Skip to content

Back to Blu-ray

Play it Cool Limited Edition Blu-ray

£17.99

Released: 3rd March 2025. Play it Cool is a chic and erotically charged drama starring popular Japanese singer of the day Mari Atsumi as a college girl negotiating her way through the male-dominated hierarchies of Tokyo’s seductive but treacherous nightclub culture. Yumi (Mari Atsumi) is a pretty fashion student who shares a cramped home with her mother Tomi (Akemi Negishi, The Saga of Anatahan) and good-for-nothing stepfather Ryoichi. Tomi works at a local hostess bar and hopes for a better fate for Yumi. When Ryoichi violently forces himself upon her blossoming daughter, Tomi is not afraid to take action to protect her, an act which lands her in jail. Left to fend for herself, Yumi is taken in by her mother’s former place of employment, where she finds herself fighting off the unwanted attentions of the men who swarm around her. Then one day, a rescue by handsome former lawyer Nozawa (Yusuke Kawazu, Cruel Story of Youth) from a vicious gangster seems to offer an escape into an altogether glitzier world, albeit one that turns out fraught with similar dangers. Arrow Films is proud to release this little-seen gem by one of Japan’s most highly regarded directors of the 1960s, Yasuzō Masumura (Giants and Toys, Irezumi), a filmmaker known for his social satires and powerful portrayals of women, as Play it Cool is released for the very first time for the home video market outside of Japan in a brand new high-definition transfer. LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation • Original uncompressed mono audio • Optional English subtitles • Brand new audio commentary with critic and Japanese cinema specialist Jasper Sharp and professor and Japanese literature specialist Anne McKnight • Too Cool for School, brand new video essay on Play it Cool and the career of writer-director Yasuzō Masumura by Japanese film scholar Mark Roberts • Original theatrical trailer • Image gallery • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella • Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Earl Jackson

More info

Format

Blu-ray

There was an error adding this product to your basket. Please try again.

Delivery to the UK only
*Free UK delivery on orders over £20
(exclusions apply)
Your order contains pre-orders
Dispatched prior to release date
Ring & Reserve
Can't wait to get your hands on this? Ring to reserve at your local store, subject to availability: 03333 230 667
Click & Collect
Get it delivered to a store near you with FREE Click & Collect available on this product.
  • Details

    Released:
    3rd March 2025
    Category:
    World Cinema
    Studio:
    Arrow Video
    Format:
    Blu-ray
    Certification:
    18 – Suitable only for adults
    Barcode:
    5027035027449
  • Description

    Play it Cool is a chic and erotically charged drama starring popular Japanese singer of the day Mari Atsumi as a college girl negotiating her way through the male-dominated hierarchies of Tokyo’s seductive but treacherous nightclub culture.

    Yumi (Mari Atsumi) is a pretty fashion student who shares a cramped home with her mother Tomi (Akemi Negishi, The Saga of Anatahan) and good-for-nothing stepfather Ryoichi. Tomi works at a local hostess bar and hopes for a better fate for Yumi. When Ryoichi violently forces himself upon her blossoming daughter, Tomi is not afraid to take action to protect her, an act which lands her in jail. Left to fend for herself, Yumi is taken in by her mother’s former place of employment, where she finds herself fighting off the unwanted attentions of the men who swarm around her. Then one day, a rescue by handsome former lawyer Nozawa (Yusuke Kawazu, Cruel Story of Youth) from a vicious gangster seems to offer an escape into an altogether glitzier world, albeit one that turns out fraught with similar dangers.

    Arrow Films is proud to release this little-seen gem by one of Japan’s most highly regarded directors of the 1960s, Yasuzō Masumura (Giants and Toys, Irezumi), a filmmaker known for his social satires and powerful portrayals of women, as Play it Cool is released for the very first time for the home video market outside of Japan in a brand new high-definition transfer.

    LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

    • High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
    • Original uncompressed mono audio
    • Optional English subtitles
    • Brand new audio commentary with critic and Japanese cinema specialist Jasper Sharp and professor and Japanese literature specialist Anne McKnight
    • Too Cool for School, brand new video essay on Play it Cool and the career of writer-director Yasuzō Masumura by Japanese film scholar Mark Roberts
    • Original theatrical trailer
    • Image gallery
    • Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella
    • Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Earl Jackson
    Region Code:
    Region B
    Duration:
    94 minutes
    Original Language:
    Japanese
    Extras:
    Language(s): Japanese, Subtitles: English, Interactive Menu, Screen ratio 1 - 2.35:1, Mono, Booklet, Bonus Footage, Commentary: Jasper Sharp (critic/Japanese cinema specialist) and Anne McKnight (professor/Japanese literature specialist)., Documentaries: 'Too Cool for School'., Image Gallery, Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella., Trailers
  • Delivery and Returns

    Delivery charges

    • Orders under £20 - £2.99 postage fee
    • Orders £20 and over - FREE*
    • Click & Collect - FREE**
    • Express Delivery - £5.99
    *Selected items are only available for shipping via a dedicated delivery service for a charge.
    **Selected items are only available for delivery using Click & Collect to an hmv or FOPP store of your choice.

    For more information, please visit the Delivery section of our Help Centre.


    When will my order arrive?

    • We aim to dispatch orders within 24 hours* 
    • Standard delivery is a Royal Mail Tracked 48® service and usually arrives within 2-5 working days, including Saturdays. 
    • Express delivery is either a Royal Mail Tracked 24® or DPD service, for delivery within two working days (if ordered by 2pm, Monday to Friday - excluding public holidays).
    • We’ll aim to dispatch pre-orders so that you receive them on the release date.
    *Please be advised that due to the busy season, there are a few delays to our usual dispatch times. We'll send you an email to let you know as soon as your order is on the way, thank you for your patience. 

    *Items must be in stock to be dispatched within these timeframes. Where an item is 'Back in stock soon', we'll aim to receive more stock within a week and will dispatch orders once the stock has arrived.

    For more information, please visit the Delivery section of our Help Centre.

    Will you tell me when my order is on its way?

    • We’ll send you a dispatch email when your items are on their way, but you can also check the status of your order in your account.
    • We don’t always ship everything together so check your dispatch email for more details - we’ll send you a dispatch email per parcel.
    • If your order contains items that are out of stock, we’ll ship the in-stock items as soon as we can and will dispatch the out-of-stock items as soon as we’ve received more stock.
    For more information, please visit the Delivery section of our Help Centre.


    Trusted Suppliers

    Products labelled '*item fulfilled by Exertis on behalf of hmv' will be supplied to you directly by Exertis via their approved couriers. When you place an order for an item that is fulfilled by Exertis, your details shall be forwarded to them so that they can fulfil the order, and to their courier so that they can deliver the item.


    Returns

    • We're happy to accept returns for unwanted items provided that they're returned within 14 days of receipt; unopened, unused and in perfect condition.
    • Some exclusions apply, please visit the Returns section of our Help Centre for more details. 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Sign-up for emails

Sign-up for emails

Sign-up for emails

I'd love to hear about offers and promotions from hmv*