Making 100 films in half a lifetime requires a director to move at a brisk pace. This is probably part of what gives Miike his signature style. And in many of his earlier films especially, this works in his favour.
This is not one of those films.
If you're going to translate a Manga/Comic with a huge fanbase to film, you should take your time and pay attention to the source material.
Fail #1 - The Look: Blade of the Immortal has high production values but it's not even close to capturing the beautiful aesthetic of the Manga. The fight scenes especially look very much like traditional "Chambara". A more stylized approach would have been more suited. And in 2017 there are more than enough examples of how to do this right. The way Manji disposes of his enemies is unbelievably dull and unspectacular. "Lone Wolf and Cub" from 1972 did a better job.
Fail #2 - The Cast: The two main characters are just wrong. Manji is 26 years old in the Manga and has kind of a cocky, youthful, nihilistic demeanour. Takuya Kimura is not a bad actor but he is in his mid- 40's and just seems like a completely different character. He doesn't resemble Manji inside or outside. Hana Sugisaki, while being about the right age, was just bad. Especially in the "emotional" scenes her acting completely falls apart. Bad directing/a rushed production schedule? Maybe. But it is what it is.
Fail #3 - The Writing: All in all the writing is way too verbose and often feels ham- fisted. There were many scenes that would have been improved if the characters had conveyed their emotions through acting instead of spelling them out. The film also commits the mortal sin of having the characters explain the plot several times. It's lazy and insulting to the viewer.
Fail #4 - The Relationship: Even though the film is 140 minutes long it fails to convincingly show the all-important bond between the two main characters developing. There are a couple of attempts but they fall flat on their face because of the aforementioned problems with writing, acting and direction. The weird age difference between the characters doesn't help either. Manji feels more like "Creepy Daddy" when he's supposed to be "Big Brother".
Fail #5 - The Manji Symbol: This is less of a problem with the film itself than it is a symptom of what went wrong here. Replacing the Manji symbol on the main character's back with..."something(?)"...(obviously to avoid confusing the poor, ignorant western audience about Manji's political views) shows that Miike didn't care enough about this film or it's source material to put up a fight and say: "This symbol is being associated with the Manga, the main character is named after it, it's use makes sense plus it looks cool so it should be in the film!".
Note for those not familiar with the Manga: The main character called Manji aptly carries the "Manji" symbol on his back. The Manji symbol is a left-facing Swastika (Sauwastika). It's an auspicious symbol still widely used all around Asia, mostly in religious contexts. Among other things it symbolizes an "endless cycle" and "eternity".
4 Stars for nice sets, costume design, sound effects, music, post effects and despite everything being fairly entertaining. But the Manga deserves a much more dedicated adaption than it received here.
This is not one of those films.
If you're going to translate a Manga/Comic with a huge fanbase to film, you should take your time and pay attention to the source material.
Fail #1 - The Look: Blade of the Immortal has high production values but it's not even close to capturing the beautiful aesthetic of the Manga. The fight scenes especially look very much like traditional "Chambara". A more stylized approach would have been more suited. And in 2017 there are more than enough examples of how to do this right. The way Manji disposes of his enemies is unbelievably dull and unspectacular. "Lone Wolf and Cub" from 1972 did a better job.
Fail #2 - The Cast: The two main characters are just wrong. Manji is 26 years old in the Manga and has kind of a cocky, youthful, nihilistic demeanour. Takuya Kimura is not a bad actor but he is in his mid- 40's and just seems like a completely different character. He doesn't resemble Manji inside or outside. Hana Sugisaki, while being about the right age, was just bad. Especially in the "emotional" scenes her acting completely falls apart. Bad directing/a rushed production schedule? Maybe. But it is what it is.
Fail #3 - The Writing: All in all the writing is way too verbose and often feels ham- fisted. There were many scenes that would have been improved if the characters had conveyed their emotions through acting instead of spelling them out. The film also commits the mortal sin of having the characters explain the plot several times. It's lazy and insulting to the viewer.
Fail #4 - The Relationship: Even though the film is 140 minutes long it fails to convincingly show the all-important bond between the two main characters developing. There are a couple of attempts but they fall flat on their face because of the aforementioned problems with writing, acting and direction. The weird age difference between the characters doesn't help either. Manji feels more like "Creepy Daddy" when he's supposed to be "Big Brother".
Fail #5 - The Manji Symbol: This is less of a problem with the film itself than it is a symptom of what went wrong here. Replacing the Manji symbol on the main character's back with..."something(?)"...(obviously to avoid confusing the poor, ignorant western audience about Manji's political views) shows that Miike didn't care enough about this film or it's source material to put up a fight and say: "This symbol is being associated with the Manga, the main character is named after it, it's use makes sense plus it looks cool so it should be in the film!".
Note for those not familiar with the Manga: The main character called Manji aptly carries the "Manji" symbol on his back. The Manji symbol is a left-facing Swastika (Sauwastika). It's an auspicious symbol still widely used all around Asia, mostly in religious contexts. Among other things it symbolizes an "endless cycle" and "eternity".
4 Stars for nice sets, costume design, sound effects, music, post effects and despite everything being fairly entertaining. But the Manga deserves a much more dedicated adaption than it received here.