Mechanical Violator Hakaider Complete Blu-ray

A combat machine sealed away on an isolated island awakens as unrest stirs beneath the false peace of the futuristic city-state Jesus Town. Hakaider confronts Michael, the public-security robot charged with preserving that order. Whether this destructive force will liberate the city's people or threaten civilization itself lies at the heart of a dark-hero story that refuses a simple division between good and evil.

Director Keita Amemiya reimagines Shotaro Ishinomori's Hakaider, the antagonist from Android Kikaider, with a new design and setting. Yuji Kishimoto, Mai Hosho, Yasuaki Honda, Jiro Okamoto and Toshiyuki Kikuchi lead the cast. Toshiki Inoue writes the screenplay, Koichi Ota provides the score, and Osamu Kaneda directs the action. Amemiya also designs the characters, realized by Rainbow Zokei Kikaku. MODE performs the theme WILD SIDE, with lyrics by Makoto Asakura and music, arrangement and production by Daisuke Asakura.

This thirtieth-anniversary collection contains the 52-minute theatrical version released in April 1995 and the 77-minute director's cut completed in 1996. The expanded version incorporates previously unseen scenes, around forty digitally composited or otherwise enhanced shots, computer graphics, matte artwork, newly produced music and material formerly presented as ending inserts. The theatrical version uses a 5K negative scan remastered and downconverted to 2K. The director's cut has been upconverted from standard-definition material; the supplementary footage likewise originates from the SD materials prepared for the earlier DVD release.

Extras comprise the theatrical trailer, an unreleased theatrical trailer, an overseas trailer, its textless counterpart and The Making of Mechanical Violator Hakaider, with Amemiya discussing the production. The audio options include the main soundtrack and a separate music-and-effects track, both in Linear PCM stereo. A twenty-page booklet adds a new interview with the director.