Hey! Where's the U.S. Blu Ray Release?
That is the question that I asked myself when I first saw this film recently. How I did that, I will not say, but just know that when this film finally gets to the states I will BUY it. I'm currently writing this in the year 2014 when this film premiered in Japan and some U.S. cities in 2012 which to this day has still not been given a Blu Ray release in the U.S. Now I'm writing this review to pave way for the inevitable premier of its two sequels this year in August. And I can guarantee that I will not be able to see them here in the U.S. until later or through alternate means.
The Plot
When a wandering swordsman with a reverse blade enters the lives of a young dojo instructor, their world gets completely turned upside down when an opium drug dealer wants to claim the instructor's land for their own. It is up to this mysterious kind swordsman with a strange scar on his face to protect the instructor and those that the drug lord put in harm's way.
Analysis
I don't consider myself an otaku. That was me in Freshmen and Sophomore year in High School. But I do still love me some good anime. And what I always hoped for was a good live action adaptation. However, when this film was announced, I wasn't very interested. Anime and manga adaptations that I have seen prior to this film have always come off looking a little bit cheap. The storytelling was still there but it looks like the production values and cameras used were not up to par with what the story requires. Sometimes I would give those films the benefit of the doubt by just thinking maybe that's how Japanese films look like. But then I saw Japanese films that are not based on a manga or anime. They looked incredible. Which had me thinking, does Japan care about their anime properties enough? Sure, in manga and anime there is more room for storytelling and less money to spend on spectacular effects. But in a world where America is really starting to embrace the goldmine that is the comic book industry, would Japan finally start to pay more attention to their anime properties. From the looks of this film and the latest live action iteration of Lupin the 3rd premiering this year, it looks like it.
Though I am aware that this film was produced by the Japanese branch of Warner Bros. Pictures, which may have contributed a little bit as to why this movie looks like a legitimate movie. It even looks like a film made by the home American Warner Bros. studio, but with Japanese stars. Am I wrong in thinking this way? Because for all I know it was the Japanese studios intent on making it look like an incredible stand alone film. And from the looks of it, whoever idea it was, they succeeded.
Review
I remember seeing this anime when I was younger. Dubbed in English of course, but still had the story in tact mostly. I did read the first few volumes of the manga, so I knew what I was getting into. And I can tell immediately that this story was a mixture of the first story arc all rolled into one big plot. While hardcore purists will immediately be displeased by this. But for anime fans who are just happy to see their characters being brought to life on the big screen with a story that seems familiar yet new, this is definitely the movie they've been waiting for. As someone who remember very little, I can even say that I saw this as a viewer with almost no knowledge of the source material yet still enjoyed it. This is a really great movie.
The casting of this film is incredible, with character that really breathe life into these famous hand drawn characters. Takeru Satoh does an incredible job playing Himura Kenshin (the titular Rurouni Kenshin), the seemingly harmless man who gave up a life of violence yet is capable of switching on his badass fighting abilities when needed. A key component of the portrayal of Himura was someone who is able to switch back and forth between innocent and vicious which Satoh does extremely well. Emi Takei does an excellent job portraying the eager dojo instructor Kamiya Kauru. She exudes the right amount of brash thinking, hopeless romantic, yet mature young woman that her character is suppose to be. I could go on and on forever about the cast of this film as they all give really great performances that work well within the story of the film.
Some may be disappointed that the backstories of characters such as Myojin Yahiko, Takani Megumi, and fan favorite Sagara Sanosuke are not flushed out enough, but then again some of the other major players are not flushed out with other major players being left out in general. This is no way a detraction, as I said before, for how they were all utilized in this story it works perfectly fine. That is something that anime AND American comic book fans need to learn about adaptations: THEY CAN'T COVER EVERYTHING. The best filmmakers can do is to hope to craft a story that does the characters justice, and lucky for them they did.
And speaking about craft, this is the second manga/anime live action adaptation that looks really well done, but the first that I actually would consider looking extremely clean throughout the whole movie. I say this because the first film that I'm referring to is the 2010 film Space Battleship Yamato, which had extremely high production values but the CGI didn't look completely rendered and not smooth. Contrast with this film that didn't really need such things (though I have to wonder if Sanosuke's sword was CGI) it is a really beautifully crafted film. From the look, to the costumes, to the incredible sword fights. It found that line of being true to the design of the characters while at the same time grounding it in the historical reality that it is based on. Yes, the fight sequences are heightened, but not to an overblown extreme. I haven't seen samurai sword fighting done this way since 13 assassins, but this is heightened sword fighting that makes it incredible to watch. My props to director Keishi Otomo and his team for a great accomplishment
Final thoughts
An extremely well done film that is a definite crowd pleaser. The story is simple, yet anime fans will appreciate how much of their beloved story lines and character get nicely packed into this simple story. It is a definite good look at the future of anime/manga adaptations. If DeathNote was a stepping stone that led to the higher production values of Space Battleship Yamato then this film is definitely a giant leap to something good.
SCORE: 8/10 - This is a good film that definitely shows a promising future for anime
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