Jelly's recent exhaustive post about the whys & wheretofors of Toho's decisions and choices in dealing with the American cuts of their films reaches the inevitable conclusion that they are, in essence, a conglomeration of rectal-cranial putzes. It also cements my initial refusal to purchase this set. In fact I think that if I do ever bother, it'll be used, so that Criterion (and in de facto, Toho) receive $0 from me. If Toho wants to say GFY to the western fans then this western fan is willing to return that sentiment 100%. They want our money but aren't willing to be flexible and give the broader fanbase what they want. It just makes absolutely zero sense. These guys aren't some new company or a bunch of fly-by-nights; they've been around forever and know the ins & outs of legalities here and abroad. They have a fleet of corporate lawyers to deal with this stuff so they know what can and can't be on the table. It just flat out sounds like the simply do not care. The fact that the HD masters are coming from decade+ old sub-par transfers makes this even easier to steer clear of. Even if Criterion works overtime to massage them it's a safe bet that they won't be as good as Kraken's stuff, and that's downright pathetic. No reason to not use 4k options, like their recent KKVG. And I honestly do believe that they refuse to have any non-Japanese release end up being superior in any way shape or form. What a bunch of crap.
I guess I'm going to start begging for info on obtaining these often-mentioned fan restorations.
