Eureka Entertainment continue their long line of stellar Blu Ray releases with the upcoung double-pack of Karate Bullfighter and Karate Bearfighter. Both films star the iconic Japanese badass, Sonny Chiba (The Street Fighter), and are based on the Manga, Karate Baka Ichidai, which ran 1971 to 1977 (and was later adapted into an anime series).
Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, director of the fan favorite, Sister Street Fighter, the films focus on Masutatsu “Mas” Ōyama, the world reknowned karate master and Sonny Chiba’s real-life teacher:
In Karate Bullfighter (or Champion of Death), a karate tournament is crashed by an enigmatic martial artist calling himself Ōyama (Chiba), who arrives in tattered rags and beats all who dare challenge him. But Ōyama’s entrance into the world of karate has unforeseen consequences, and soon he is fighting for far more than sporting victory. Then, in Karate Bearfighter, Ōyama is expelled from the karate community for refusing to pull his punches. With nowhere else to turn, he takes a job with the yakuza after running into Kimura (Hideo Murota), who Ōyama once knew as a fellow member of the Imperial Japanese Air Service before he turned to a life of crime. Ultimately, though, Ōyama has no more respect for his superiors on the streets than he did in the dojo…
Physical media fans will be pleased to read that this is another packed release from Eureka, featuring their usual superb commentaries and videos essays:
SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:Limited edition O card slipcase (first print run of 2000 copies only); 1080p presentations of both films across two Blu-ray discs, from new restorations of the original film elements by Toei; Original Japanese mono audio; Optional English subtitles; Brand new feature length audio commentaries on both films by action cinema experts Mike Leeder & Arne Venema; In Search of the Ultimate Truth – Brand new video essay by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of the Martial Arts; Original theatrical trailers; PLUS: A Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Eddie Falvey (first print run of 2000 copies only).
