Japanese Cinema Thread

[imperiouskitten]

I've long been a Kurosawa fangirl, and recently got around to finally watching all his films. Some of the best moviemaking of all time of course, but it also gave me a taste for pulpier samurai movies. To my surprise, the quality of these B-films on average seems to be pretty super! A little more selfserious than the Chinese kungfu genre, with higher production value. And let's face it, we like Japan better and the hidden commie messaging is much rarer.

So anyway, who knows good Jap movies, particularly jidaigeki? Do they still make 'em? Everything I find seems to be 60s-80s.

Here's the ones I vouch


Shinsengumi (1969) - very sympathetic portrayal of fascist Japanese reactionaries at the end of the samurai era's arrival - REVERE THE EMPEROR, EXPEL THE BARBARIAN

The Sword of Doom (1966) - portrayal of the same era and historical figures as Shinsengumi. Excellent, well structured film with one of the most avant garde endings I've ever seen where the expected narrative devolves into endless waves of brutal violence. Telling u that because it was baffling, but in retrospect amazing.

Harakiri (1962) - really really well-made revenge film you could confuse for a kurosawa. SUPER good, must be a primary influence for kill bill, tear jerks and stuns with excellent action.

miyamoto musashi the ultimate samurai - 5-part film series from 1970s or something, super goofy first installment, starring a gorgeous femme twink as our famed bald eczemic protagonist, very nice. Actually it sucks but I loved it anyway. There's a Toshiro Mifune 3-part Musashi series I assume's better.

The Tale of Zatoichi - 26-part(!) film series about a blind masseur monk who knows sword tricks. More "realistic" than you'd expect, it's not a superhero movie. A little homoerotic at times!

Watch them with your waifu, make sure you pat her head when a japanese girl does something cute.

all the kurosawas are gr8 but The Hidden Fortress (1958) is probably the best samurai movie ever, possibly the greatest action movie ever. Lots of horse stunts that make you sit up straight. SO good. Inferiorily cloned by star wars. Other favorites are Rashomon (1950), Kagemusha (1980), Ran (1985) [acid trip serious movie].
I've got a dozen more in my library for watching but watchu got? What's the best, weirdest, most fun?

[strongNpretty]

Dang u dropped a hard "J" in there....

[solleks]

Toyota suzuki honda kawasaki fuck ya

[Tunabros]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobody_Knows_(2004_film)

[Tunabros]

harakiri is an amazing film

[imperiouskitten]

Downloaded Nobody Knows, thank you. :)

Watched The Life of Oharu (1952) last night. Excellent film. About a very beautiful and virtuous sengoku-era courtesan who falls into misfortune and becomes a streetwalker. Her story is told from that position in time.

For falling in love with Toshiro Mifune's character, a lowborn retainer, she is exiled from her post at the imperial palace and her lover loses his head. Despite her nobility and exceptional past, she has trouble finding her way.

Her beauty, virtue which none will believe, and past as a courtesan make her a target for the unkindness of men and women all indulging their sexual fantasies and little petty-tyrannies, never believing that a beautiful woman could suffer truly in the world. Possessing great beauty, she finds no kindness among women, with even priestesses consumed with suspicion, devolving into sobbing jealousy. Men treat her ill in their own way. She makes her way, looking always for true and virtuous love, deeper into ruin until her grandest betrayal.

It's a really excellent take on genuine femininity, what I would call a feminist film if I didn't think such a designation poisonous. Everyone should watch it, especially those who can't find kindness in them for exceptional feminine souls. (!)

[alexdoofaz]

Ichi the Killer is a cool movie.

[Tunabros]

Ichi the Killer is a cool movie.

that movie was so fucked up man


one of my friends forced me to watch with him

and shit! it was grusome

[DoodyLich666]

Onibaba and The Sword of Doom definitely rank among my favorite films. Japanese cinema in the 60s really produced some gems.

[imperiouskitten]

Onibaba is in my library to watch! I'll watch it tonight :) Sword of Doom is goodtaste I think

[imperiouskitten]

Hitokiri (1969) [aka Tenchu!]

WOW what a good movie. This is like the Godfather of samurai movies. As in, it kinda looks and feels like it and from the same year. Basically a gangster film, about a loveable idealistic far-right fascist killing machine. Despite his own brutality, once he is in the inner circle of an ambitious crew he is too idealistic to go along with all the treachery.

Beautifully filmed, amazing soundtrack. Most realistic swordplay I think I've ever seen in a film, which actually goes FAST and is depicted grittily and honestly instead of the idealized kame-hame style where one fights many but the many kinda stand by the sides waiting to 1v1. All choreographed incredibly. Lead actor is great. His creepy boss is the star from Sword of Doom. He also has an awesome GF stuck in indentured sex slavery, with a scene so good we had to pause and screw. Movie benefits from knowing a bit of the history of the beginning of the meiji era.

[imperiouskitten]

Samurai Banners aka Fûrin kazan (1969)

REALLY GREAT movie about a samurai's (Toshiro Mifune's) career from ronin to Takeda retainer during their wars with Murakami and Uesugi, from young Takeda Shingen to raising his kid, Katsuyori. Toshiro plays one of the famous Takeda generals with ruthless, brilliant tactics but a strong sense of romance and honor and love, super swoony. The romance arc is really heartfelt and fantastic.

Incredible film if you enjoy the history of this era or even just played Shogun 2, nobunaga's ambition etc and love Takeda clan. A lot of focus on military strategy, even repeatedly showing animated maps explaining the battle lines and expansion plans. Such a good military film. Cinematography is 7/10 but I'll be damned if the Takeda red armor isn't the coolest looking military uniform of all time.

[Jibartik]

Dang u dropped a hard "J" in there....

lol (https://youtu.be/UJtQhv9dp9o?t=4)

[imperiouskitten]

btw i got all these movies on le bey de pyraht if you want to follow along. If I listed it here i downloaded it lately! Some of these movies are f'n incredible. We're chewing on a 3.5hr one right now that has these AWESOME noh scenes, I'll review it when finished (fyi most of these films are normal length, this one is uniquely long)

[Jibartik]

Visitor Q

"the dead get wet!"

I cant recommend this movie enough.

[imperiouskitten]

Thank you! Will DL :D

[imperiouskitten]

If you're bored of film you should srsly get some of these. I'm only a half size weeb, but they are a huge breath of fresh air culture wise. It gets sad not watching any theater at all. Ur GF will thank u and think ur smart.

[Jibartik]

Thank you! Will DL :D

Keep mind open :D https://youtu.be/8Lgj93sT67Q

[imperiouskitten]

oh wow it looks super cool I love that handicam film style

[Jibartik]

Its from a time where movies like that were like, holy crap someone made a movie like this?!

Same guy that made Ichi the killer, and Audition, which at least one is already ITT heh.

Audition messed me up, I went on a date after I saw it a week later with a girl and then thought she was going to put me in a burlap sack so I tanked the date and went home fast.

[imperiouskitten]

What's the name of that movie where all the schoolgirls are on the island killing each other? I can't remember it so clearly but it seemed related to Ichi. I think 4chan told me to watch it, in like 2007

[loramin]

Battle Royale

[Gravydoo II]

13 assassins
it sounds lame but man its good.
I lived on a ship. We watched movies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for months. This is a gem.

[imperiouskitten]

i liked that one! And thx Loramin, Battle Royale is classique

[Thulian]

What's the name of that movie where all the schoolgirls are on the island killing each other? I can't remember it so clearly but it seemed related to Ichi. I think 4chan told me to watch it, in like 2007

lord of the flies

[loramin]

i liked that one! And thx Loramin, Battle Royale is classique

Coincidentally it's actually just having its 20th anniversary: https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/battle-royale-20-year-anniversary

[magnetaress]

A good reason I haven't posted in this thread before (i think) is generally I'm too poor to watch high quality movies.

[hobart]

Seven Samurai is the only classic I've seen, and it's been years.

My old man eyes hate subtitles these days, so I might be one and done.

[imperiouskitten]

Seven Samurai is the only classic I've seen, and it's been years.

My old man eyes hate subtitles these days, so I might be one and done.

watch The Hidden Fortress if it's 1 and done

[noleriand]

Lady Snowblood
Sex & Fury
Cops vs Thugs
Violent Panic: The Big Crash

Enjoy!

[Thulian]

big trouble in little china

[Jibartik]

These are my favorite funfacts about japanese cinima!

1. Bloodspray samurai was an accident. (http://www.factfiend.com/hose-accident-made-action-films-awesome/)

2. Some teenage intern on Nausuca Valley of the Wind came up with an idea to have a pause before an explosion, for the first time in an anime. Hideaki Anno went on to create Evangelion! (https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bb9a1a68d9226b255bd30b2cf5d00e9/tumblr_plkxg2MPAi1x4etbfo2_540.gifv)

[imperiouskitten]

big trouble in little china

that's an incredible film

[imperiouskitten]

These are my favorite funfacts about japanese cinima!

1. Bloodspray samurai was an accident. (http://www.factfiend.com/hose-accident-made-action-films-awesome/)

2. Some teenage intern on Nausuca Valley of the Wind came up with an idea to have a pause before an explosion, for the first time in an anime. Hideaki Anno went on to create Evangelion! (https://64.media.tumblr.com/9bb9a1a68d9226b255bd30b2cf5d00e9/tumblr_plkxg2MPAi1x4etbfo2_540.gifv)

Wow that bloodspray was an accident? We just watched that movie a few days ago

[Jibartik]

haha awesome timing!

edit: oh god have to edit in this pun "Which is also what hayo miazaki said when he saw the animation dailies for that explosion!"

[imperiouskitten]

Double Suicide aka Ten no Amijima - 1969

OK, this one was good. But people on this board probably shouldn't watch it because it promotes suicidality pretty intensely. A very avant-garde, semi-unreal film.

Opens with a modern director on the phone, staging a filming of a 1700s Chikamatsu Monzaemon puppet play. After a minute or two, the movie fades into real actors playing the puppets. The film is based on this play, which i'm not familiar with. A sort of "romeo and juliet" deal about a married man who falls in desperate love like a degenerate gambler with a courtesan, locked by debt in a pleasure house. She is a very sweet girl and loves him back, but others conspire to besmirch her motivations.

The cinematography is really brilliantly pretty, and the sets are sort of impressionistic -- for instance, the house the protag lives in is rendered in all-white, with kanji written all over the floor and walls, and the walls sometimes rotate out to be soaked with blood. There are strange theatrical features, like stagehands dressed in all black running around the set who occasionally "freeze time" (every actor stands dead still) and narrate, or silently help actors achieve tasks, or hand them a knife. Very artsy movie, reminds me of French film.

In the end, it's about deranged lunatics, and the leading man who "lives for love" sure does not treat his wife and children very well. There is a very epically shot and soundtracked double suicide (not rly a spoiler, it's foreshadowed in the 1st shot). One of the last shots of the film is the protagonist hanging himself with psychedelic jappy hand drum music. It would be a good movie to watch to fuel a macabre obsession, but in the end, the total unrelatability and unlovability of the male character, who destroys the lives of two beautiful women, means i pan this one even as I endorse it. DEPRESSING and DISTRESSING, who wants to watch a film to suffer, but yet I would lie if I said it weren't very evocative.

[imperiouskitten]

Castle of Owls aka Ninja Hichō Fukuro no Shiro - 1963

Much more lighthearted than that last one!! This is a ninja movie, the first in this genre I've watched. This may be a genre feature, but to my mind it crosses up the samurai genre with the mysticality and superpowers of chinese kung fu films.

It's about a man from Iga whose province is sacked by Hideyoshi and his parents killed, and sister "violated ... by many, many of them" before taking her own life. He lives his life seeking a ninja's vengeance against Hideyoshi with the remnants of his clan. Spy games ensue, including an Iga traitor and the rival Koga ninjas conducting counterespionage for Hideyoshi.

It's a pretty, pastoral Japanese film like most samurai movies, with unremarkable but sound cinematography for the genre. Combat is super cool and unique, involving lots of zipping around quickly, throwing clouds of dust, finding cover, throwing poisoned darts wicked-fast, slicing down bamboo trees to cover the battlefield, feigned retreats and dudes popping out of camouflage to stab you in the back after you walk over them. There are a few wire scenes where the ultra-powerful guys catapult horizontally like superman.

There's also a really great romance arc for a Jap movie, where the swoony beefcake protag meets an opposing Ninjesse who is quite lethal and dedicated to her work, but she can't help but fall for the Ultimate Warrior. Ultimately it's a quite cheery movie where forgiveness and life reigns -- and because most Japanese films are very bitter, a bit of warmth in one is actually meaningful and feels very nice in contrast to the same-iness of Western cinema's guaranteed happy endings. The 13yo girl who gets played by a 35 year old man doesn't even talk about suicide over her loss of honor or whatever.

There's emphasis on how Ninja are free people compared with samurai, and that for them the real dishonor is death itself. So, no obsessing on honor killings, and relatable modern characters. Fun movie.

[BiG SiP]

https://www.project1999.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=13820&d=1608571319

>episode 01 x 01
>Jerry is preparing his play for the emperor, while George is lameting about being a Ronin
>Jerry can't focus on his harmonious dancing while George is worried that he is bad luck - every Lord he has worked for has died due to assassination
>B Plot is Elaine becoming obsessed with a client of hers, who only comes to her to hear her sing and dance, never to make Love
>Kramer interrupts due to his feud with Satoshi Hamayana, 3rd Lord of the Obiju Prefecture who he feels dishonored him by copying his armor style
>George becomes indebted to Lord Hamayana, angering Kramer and relieving Jerry
>Elaine's John is Lord Hamayana who it turns out is about to get assassinated at Jerry's performance
>Elaine tries to warn George upon finding out, tells Kramer to tell George
>Kramer forgets and Lord Hamayana dies before Jerry can deliver his punch line
>ending phrase from George the 5-time Ronin "MAYBE THEN, I AM JUST UNLUCKY!!!"
>harp music

[BiG SiP]

>Episode 01 x 02
>Kramer and George have 'found' this guy living in the mountains who can fold steel 5,000 times to make a perfect Katana
>Jerry warns them that this is dumb and they should just purchase weapons from the local blacksmith
>Jerry is also falling in love with another Geisha from Elaine's brothel, angering Elaine as she feels it's distracting at work to have Jerry singing poetry while they are fucking clients
>George gets a bill from the mountain man for 200 barrels of rice, which George refuses to pay and assumes Kramer will do the same - so he doesn't get his new katana
>Jerry discovers Elaine's friend is actually a newhalf, freaks out and contemplates killing himself
>Elaine is relieved by this, marvels at Kramer's new sword
>George is annoyed Kramer paid for the sword, except Kramer reveals he killed the blacksmith so no one else would have these swords
>George asked what happened to his
>turns out Kramer gave this sword to Newman
>Jerry writes poetry about his conflicted love of the Newhalf Geisha, only to break it off when he sees the Geisha without makeup and decides to break it off
>episode closes out with Newman and Kramer's swords breaking in a duel with the gay Puerto Rican guys

[imperiouskitten]

excellent posts, what can I say.

I want to hear seinfeld theme on shamisen soo bad

[Nachtsuchen]

All extremely good movies. Especially Zatoichi.

[imperiouskitten]

Watched Bisita Q last night, holy shit lmao. TRIGGUR WARNING. I am triggurable by rape and stuff but it was really hilariously done. We were rolling laughing.

Nice one Jibartik

[Ret.SaxonAlex]

I liked Seven Samurai and the one where the guy drinks and smokes too much and gets liver cancer. I think black and white old japanese films are like westerns. They have more grit to them, to remind you back in the day life was just bad. Maybe leading to judging them less for being F'ed up. "What we do in life! Echoes in Eternity!" - Gladiator movie. and then whatever achillies said in that movie I realized later was just porn for chicks. I still like troy though even though as an adult looking back, it is like watching DBZ as a kid and watching spikey troll dolls scream for an hour.

[Mblake81]

Especially Zatoichi.

The TV show was good also. Intros are one of my favorite things, Zatoichi had some good ones.

Example: 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMWqaK1PUa4), 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGRweFMvKG4) and 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zCOrjF5PLM)

Somber.. upbeat. film grain, old cameras and sound equipment.

[imperiouskitten]

Such wisdom in my thread!! I am truly proud!!!

[imperiouskitten]

Chushingura 47 Samurai (1962)

&

The Fall of Ako Castle aka Ako-jo denzetsu (1978)

Double feature, for both of these films depict the same historical narrative, and must do so from a particular novelization as they are nigh-on scene-for-scene clones. These are very classical, to the point of near banality, samurai films. No love arcs, little depth or messaging beyond "samurai values", just a story of a Daimyo done wrong and his men's years-long quest for vengeance.

It would be pretty tedious to watch both of these in their entirety, which I have done for you and can therefore recommend you watch only the 1962 version. This film contains a more complete version of the narrative (to its benefit), clocking in at 3.5hours, and the highlights for me were some incredibly catchy and hilarious Noh scenes. These are very dry films however and I would only recommend watching to acquaint yourself with a particularly defining narrative of the Edo period, not to mention seeing the most entertaining Noh I've seen on film so far. If you really like something like Good Bad & Ugly you would probably have the patience for this. I would agree with the characterization of these samurai movies along the lines of westerns.

Comically, both films cast Toshiro Mifune as box office bait. He even appears on the box art for the criterion collection edition of the 1962 film, despite playing a very small part.

[imperiouskitten]

Bisita Q (2001)

Very different from the rest reviewed here. This is a very, very vulgar acid trippy impressionistic horror-comedy film, mostly shot in the Blair Witch handicam style of the early 2000s.

It's about a really wacked out family. The young son is bullied publicly, and physically abuses his mother at home when he's not hiding in his room wearing some kind of fetishy oxygen ristriction mask. The father is kind of a pathetic cuck, but he "finds himself" throughout the film as does the mother, lol. They take in a houseguest ("Q") who helps them along their grotesque self discovery.

It's a very sexualized film, with some of the sexuality rather hot and some of it horrifyingly disgusting. Includes graphic depiction of sexualized lactation, nudity, homoerotic rape with the penetration by object actually on film ???, hetero rape, and necrophilia. Somehow it's VERY funny. You should watch it.

[Jibartik]

hahahaha YESSS!!!!!!!!

"It's a myrical, the dead get wet!?"

[imperiouskitten]

hahahaha YESSS!!!!!!!!

"It's a myrical, the dead get wet!?"

the mysteries of life are wonderful!!!

[imperiouskitten]

fillerpoast

[imperiouskitten]

Inn of Evil aka Inochi Bô Ni Furô (1971)

Here's a jidaigeki with little of the samurai stuff! You could call it a yakuza film, but it's more of refreshing, original character drama involving small-time criminals.

Sword of Doom star Tatsuya Nakadai is the hippest, baddest-ass of a gang of misfits who hang out at the Easy Inn. He is specifically defined as bisexual in some playful ribbing between thugs at the film's opening btw. Though a public establishment, people who wander in to the Easy Inn, which is isolated on a small isle in Edo, are harassed to leave. The Inn's a front for icy criminal smugglers with a police contact inside the Shogunate to protect them. But their man has profited well from the arrangement, and finds himself transferred up.

One day a young man wanders in and drinks, and unable to pay his bill is taken prisoner by the gang and dunked on day after day. In the end tho, his tale moves the crew, and they take up a very dangerous job to save him, even without their police protection. BUt there's a new, vicious samurai cop on the beat . . .

Really loved this heartwarming tale of criminals. It was nice to watch a crime movie that isn't soaked in cynicism. Their place is somewhere for misfits to gather and find their way in the world. The boss is very loveable. It was very well written. Impossible not to like the brutal queer gangster sword wizard who's really a softie. The film struck me as well shot, too, with some pretty dazzling action scenes involving darkness and lots of lanterns. Hard to put a finger on it but this was one of our favorites despite its humble scope and use of a limited number of sets.

[Lune]

https://i.imgur.com/swJcC3R.png

[imperiouskitten]

i peace sign half my selfies, save me white jesus

[Mblake81]

After the rain (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181960/)

Black belt (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1084019/)

[imperiouskitten]

ooo kurosawa writing credit! i'll watch those, thx blake

[imperiouskitten]

Onibaba (1964) [translates to "demon grandma" fyi hehe]

This was recommended by an earlier poster in this thread. SUPER GOOD movie! I thought it would be a straight horror, but it's actually a wonderful character drama that twists amazingly. Fantastic cinematography -- the film takes place mostly in this forest of 8 foot tall grass, which rendered in the wind in black and white is so silvery and striking.

About poor peasants in the sengoku jidai. A young girl's husband has been drafted into war, and they labor desperately at home just to eat. Lots of nice tits, owing to the heat of the setting. The "grandma" is actually really hot and goes topless all the time, she's only like 35 lol. Very beautiful film.

[DoodyLich666]

I’m glad you checked it out! I try to turn as many people as I can onto Onibaba. It’s a truly unique film as far as story the story goes, and almost every frame is a work of art.

[imperiouskitten]

Hello friends, sorry I have not poasted lately. We have watched Zatoichi films 2-13, of I think 27, so I haven't had much to write about. They were Good. Or, Okay. It's a formulaic series by nature and expectation, essentially a series of episodes at film-length. Zato walks into the sunset at the terminus of every film, leaving the girl he made so wet cold in her bed.

But more importantly I have a bone to pick. Somebody recommended us the film The Outsider (2018). I swore it was posted in this thread, as a piece of Japanese cinema. I can't find it now, so this is some elite level maneuvering as I can't hold you responsible. If you were trying to troll me, you succeeded!

First of all, this is NOT a japanese film although it is about Japan, which I noticed before downloading it, but it gets worse than that. Remember why people lol'd at The Last Samurai (2003)? White man carries the burden of the samurai and maintains the honor of the clan as a full-fledged member, inducted because he is just so awesome for 15 minutes that everyone can't resist, and he's also the bestest finest warrior of the whole bunch with the sickest deeds? And the story of the close of the samurai era is really mostly about this White guy? Well, crank that to 11 and you've got The Outsider (gaijin).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The film starts in prison. It's unclear what year it is, looks like the 80s. Jared Leto is here in jail for reasons never explained. Hehas grown a huge beard and looks exactly like the priest both incarnations of the film Silence, which handled the White-in-Japan material so much more respectfully. He helps a tattooed guy in prison commit faux-harakiri to get to the prison hospital so his boys can get him out of the clink. Somehow they come back for him and he leaves through the front door, beard gone and appearance immaculate, with slicked-back hair, where a 20-year-old twinky Japanese with a 1911 hanging out of the back of his pants ushers him into a car in full view of the guards and officials. We are told it is 1954 in Osaka.

The car takes him to a fancy room. In the room is a whole yakuza mob. For helping his prison bro, they offer him a job beating a man to death with a typewriter. He does great. He's now a yakuza affiliate.

Next, the gang's drinking at a titty joint soon after when the rival gang shows up to sneer. Jared Leto smashes one of them in the face without being prompted by anyone. For this, he is given a fancy apartment and given a suit. He starts banging a high-ranking mobster's sister against orders, but nobody seems to care very much. He's offered one more job, a scarier one, which he pulls off with some retarded gun-kata where he oh-so-skillfully reverses a bad situation after staring down the barrel of a man ordered to execute him's gun for 6 seconds. In so doing he kills two members of the rival yakuza, again unordered, in a job unsanctioned by the boss.

Know what they do for this? Starting a shitstorm that ends in a gang war? Make him a full-blooded yakuza, complete with ceremony where every Japanese in the gang kneels while he walks before them to the boss. He begins getting many hours of yakuza tattoos all over his White body. He impregnates the sister of the top lieutenant with an unauthorized hapa baby, for which the lieutenant gives him his father's katana and wakizashi -- "you protect my family now. I have no balls. You are the man, White man, the ultimate man."

With this, the movie becomes a hypnotic montage. The montage goes on for about 60 minutes. He lives his mob life. Does his mob things. A few lines of dialogue in an hourlong desert of hypnotic storyboarded drawings rendered cinematically develop the plot. In the end the boss dies and Jared Leto has to kill the mob traitor with a sword in front of the enemy boss. The enemy boss and a roomful of rival Japanese yakuza let him go, to exit the life. Truly they have accepted his status as Yakuza.

He returns to a room full of the remnants of the old gang for his adulations, the hero. The best gangster. The only woman in the film, his love interest, is in the room. He is the only man who gets pussy. The WHite man. The Yakuza. The credits roll.

THANKS for this one whoever posted it. 1/10

[imperiouskitten]

Zatoichi 21 (Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival (1970)) was maybe the best one yet.

A Japanese Capo de tutti Capi emerges, creating a yakuza council. but guess what, HE'S BLIND TOO. Ichi and blind guy develop a rivalry. Also features a fan favorite, the lead hotguy/wild maniac from Sword of Doom making his incredible trollface: https://i.imgur.com/wjCxeXT.jpg

By this point in the series of films, Ichi is pretty well a mary sue who walks into any danger without consequence. However this is rather a burden off the film which moves at a very modern pace -- and also the fight choreography has gotten very slick by this point. Watching and comparing to the laborious American cinema of the day, I can't help but think US popcorn & action movies learned from Jap cinema. This one feels 15 years ahead of its time.

These later films have pretty baller production value, contrary to the natural suspicion arising for any 25-sequel film series thanks to their being produced by Katsu's (ichi's) own production company. This one in particular has some pretty amazing musical / pastoral scenes of Ichi wandering around observing children and wildlife. Very pretty movie.

Also, it has a plot arc involving an extremely pretty twink trying to enroll as a yakuza. He is as confused as I was at his age in a similar situation, and is insistent he wants a yakuza boss to "make him a real man". At one point Ichi, established as being able to soundly detect beautiful women with his sixth sense, mistakes the boy for the female lead (one of the very rare women Ichi has fallen for, so the logic of the movie rates the twink as a very beautiful woman). In pursuing Ichi's sponsorship the twink offers himself to Ichi. I was bracing myself for a really homophobic punchline but it never comes. They don't fuck, but have a rather passionate parting scene. This was the first overt brush with queerness since early in the films, where it was implied then retconned that Ichi's gay. This kid is the prettiest person in the movie, so slender and stylish omggggg.

https://i.imgur.com/CXpbmyU.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GfbXELI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Wv1j2WL.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/iHnuzcP.jpg

Anyway the leading ladies are all pretty amazing in this one too and the movie is very funny. I would compare it to something like big trouble in little china as to the viewing niche it fills. I feel pretty comfortable recommending this whole series now; it doesn't crap out like I was suspecting it would. 6 to go!

[Snortles Chortles]

https://i.imgur.com/swJcC3R.png

https://i.imgur.com/xB8mgaC.gif

[Bardp1999]

I used to watch Dragon Ball Z (mainly because I was smoking lots of weed every day) but I honestly don't get the whole anime thing. I guess everyone has their own stupid shit they are into, I know I do.

[imperiouskitten]

I used to watch Dragon Ball Z (mainly because I was smoking lots of weed every day) but I honestly don't get the whole anime thing. I guess everyone has their own stupid shit they are into, I know I do.

the best anime & film took me to 28 to grasp. music too. So don't bother checking back with it when ur older, ull never get there

[Tunabros]

I used to watch Dragon Ball Z (mainly because I was smoking lots of weed every day) but I honestly don't get the whole anime thing. I guess everyone has their own stupid shit they are into, I know I do.

dragon ball z was the shit!!

I still watch anime

no shame

[imperiouskitten]

A Wife Confesses (1961)

https://i.imgur.com/oynlwba.png

This one was very good. It's about a murder trial, a case with ambiguous morals. The accused murderess is super well written and captures high femininity perfectly.

The lead presents a stupendously well-acted depiction of an accurate portrayal of a woman pursuing love very earnestly and intensely, losing her impulse control and patience in so doing, and somersaulting through emotional states as she fears a life wasted loveless, plunged into a prolonged hysteria in seeking to avoid that fate. It explores the confusing morals of an abusive relationship, where the abusive husband in question is not without his own merits and charm. In the end the man she trusts, unable to relate to her state, doubts the sincerity of her wild swings of emotion and he is proven chillingly wrong.

The film reminded me of myself a few years ago, when I had estrogen overdoses and entered kind of a fugue state which almost got me killed. Very compelling, anxiety-producing, & arousing to watch if you have experienced a scarily intense relationship or been involved with a hysterical woman. Also the actors are hot and it's shot/scored very well. It really is one of the most emotionally realistic dramas I ever saw and it is super compellingly intense for it, had me white knuckling. go watch it