Dae Jinn
Mar 13th, 2004, 05:35:07 PM
Mibu gishi den (When the Last Sword Is Drawn)
Based on Jiro Asada's bestselling novel of the same title, Yojiro Takita directs this story of Kanichiro Yoshimura, a low-profile samurai warrior of the Shinsengumi militia (towards the end of the feudal Shogunate era). Freshly recruited to the Shinsengumi from the Nambu clan, Yoshimura was an extraordinary swordsman but an unbelievable miser when it came to money. This came from a strategy of desperation to save his family back home from poverty. A captain of the militia, Hajime Saito, at first despises him and watches over him sardonically, but gradually begins to feel for and respect his sincerity and truthful sense of honor ("gi"). Meanwhile, the feudal era reaches an end as the Shogunate reels. Shinsengumi is destined to demise. Kiichi Nakai plays Yoshimura, who announces, "I kill because I don't want to die." Koichi Sato plays a contrasting Saito, who retorts with a cool nihilism,"! live because nobody will kill me."
I saw this movie last night at the university anime club (and no, it's not animated). It was so unbelievably good.
When I saw that ^ little blurb about it on their website, I thought "God, not a cheesey Samurai flick." I surprized by the lack of sword-fights (there were fights, just not as many as I expected, lol) and the amount of actual storytelling in it. Has anyone else seen it, or have any other movies like it that they'd recommend? :)
Based on Jiro Asada's bestselling novel of the same title, Yojiro Takita directs this story of Kanichiro Yoshimura, a low-profile samurai warrior of the Shinsengumi militia (towards the end of the feudal Shogunate era). Freshly recruited to the Shinsengumi from the Nambu clan, Yoshimura was an extraordinary swordsman but an unbelievable miser when it came to money. This came from a strategy of desperation to save his family back home from poverty. A captain of the militia, Hajime Saito, at first despises him and watches over him sardonically, but gradually begins to feel for and respect his sincerity and truthful sense of honor ("gi"). Meanwhile, the feudal era reaches an end as the Shogunate reels. Shinsengumi is destined to demise. Kiichi Nakai plays Yoshimura, who announces, "I kill because I don't want to die." Koichi Sato plays a contrasting Saito, who retorts with a cool nihilism,"! live because nobody will kill me."
I saw this movie last night at the university anime club (and no, it's not animated). It was so unbelievably good.
When I saw that ^ little blurb about it on their website, I thought "God, not a cheesey Samurai flick." I surprized by the lack of sword-fights (there were fights, just not as many as I expected, lol) and the amount of actual storytelling in it. Has anyone else seen it, or have any other movies like it that they'd recommend? :)