Umi ni Nemuru Diamond Director's Cut Blu-ray Box

Umi ni Nemuru Diamond Director's Cut Blu-ray Box connects the hopeful bustle of a mining island in 1955 with the uncertainty of contemporary Tokyo. Ryunosuke Kamiki plays two contrasting young men in a story spanning 70 years of love, friendship and family, created by writer Akiko Nogi, director Ayuko Tsukahara and producer Junko Arai.

In summer 2018, Tokyo host Reo receives an unexpected marriage proposal from Izumi, a mysterious woman played by Nobuko Miyamoto. Her generous spending first makes her seem like a convenient customer. But when he casually accepts her invitation to Nagasaki, their ferry journey towards Hashima opens a door onto a much older story.

Back in spring 1955, Teppei returns to Hashima after university to work for the company running the island's coal mines. His childhood friends Kensho and Yuriko have also come home. Teppei's brother Shinpei, his mother Haru and the restaurant's Asako welcome him, while his father Ippei reacts angrily. The arrival of Rina, an enigmatic singer, adds another unfamiliar presence to the island. Their intersecting lives unfold against an era of rapid growth, drawing a contrast with the dreams and frustrations of the present.

Takumi Saito, Hana Sugisaki, Elaiza Ikeda, Hiroya Shimizu, Tao Tsuchiya, Jun Kunimura, Ikki Sawamura and Tomoko Nakajima join the cast. Naoki Sato supplies the music, with King Gnu's Nekko as the theme song. Detailed recreations of 1950s Hashima and Nagasaki locations give the drama its distinctive setting.

The four-disc set presents the complete series in its director's-cut edition, with more than ten minutes of previously unreleased footage and approximately 512 minutes of programme material. Around 192 minutes of extras explore the production through a behind-the-scenes guide, cast interviews, previously unseen moments, outtakes and filming wrap-ups. Cast discussions revisit the opening episode and the Hashima miniature model, while a conversation with Akiko Nogi looks ahead to the finale. Episode six also includes commentary with Kamiki, Nogi and Tsukahara.

A 56-page booklet accompanies the discs with the writer's story notes, directors' episode commentary, excerpts from Teppei's diary, set explanations and off-camera photographs. The region-free Blu-rays offer 16:9 high-definition presentation and Japanese Linear PCM 2.0 audio. Japanese accessibility subtitles are provided for the main programme only.