This December, animation fans can explore the inventive filmography of visionary director Masaaki Yuasa with the stunning new collection Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films. Available December 19th from GKIDS and Shout! Studios, this set includes Yuasa’s five most celebrated works along with a trove of bonus content.
Regarded as one of contemporary anime’s most imaginative auteurs, Yuasa is acclaimed for blending visual artistry and emotional storytelling. His dynamic, fluid style has been compared to animation greats like Tex Avery and Max Fleischer. This compilation features some of Yuasa’s most genre-bending and beloved films, highlighting his humor, heart, and singular voice.The Films
The six-disc collection includes:
- Mind Game (2004): An existential romp about a wimpy man shot by a soccer-playing psychopath and plunged into the afterlife.
- The Night is Short, Walk On Girl (2017): A surreal night out on the town for a girl pursuing an aloof crush in whimsical encounters.
- Lu Over the Wall (2017): A gloomy teen befriends an energetic young mermaid through the power of music.
- Ride Your Wave (2019): A relationship cut tragically short leads a surf-loving college student to find inventive ways to reconnect with her lost love.
- Inu-Oh (2021): Two medieval outcasts, one afflicted with a curse and the other blind, discover a shared gift for captivating dance and song.
The set overflows with bonus content including:
- An English dub for The Night is Short, Walk On Girl
- Two of Yuasa’s short films: Happy Machine and Kick-Heart
- Audio commentaries from Yuasa
- Scene breakdowns
- Sketches and interviews with the director
- A video interview with Yuasa at a LA speakeasy
- A 60-page book on his career with sketchbook excerpts
For anime devotees, Masaaki Yuasa: Five Films offers a chance to dive deep into the filmography of an inspired and boundary-breaking director.
The collection provides a stunning showcase of Yuasa’s trademark invention blended with emotional storytelling. Don’t miss the opportunity to get immersed in the mind and method of an animation visionary this December.
