Madadayo (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Aug 13, 2026
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Akira KurosawaRelease Date(s)
1993 (June 24, 2026)Studio(s)
Kurosawa Production/Daiei/Tokuma Shoten/Toho (Imprint Asia/Via Vision Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B+
- Video Grade: B-
- Audio Grade: B
- Extras Grade: B
Review
[Editor’s Note: This film review is by Todd Doogan, adapted from his look at the 2009 AK100 DVD release. The disc portion of the review is by Bill Hunt.]
“Aogeba totoshi waga shi no on
Oshie no niwa ni mo hayaikutose
Omoeba itotoshi kono toshitsuki
Ima koso wakareme iza saraba
“We stand in awe of our teacher’s kind favor
How quickly the years have passed in this Garden of Learning
How quickly they’ve passed, the months and the years
And now we say... farewell”
from Aogeba Totoshi – a traditional Japanese graduation song (and an apt farewell to Sensei Kurosawa)
The title to the legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s 30th and final work, Madadayo, translates roughly to “Not Yet” in English (or in spirit, more like “No, Still Going!”). But it’s also a Japanese children’s game mixing Hide and Seek and Marco Polo. This is important to note, given that the main character here, Professor Uehida (played in tour de force fashion by Tatsuo Matsumura), uses both meanings to full effect throughout this beautiful and life-affirming film.
Based loosely on the events in the life of famed Japanese author Hyakken Uchida (author of Disk of Sarasate, which served as the basis of Seijun Suzuki’s Zigeunerweisen), Madadayo follows Uehida from his retirement as a professor of German at the Tokyo Imperial University up to his 77th birthday celebration. In between, Uehida enjoys the company of some of his students, who worship the ground he walks on and do everything in their power to keep him and his doting wife comfortable. Uehida has his share of hardships regardless, including losing his home to air raids during WWII and the loss of a beloved pet. But through it all, his faithful friends never leave his side, forming a society around him that celebrates his birthday each year. It’s there that beer and sake are drunk, speeches are given and the question “Mou ii kai?” (“Are you ready?”) is asked by all in attendance. Uehida’s response is always the same, always in a sing-song, child-like manner: “Mada dayo!” (“Not yet!”).
Madadayo was shot by cinematographers Takao Saito (Dodes’ka-den, Ran, Dreams) and Shoji Ueda (Ran, Dreams) on 35 mm film, using Arriflex 535 cameras with spherical lenses, and it was finished at the 1.85:1 flat aspect ratio. While it’s hard to say when the film was scanned and what remastering has been done by Toho, this is obviously the latest video master they have. And it must be noted that this Imprint Asia Blu-ray represents the first HD release of the film to include optional English subtitles (a Japanese-only edition was released on the format back in 2009), so it’s a significant upgrade of previous DVD editions for English-speaking fans.
While falling short of the best Blu-ray presentations, the detail here is certainly improved over the previous SD image, though fine detail is somewhat lacking. The image is soft overall, with a bit of edge enhancement and compression artifacting visible. Colors are muted, with the palette intentionally favoring warm and earthy tones. Blacks are a bit gray, but do retain nice detail. It seems likely that this is not a new HD master, but that Imprint has done a bit of their own digital mastering regardless. In any case, short of a new 4K scan, it’s great to finally have Madadayo available for viewing in HD with English subs.
Audio is included in the original Japanese in 24-bit LPCM 2.0 stereo with optional English subtitles. The track is clean and free of sonic defects, including age-related issues and analog hiss. Dialogue is clear and well balanced at all times.
Via Vision’s new Imprint Asia release includes the following special features…
- Not Yet! Jasper Sharp on Madadayo (HD – 23:54)
- The Making of Madadayo (SD – 90:30)
- Akira Kurosawa: The Essence of Filmmaking (SD – 28:39)
- Archival Trailers and TV Spots (SD – 7 spots – 4:53)
The featurette with Sharp has the historian looking back on the film to provide abundant context and production detail, mixed with film clips, poster art, and still images. The Making of Madadayo was produced by Toho and directed by Kentaro Uchida in 1993—it includes burned-in English subtitles, and may be included here for the first time on an English physical media release. (It wasn’t on the 2009 Criterion AK100 DVD, nor was it included on the 2001 Wellspring DVD.) The Essence of Filmmaking is also a vintage Japanese piece on the director and his work, and again it includes burned-in English subs. Both pieces are well worth your time, and may be new to you. Finally, you get a collection of 7 or 8 trailers and TV spots for the film. All in all, it’s a very nice batch of content for Kurosawa fans.
Madadayo is not an epic film, nor is it paced like one. It’s simply a series of vignettes from one man’s life; a man who means a great deal to a great many others. Uehida is charming; happy in one moment, sad in another. He’s supportive of his friends, but even more supported by them. He is flawed. He is perfect. He’s a human being, and it’s easy to see why Kurosawa chose to focus on him. It also seems intentional, and quite fitting, that this would be Kurosawa’s last film as a director. Madadayo is pure gold indeed. If you’re a fan of this filmmaker, Imprint Asia’s Blu-ray is an essential addition to your library.
- Todd Doogan and Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media on X, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)