A rare ‘Zatoichi’ entry with not one but two ruthless villains hogging the spotlight, which is a double-edged sword for character development, though it delivers in terms of action.
Uneven storytelling slightly mars this swordplay action-drama classic with one of the most spectacular action climaxes in Japanese cinema.
A stunning achievement, Kon’s second feature-length anime is both a tribute to the history of Japanese cinema and the relentless pursuit of love to the ends of the world.
Could have been a definitive samurai picture if it wasn’t too exposition heavy, but still quite a solid entry by Okamoto-Mifune.
The longest entry in the franchise, this excellent 20th instalment pits two Japanese swordfighting icons together as friend and foe, directed with assurance by Kihachi Okamoto.
A mid-2000s departure from his wuxia epics, Zhang’s largely restrained work about an aged Japanese father travelling to China to film a traditional mask opera for his estranged dying son ultimately teeters towards the emotionalism of the director’s earlier melodramas.
This 19th installment is a rather straightforward if still serviceable affair, as the guilt-ridden blind swordsman protects a woman from nefarious harm.
This beautiful Japanese animated feature by Hosoda is endearing, but it may feel a bit too lengthy at times.
A triptych of warm-spirited stories forms Hamaguchi’s worldly treatment of the serendipitous, in what is a perceptive work about connections and human relationships.
It may sometimes be a sensorial overload, but Hosoda’s invigorating reworking of the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ tale, now set in the virtual world of psychometric avatars, largely works and makes a point for the necessity of real human connection.
Eternality Tan 