Zatoichi Challenged

Ichi's usual supersensory shenanigans (identifying dice rolls by sound, etc) are mostly absent from this one; in fact, swordplay aside, he often looks as if he may actually suffer some of the vulnerabilities of a blind man. The story is a bit of a slow burn and doesn't look as if it will bring much new to the series but it's very much worth watching to completion. The dramatic payoff in the end is exceptionally effective and makes this one of the best of the series so far.

Uses the tried and true "promise to a dying stranger" plot device to get Zatoichi to travel with a child to a town where people are being oppressed by nasty yakuza. It's the usual mix of humor and swordplay that fans of the series expect, and the final duel is exceptional; a skilled ronin actually survives 5 or 6 furious exchanges with Ichi. The boy that latches onto Ichi as a father figure is kinda annoying, though.

This is one of the better episodes in the Shintaro Katsu Zatoichi movie series. It has all of the trademark plot points, motivations, and sword battles. Jushiro Konoe as the samurai government official was a great choice. The old harsh black and white rules left no middle ground. They sure made a big deal out of some minimally racy pottery artwork. But this too was in keeping with the setting. Entertaining and worthwhile.

Not the worst Ichi (none are bad, at least so far) and I appreciated the new story touches (pornographic porcelain ring! That's original!) but it's just missing the tension that keeps the slowness of these movies going until the swords flash and slash. And there are other entries that set the bar high visually so anytime that mark isn't reached I'm disappointed, though that's less of an issue watching the movie in isolation - Misumi is a fine director after all, and the combat is shot well

My personal favorite of the Zaitoichi films.

Here is a wild and surprising little film, unwilling to stray far from the formula though it may be, nevertheless approaching the familiar scenario with a fresh attitude. The vibrant bursts of color, the western guitar strum and pop vocal tracks, just a slight straddling of the fourth wall, a grab bag of funny gags. Then it comes to one of the coolest duels in all of samurai cinema, a separation, and Ichi once again strolling on up the road, an unexpected but not unearned feeling of pathos.

Very good.

This is an odd, but amiably entertaining Zatoichi outing. The performance troupe add a bunch of musical numbers to the film, which is certainly a first for the series. The film is lighter in tone than most films in the series due to it's focus on the relationship between Zatoichi and the child. So ... it's kind of a family, musical chanbara film about pornographic dinnerware ...