SUMMARY
Jiro is a half Japanese, half Ainu boy living in a rural village.
When he was a baby, he was found by the owner of the local in. The
only clue to his past is a mysterious blade.
One day while Jiro is out running errands, his adopted mother and
sister are murdered by Ninjas. Blamed for the crime, he is rescued
by Tenkai, a priest from a secret order of monks. Tenkai promises to
help train Jiro in the ways of the Shinobi and help him learn what
happened to his birth parents.
After he finishes his training, Jrio begins his investigation to his
past. He learns that his father was a stray ninja who was looking
for the treasure of the notorious pirate Captain Kidd. He also
learns that Tenkai is responsible for the death of his adopted and natural
parents. Following in his fathers footsteps, Jiro becomes a stray
ninja, and sets out across the world to find the treasure.
At every turn, he is forced to fight members of the clan that trained
him. Jiro has to rely on not only his abilities, but his instincts
if he is to get the treasure, and kill Tenkai.
DVD VISION TEST
VIDEO: AnimEigo has done a decent job of transferring this
20+ year old movie to DVD. The colors are solid, with no color bleeding or
pixels. There is some edge enhancement, and during the very dark
scenes, you may notice some rainbows. Depending on your system, the
picture may appear a bit blurry.
AUDIO: The original Japanese 2.0 audio track is pretty clear. There is no mono hiss, and there is slight surround
sound mix. It's blended well, and the impressive score by Uzaki
Ryuudoo and Hayashi Eitesu doesn't overpower the dialogue.
EDITS: Not a single frame has been edited.
EXTRAS: The extras were interesting, if not plentiful. First is the
original trailer for Dagger of Kamui. Then we have the character
info, which helps you keep track of who is who. Last is a series of
maps that help to put where these events take place in context.
Believe me, it's hard to keep everything straight. The liner notes
also provide plenty of background info.
WIDESCREEN REVIEW
STORY: Epic is the only work that can describe this
movie. Mamoru Masaki story is very long and involved, with
battles taking place all across the world. There is a lot of
liberty taken with the time period, and with the characters presented here. I don't think that Mark Twain would have taken kindly to
a Japanese man.
ACTING: Another classic anime with a fantastic
cast. From the strong yet boyish voice of Hiroyuki Sanada (Jiro), to
the sexy voice of Mami Koyama (Oyuki), it just doesn't get any better than
this, except for "Arcadia of my Youth".
FAN SERVICE: Not much in the fan service
department. A fanny shot and arm-covered breasts is about it.
CONCLUSION
If the novels are anything like this movie, I can see why they were so
popular. This movie has the perfect blend of lighting action and adventure,
comedy, drama, and some serious ass-whooping'! Spanning the entire globe, few
animated film, and even fewer live action films, have the range and scope
this film does.
A lot of it's success is due to the direction of Rintaro. Anyone
who has seen "Metropolis" or "Adieu, Galaxy Express
999" know that this man is very adept at adapting classic stories
into fantastic animation. The art work is always beautiful, the
pacing is well balanced, and the animation is fluid.
Jiro's adventure is very cool, if not a bit
anachronistic. In his search for truth, he travels all across Japan,
Russia, and America. He meets slaves, cowboys, Indian girls, and
Mark Twain. My American Lit class seems to have missed covering Mark
Twain's encounter with a stray ninja. I also don't recall a lot of
Japanese people fighting cowboys in the wild west either. The excellent
liner notes do point out that these are fictionalized versions of the
characters. Like Rurouni Kenshin, don't look for historical accuracy
here.
The music is also a major part of the film. The score by Uzaki
Ryuudoo and Hayashi Eitesu is a rocking blend of orchestral, rock and roll,
and ancient Ainu songs. The music is quite distinctive, and you will
find yourself doing air guitar once the titles start.
My favorite character is the captivating
Oyuki, voiced by Mami Koyama. She is sexy, strong, and could
beat the pants off of Kaguya from "Ninja Scroll".
Everything about her is exactly what a ninja woman should be.
AnimEigo has done a fine job with this release. The video and
audio is good, and the extras are informative and entertaining.
While I would have liked to see "Dagger of Kamui" in "widescreen" format,
I'll live.
Once again, AnimEigo has earned their "niche in the niche
reputation" by releasing Dagger of Kamui (Kamui no Ken). With a
great story, fantastic animation, and kicking' sound track, this is a
"must have" for your shelf.
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