Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade ~Limited Edition~ Blu-Ray Boxset

In an alternate post-occupation Japan where political unrest has given rise to a heavily armored paramilitary police force called the Kerberos, Constable Kazuki Fuse watches a young Sect courier detonate her bomb rather than surrender in a sewer tunnel. He had the shot. He did not take it. The incident triggers an investigation, retraining, and a slow-building conspiracy between intelligence factions that uses Fuse's guilt and his relationship with the dead girl's surviving sister Kei as its instrument. What follows is a quiet, devastating political thriller about institutional loyalty, the cost of humanity inside a dehumanizing system, and a fairy tale about wolves and little red riding hoods that is less metaphor than architecture.

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade is a 1999 theatrical film directed by Hiroyuki Okiura in his feature debut, written by Mamoru Oshii, and produced by Production I.G — a film we have already listed in this catalog under the Manga Entertainment DVD release. The Bandai Visual USA Limited Edition Blu-ray box set houses an individual case for the film, a classy leaflet with artwork and background details, and a 200+ page book that features storyboards for the entire film. The video is presented in AVC 1080p at approximately 38 Mbps on a dual-layered BD50 disc, paired with a dual-layered DVD9; audio includes Japanese 5.1 PCM at 4.6 Mbps, Japanese 2.0 PCM at 1.5 Mbps, and English 5.1 Dolby Surround. This release predates the Discotek Media Blu-ray (January 27, 2015) and was the film's first North American high-definition release. Note: Bandai Visual packaged their high-definition releases in standard-sized DVD cases, making the box set appear bulky relative to standard Blu-ray keepcases.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Hiroyuki Okiura (feature debut; key animator on Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor 2)
Screenplay: Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor 1 & 2, Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer)
Original Manga: Mamoru Oshii (Kerberos Panzer Cop)
Studio: Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor 1 & 2, FLCL, Ghost in the Shell: SAC)
Music: Hajime Mizoguchi (Jin-Roh, Fushigi Yugi)
Kenji Kawai: Additional music (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor 1 & 2, Vampire Princess Miyu TV)

Japanese Cast:
- Yoshikatsu Fujiki as Kazuki Fuse
- Sumi Mutoh as Kei Amemiya (Voices of a Distant Star — Mikako Nagamine)
- Hiroyuki Kinoshita as Atsushi Henmi
- Kousei Hirota as Tohru Midorikawa
- Yoshisada Sakaguchi as Hajime Handa
- Tamio Oki as Commander Shiro Tatsumi

English Dub Cast (Manga Entertainment original dub — included):
- Michael Dobson as Kazuki Fuse
- Moneca Stori as Kei Amemiya (Inuyasha films — Kagome)
- Paul Dobson as Atsushi Henmi
- Brian Drummond as additional cast (Dragon Ball Z, Project ARMS)

Blu-ray Features (Bandai Visual USA Limited Edition Box Set)

- Dual-Layered BD50 Blu-ray + Dual-Layered DVD9
- 200+ Page Storyboard Book (complete film storyboards)
- Illustrated Leaflet with Artwork & Background Details
- Eye-Catching Outer Box
- Japanese 5.1 PCM (4.6 Mbps) / Japanese 2.0 PCM (1.5 Mbps) / English 5.1 Dolby Surround
- English & Japanese Subtitles
- Theatrical Trailers
- Note: Standard-sized DVD keepcase packaging inside outer box — a Bandai Visual USA stylistic choice across their releases

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English & Japanese Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: 人狼 (Jinrō / Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade)
Runtime: ~102 Minutes
Director: Hiroyuki Okiura
Blu-ray Release Year: 2008 (U.S. Limited Edition Box Set, Bandai Visual USA / Honneamise label — first North American HD release); Discotek Media DVD April 29, 2014; Discotek Media Blu-ray January 27, 2015
Original Release Date (Japan): June 3, 2000
Publisher: Bandai Visual USA (Honneamise label)
Rating: 17+
Region: Region A (North America)
Note: Limited Edition box includes 200+ page complete storyboard book — a collector's item of considerable value. First North American HD release of the film. Discotek Media later reissued on DVD (2014) and Blu-ray (2015). Korean live-action remake Illang: The Wolf Brigade released 2018.
Genre: Political Thriller, Dark Drama, Action
Themes: Alternate History Japan, Little Red Riding Hood Allegory, Kerberos Panzer Cop, Mamoru Oshii Screenplay, 200-Page Storyboard Book

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.