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SUMMARY

In feudal Japan, there existed groups of men and women chosen to perform covert and subversive acts against rival clans.  Called ninja, they lived in shadow and secrecy, ready to use their amazing skills in the service of their lord.

AkaKage (Red Shadow), Aokage (Blue Shadow), and Asuka have now become full fledged members of the Kage Ninja clan.   Equipped with "invincible steel", and a desire to do the right thing, these three friends begin their service for their master Lord Togo.

Near by, Princess Toko is trying to keep the unity of her clan, while her grandfather is dying.  Although she suspects foul play, she has now way to prove it.  She also lacks the power to protect her clan from her rivals.  So, she enacts a risky plan to keep her enemies at bay.

In the middle, the evil lord Takenouchi, who is manipulating events to not only cause Toko's downfall, but Togo's as well.  Then, Takenouchi can take over both houses and rule over all the nearby lands, perhaps even all of Japan.

Now, Akakage must figure out Princess Toko's plan, as well as stop Takenouchi and his ninja army before clan war erupts!

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: The DVD quality is excellent. It looks just as good as the Japanese DVD release.  The colors are sharp, the motion is fluid.  There were no color bleeds, pixels or digital garbage.

AUDIO: We have 3 audio tracks to choose from.

Number one is a Japanese 5.1 audio, and boy does it knock your socks off.  The sound hits you from everywhere during the action scenes.  You can really make out the little details of Nobuhiko Morino's musical score.

Number two is a Japanese 2.0 Dolby mix.  Not as powerful as the 5.1, but it comes close.  The music, dialogue and sound effects are pretty evenly distributed across the soundstage.

Number three is a Japanese commentary track, done in 2.0.  Like most commentary, the voices are center and front speaker based, with the movie in the background.  It's a little fuzzy at times, but it's more of an annoyance than an issue.

EDITS: Not a singe thing has been edited.  You read it right, nothing!

EXTRAS: On the first disc we have the audio commentary with Director Hiroyuki Nakano, Asuka actress Kumiko Aso, and Pierre Taki.

With the second disc, we have many of the same features that appear on the Japanese DVD release.  There is the 90 minute Director's Diary, chock full of deleted scenes, making of's, and other interesting features.  There are the Character Features, which are interviews with the main actors of "Red Shadow".  Last we have original the Television and Theatrical trailers.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Based off a series of novels and the 60's television series, Red Shadow has been updated for the modern age. Writers Hiroshi Saito and Masatoshi Kimura have come up with a fresh and funky presentation of a tired genre, the ninja movie. They do a great job at balancing out the lighting paced action with gut busting comedy. 

ACTING: The acting is wonderful.  Both Masanobu Ando and Jun Murakami are able to switch from silly to serious in a snap.  You can feel their happiness or sadness in every scene. The supporting cast is equally entertaining, with Shuuhei Mainoumi really camping it up as the bad ass Rainmaru!

Credit should also be given to Kumiko Aso as Asuka and Megumi Okina as Hime Toko. The two women infuse a strong female presence in what could have wound up as a testosterone action flick.

FAN SERVICE: Well, there is Asuka, dressed in tight leather and fishnet stockings, and the "Pretty Massage" lady in her wrap around spandex (odd since this is Tokugawa era). When you see Olympic rhythmic gymnastic champion Alina Kabayeva prance around in her tight outfit, you will sit there going "wow!"

CONCLUSION

In the old days, Samurai-Eiga (movies) usually fell into one of two categories; epic masterpieces or cookie cutter clones.  Thanks to directors like Hiroyuki Nakano, a third type of Samurai movie has emerged; hip and clever re-imaginings. One of the first (and arguably the best) of this new breed was Samurai Fiction. Nakano took the tried and true "revenge for honor" formula, and gave it a stylish look and a cool feel.

Buoyed by his success, Nakano, along with "Samurai Fiction" writer Hiroshi Saito and "Blue Remains" scribe Masatoshi Kimura, took on one of Japan's most beloved "ninja" series, "Masked Ninja Akakage", and took a shot at reinventing it for the 21st century.

I totally love Red Shadow!

Red Shadow has that right blend of action, comedy, drama, and romance that many films aspire too, but fall short of the mark.  Scenes of action are intermixed with tongue and cheek humor, but not so bad that it falls into farce.  Nakano starts the movie off fast, giving us time to marvel at the characters abilities, while learning all about them.  By the time the drama comes, you care so much about the characters (and even some of the villains) that it makes the dramatic parts even more poignant.  Fortunately, Nakano doesn't let things stay completely serious for too long.  Once again, he is the master of brining out a believable romantic sub-plot, as the time that Akakage and The Princess share is tender and cute at the same time.  The ending is the perfect capstone of the movie, full of energy and excitement.

A lot of the way this movie looks and feels can be directly attributed to Director Hiroyuki Nakano.  Like Director Kinka Ushner from "Mystery Men" Nakano background is from doing TV commercials.  In just one shot, Nakano gives you an idea on what kind of person the character is just by the images.  I guess when you have to convey a message in 30 seconds, you learn how to say what you want all at once (unlike my review).

There is something about the way Nakano uses the camera that is very poetic.  There is a peaceful flow to the motion of the camera that is very soothing.  Even during the action segments, there are no jarring or shaking camera shots to disrupt the flow. 

Yet it's all for naught if you don't have good writing.  It's a good thing that the story is just as cool as the visuals.  Hiroshi Saito and Masatoshi Kimura add a level of humanity that many ninja films lack.  Their characters are not mythic figures, (although they do have some interesting ninja powers), but normal people trying to do the right thing.  They give everyone, from our hero Akakage, to Princess Koto, a moment where they must decide if what they are doing is truly the best for everyone.  With the exception of Takenouchi, who isn't saddled conscience or morals, no one is truly evil.  By avoiding black and white stereotypes, the writers give the audience more than just ninja's beating the crap out of each other.

Along with everything else, the cast is also excellent.  Masanobu Ando as Akakage is truly the epitome of a heartthrob.  His soulful face, his expressive eyes, the way his hair looks perfect all the time, made many of our female staff members melt.  Luckily, Ando has the acting chops to back up the good looks.  His emotions really came through.  You felt his grief, and you reveled in his happiness.  Aokage Jun Murakami is equally hilarious and dramatic, thanks to his mischievous grin, and little boy good looks.  Versatile actor Naoto Takenaka gives another memorable performance as mentor and father figure, Shirokage.  Takanori Jinnai is down right evil as Takenouchi, and Shuuhei Mainoumi is the perfect, cocky opponent for Akakage.

Strangely enough, with all this testosterone, the women in "Red Shadow" are some of the empowered members of the fair sex I have ever seen.  Kumiko Aso as Asuka is a sublime representation of womanhood.  Not only is she beautiful, she is clever, aggressive, and extremely confident in her abilities. Even her outfit, sexy yet practical, reflects her personality.  Princess Toko played by the very talented Megumi Okina is very regal and exudes supreme power.  While she tries so hard to look strong and fierce, there is no denying the beauty that is in her heart.  Her looks at Akakage, her tears at her grandfather's death, and her righteous anger at those who attack her are enough to make you pledge your loyalty to her.

Even the supporting actresses are memorable, as well as sexy.  Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva gives unforgettable performance with out saying a word.  Ryoko Shinohara's coy looks, and gentle purring will have many men wishing they could get a "Pretty Massage".  At no time do you feel that any of these beautiful creatures are "second class citizens".  It's pretty obvious that it's the women, not the men, who are really in charge.

I wish that other companies would follow "Media Blasters" example and release more DVD's like this.  The plentiful special features are interesting, entertaining, and informative.  The audio commentary was chock full of behind the scenes stuff.  The Directors Diary takes everything, from pre-production to finished product, and puts it in a well planed out and cohesive presentation.  The "Character Profiles" gives us some insight on the actors playing the parts (as well as more of Kumiko Aso), and how busy the shoot was.  All of these extras really show how much heart and soul went into this movie, as well as give you an idea on what the Japanese film industry is like.

Thanks to Hiroyuki Nakano's exceptional visual style, the superb cast, and solid writing, "Red Shadow" (Akakage) is another great example of Japanese Cinema.  It's fun, it's fresh, and it's cool, everything a ninja movie should be.  Thanks to the excellent presentation by "Media Blasters", "Red Shadow" should be a major part of your Asian Cinema collection.

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