First of all; Condensing the 30 volumes of the manga into 140 minutes of live-action would test anybody's directive efforts. 'Blade Of The Immortal' as a manga works on so many levels, because it takes each character and grants them their own back stories. I know time & editing wouldn't allow that, but I wish Takashi Miike had (at least) shown the youthful origins of Anotsu & Makie.
I loved Makie in the manga, disowned by her father, forced into prostitution, and her unbelievable skill made her an unforgettable character. Any fan of the books can recall the story of "Makie and the 50 wild dogs" with glee. To be fair, the character Makie Otono-Tachibana deserves a film all to herself. She was unfairly diminished in the movie.
Araya Kawakami (the mask maker in the books) who hides his past from his son Renzo is also diminished in the movie. This is another case for time & editing that disappointed me. I'd have to imagine there's enough on the cutting room floor to piece together this battle for a future DVD release or Director's Cut.
The subplots involving the crazed Shira, the blonde Hyakurin, the sun-glassed Giichi and their Mugai-ryū leader Kagimura were missed. All the subplots in the manga easily helped make 'Blade Of The Immortal' one of my favorite collections. To tell it all; Takashi Miike would need a good 10 hours of footage.
My more realistic criticisms would have to cover the make-up and effects department; Sabato Kuroi with the head of his wife and head of Rin's mother sewn to his shoulders is a good example. It looked cheap and unenthusiastic. Also watching the bloody sword fights I was hoping for the more overzealous approach of Quentin Tarantino than this toned down realism. Lastly was seeing a background character wearing a skull cap to give the illusion of a bald head. I wish I hadn't noticed because it impacted my feelings for the remainder of the movie.
The acting saves the overall film. Just the simple eye movements, shrugs and poses tell so much of the story that there were places where words weren't necessary. Takuya Kimura didn't fit the part of Manji at all, but his performance helped me forgive that. Hana Sugisaki who played Manji's murdered sister Machi as well as Rin Asano was perfect casting. Sota Fukushi as Anatso was fair enough as I didn't think he looked the part of the feminine features from the books. Erika Toda as Makie was bluntly amazing. I loved her and we could have seen more.
The adaption of the manga isn't to bad. Miike stayed gave great attention to the main characters. The biggest mistake was the manji symbol on the back of Manji's clothing. I actually understand the reasoning and put blame on the ignorance of US audiences. Most Americans would think it's a Nazi swastika and then release liberal hell all across the PC nation of their limited social media sites.
I enjoyed the movie and will watch it again. As stated I'm praying for added footage in a DVD/Blu_Ray release.
I loved Makie in the manga, disowned by her father, forced into prostitution, and her unbelievable skill made her an unforgettable character. Any fan of the books can recall the story of "Makie and the 50 wild dogs" with glee. To be fair, the character Makie Otono-Tachibana deserves a film all to herself. She was unfairly diminished in the movie.
Araya Kawakami (the mask maker in the books) who hides his past from his son Renzo is also diminished in the movie. This is another case for time & editing that disappointed me. I'd have to imagine there's enough on the cutting room floor to piece together this battle for a future DVD release or Director's Cut.
The subplots involving the crazed Shira, the blonde Hyakurin, the sun-glassed Giichi and their Mugai-ryū leader Kagimura were missed. All the subplots in the manga easily helped make 'Blade Of The Immortal' one of my favorite collections. To tell it all; Takashi Miike would need a good 10 hours of footage.
My more realistic criticisms would have to cover the make-up and effects department; Sabato Kuroi with the head of his wife and head of Rin's mother sewn to his shoulders is a good example. It looked cheap and unenthusiastic. Also watching the bloody sword fights I was hoping for the more overzealous approach of Quentin Tarantino than this toned down realism. Lastly was seeing a background character wearing a skull cap to give the illusion of a bald head. I wish I hadn't noticed because it impacted my feelings for the remainder of the movie.
The acting saves the overall film. Just the simple eye movements, shrugs and poses tell so much of the story that there were places where words weren't necessary. Takuya Kimura didn't fit the part of Manji at all, but his performance helped me forgive that. Hana Sugisaki who played Manji's murdered sister Machi as well as Rin Asano was perfect casting. Sota Fukushi as Anatso was fair enough as I didn't think he looked the part of the feminine features from the books. Erika Toda as Makie was bluntly amazing. I loved her and we could have seen more.
The adaption of the manga isn't to bad. Miike stayed gave great attention to the main characters. The biggest mistake was the manji symbol on the back of Manji's clothing. I actually understand the reasoning and put blame on the ignorance of US audiences. Most Americans would think it's a Nazi swastika and then release liberal hell all across the PC nation of their limited social media sites.
I enjoyed the movie and will watch it again. As stated I'm praying for added footage in a DVD/Blu_Ray release.