releases have English subtitles.
The original theatrical Atmos mix has not been given a home release.
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