Ninja Scroll (1993)

Ninja Scroll (1993)

Dir. Yoshiaki Kawajiri

I don't understand why Ninja Scroll is so named. It has a ninja — actually, it has lots of ninjas — but what's the scroll part about? Fuctifino. But what I know for certain is that when it comes to 90s era anime movies, NS is a classic. I've watched it a dozen times over the years and it impresses me every time. It isn't packed with plot like, for example, Akira (1988) or Ghost in the Shell (1995) are, but it has a visceral quality that many of its genre imitators failed to capture. [1]

Somehow, the historical setting enhances the fantastical elements, even though logic says they ought to be at odds with each other. A similar kind of complementary contrariety surrounds the two main characters: a skilled swordsman named Jubei, and a female Kōga ninja named Kagero, who has a special, hidden, devastating talent.

The villains, known as the Eight Devils of Kimon, are a peculiar bunch of freaks with unusual powers, and are all the more memorable for it.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Omnibus Editions (2013-16)

LW+C: Omnibus Editions (2013-16)

Author: Kazuo Koike | Illustrator: Goseki Kojima | Page Count: LOTS! [1]

"Good fortune and ill, twisted together like a rope..."

Lone Wolf and Child: Assassin on the Road to Hell (1989)

LWaC: Assassin on the Road to Hell (1989)

Dir. Tokuzô Tanaka

Tanaka's film attempts to tell the entire Lone Wolf and Cub story in just 140 minutes, which is an insane undertaking. Nevertheless, it's a valiant attempt and an enjoyable evening's viewing for samurai fans.

Hideki Takahashi stars as the Shogun's one-time executioner, Ōgami Ittō. He does a damned good job at it, able to show compassion when the situation calls for it, but just the right amount because too much might compromise his stoic attitude. He's also deft enough with the dōtanuki to be believable.

Young Daigoro is played by Koji Aeba. It's a wholly subjective view, but for me young kids in Japanese films tend to be much less irritating than young kids are in most American films. Daigoro isn't just a third wheel in the Lone Wolf story, or some kind of amusing gimmick, he's an integral part of the tale and, thankfully, while Koji was likely too young to understand the importance of what he was asked to do onscreen, he at least carried it without fault and without ever being irritating. GJ, kid.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Original Films (1972-74)

Lone Wolf and Cub: Original Films (1972-74)

Dirs. Kenji Misumi [Films 1,2,3,5] / Buichi Saitô [Film 4] / Yoshiyuki Kuroda [Film 6]

Sometimes referred to as the 'Baby Cart' series, the six Lone Wolf and Cub films tell the story of a skilled ronin-for-hire named Ōgami Ittō, played by Tomisaburo Wakayama. When not dishing out vicious and bloody samurai action to the people that deserve it, Ittō wheels his young son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa) from place to place in an iconic wooden baby cart.

Characterised by extreme violence, minimal dialogue, and highly stylised framing that closely resembles the manga they're based on, the films have a well-deserved place in Chanbara history.

The three-disc Criterion collection (pictured) contains the six original films on Blu-ray, restored at 2K from the OCNs. [1]

Discs 01 and 02 have three films apiece, while Disc 03 contains bonus features. Thoughts on each individual film can be found below the cut. Disc 03 also contains the English language dubbed Shogun Assassin (1980), which I'll cover at the end, for completeness sake. [2]

Rashomon (1950)

Rashomon (1950)

Dir. Akira Kurosawa

There's a saying that the camera never lies. But it doesn't hold true in Rashomon. Dir. Kurosawa turns the traditionally objective film lens into a wholly subjective tool, recording and replaying half-remembered half-truths from unreliable sources.

The story, which is told partly in flashback, is a simple one about an opportunist bandit (Toshirô Mifune), a samurai (Masayuki Mori) and his wife (Machiko Kyō), but the web of lies surrounding it is far from simple.

With minimal sets and very little dialogue to comfort us, it's the technique that makes Rashomon special, that makes it infinitely watchable, with striking fixed perspectives that put the onus on the viewer to decide what to believe and what to discount.

Yojimbo (1961)

Yojimbo (1961)

Dir. Akira Kurosawa

Toshirô Mifune stars as the titular yojimbo (bodyguard), a rōnin (masterless samurai) who's feeling the economic pinch of the era in Akira Kurosawa's much-imitated jidaigeki.

The character positions himself between two rival bosses, one at each end of a small town, and cautiously but skilfully outmanoeuvres them both. He knows that being in the middle is a dangerous place to be, but it offers him the best possible view of both sides.

One of the film's greatest strengths is its straightforward delivery. For both director and actor actions are more important than words, while the old man that shelters the rōnin (Eijirō Tōno) provides backstory for the viewer, followed by the yojimbo advancing the plot as and when the story needs it.

In contrast, Mifune's role is multifaceted, and yet he somehow makes it seem as effortless as his character's manipulation of the antagonists.

Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai: Vol 01 (2016)

Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai: Vol 01 (2016)

Author + Illustrator: Hiroyuki Takei  |  Page Count: 180

"A cat carves his own path..."

Norachiyo, a one-eyed cat with a mean disposition, travels across Japan in search of something personal.

A bell fashioned around a cat's neck signifies that it has a master, that it's a "kept cat" and should be afforded all the privileges that such status brings. Norachiyo's bell is attached to his deadly katana, an indicator that he's a rōnin, a masterless samurai.

It's clearly influenced by Kazuo Koike, both in style and in how the societal aspect of the era plays a key role in the story's standing. If Ogami Ittō was to get his son a cat for company, it'd be Norachiyo.

The action is furious, bloody and violent, although it's sometimes difficult to make out what exactly is going on - but if you've ever witnessed an actual cat fight, then you'll see the parallels make a kind of sense.

Uzumasa Limelight (2014)

Uzumasa Limelight (2014)

Dir. Ken Ochiai.

Kamiyama is an ageing kirareyaku, a bit-part actor whose job is to be killed dramatically by a film's lead, to exist just outside the limelight while helping someone else look good.

The waning popularity of jidaigeki films in his native Japan means Kamiyama's usefulness in the industry to which he's devoted his entire life is destined to soon end.

Having a real life kirareyaku (actor Seizô Fukumoto, who's died onscreen over 50,000 times in a very long career) in the role gives the Kamiyama character an authenticity that cinema rarely manages to capture. It's also extremely fitting that he should be the lead actor in a film centred around people who never are such.

Likewise, even though it's from the opposite angle, that same authenticity can be found in Chihiro Yamamoto, who's starring in her first film, as a fresh-faced actress who fits into the new template preferred by producers.

Lady Snowblood: Films (1973-74)

Lady Snowblood: Blizzard from the Netherworld (1973)

Dir. Toshiya Fujita

Yuki Kashima was conceived without love and birthed for one reason: to be an instrument of posthumous vengeance for her mother.

The film is a clash of styles that merge together to create something unique and freeform. When it works, it’s a breathtaking example of Japanese B-movie vengeance cinema that's overly bloody and shamelessly violent. It knows what viewers want and it delivers it coloured blood-red.

It has much in common with the Lone Wolf and Cub films; it lacks the finesse of that series but Yuki cares little for finesse.

Zatoichi: Manga (2006)

Zatoichi (2006)

Authors: Kan Shimozawa / Hiroshi Hirata  |  Illustrator: Hiroshi Hirata | Page Count: 218

"Don’t make me responsible for what’s happening around me!"

A one-shot manga containing two Zatoichi adventures, both adapted from one of the many films that starred Shintarô Katsu in the lead role. If you're not familiar with the character, Ichi is a blind masseur (Zato is his title) who's also a master swordsman. He tries to avoid conflict, but his compassion always seems to place him in the thick of it.

The first story is The Ballad of Zatoichi, adapted from the 13th film in the series, Zatoichi's Vengeance (1966). Ichi undertakes a dying man’s wish and unwittingly becomes a role model for an orphan as a result. It's largely faithful to the film, but some scenes are omitted and some new ones added.

Of the missing scenes the most prominent is the story of the whore and her lover, an element that carried a large part of the emotional weight. The book is weakened by its absence. It's debatable whether or not the additional content makes the story better but it certainly puts a different slant on things.