Bloodtype Online

    When feudal Japan is first contacted by emissaries of the West it creates a division within the ruling powers of the island.  On one side you have those groups within the government that want to embrace the west and make Japan a player on the world stage.  On the other side you have the group that wants Japan to continue it’s policy of isolation.  One of the biggest players on the isolationist side is the Shogunate, which is the organization that the Samurai belong to. They are also fiercely loyal to the Emperor.  When many of the clans begin to break ties with the Shogunate, taking their Samurai with them something needs to be done about the loss of manpower.  A small group of swordsmen, who while being samurai are really just farmers, come to the capital to defend the Shogunate.  They ask to be allowed to recruit others in their cause and are given permission.  Soon others begin to join them and they form a small military force that repeatedly comes to the defense of the emperor and shogun.  The rest of the movie tells the story of their victories and defeats all while maintaining their honor.   

    This is one of the best movies that I’ve ever seen.  The story is very deep and engrossing, while remaining very accessible. Some of the movies from the samurai “genre” can be very confusing to a western audience because they get lost in the tradition and customs.  While this movie is very respectful of those traditions the filmmakers clearly made an effort to tell a story that is easy to follow and very entertaining as well.  The main characters are well written.  Some of the supporting characters are a bit stereotypical and exist as nothing more than plot devices.  Still because of the talented cast even these characters are very interesting and fun to watch on screen.  So you have a killer story with great characters combined with a good cast.  Can’t go wrong there. 

    Of course this is a samurai movie so I have to talk about the swordplay.  There are several extended battle scenes in this movie.  They are without a doubt some of the best that I’ve seen ever!  And as fans of the genre will expect there is plenty of blood in this movie.   

    This is a great movie.  If you are a fan of the genre you must go out and purchase this one right now!  If you are new to the genre or haven’t seen one of these movies before then go out and purchase this one right now!  Honestly I love this movie and so will you.  Of course I highly recommend Shinsengumi Assassins of Honor.   

Rating - ****

-John "El Juan" Shatzer