Lady Snowblood (1973) Movie Review

Lady Snowblood is a 1973 action period (Jidaigeki) film directed by Toshiya Fujita written by Norio Osada and based on a manga by writer Kazuo Koike and illustrator Kazuo Kamimura. It stars Meiko Kaji, Kō Nishimura, Toshio Kurosawa, Masaaki Daimon, Miyoko Akaza and Eiji Okada. The film became a cult hit overseas and was also well known by western audiences for being one of the top influences for Quentin Tarantino when making Kill Bill volumes 1 and 2 (2003-2004). It also had a sequel titled Love Song of Vengeance (1974).

In Japan during the Meiji era, a woman was sexually abused and witnessed the murder of her husband and son at the hands of criminals, she was then imprisoned after stabbing one of the thugs. Years later she gives birth to a baby girl, Yuki Kashima, while captive and passes away. Yuki is trained by a priest to be an expert assassin and once she reaches adulthood sets out to kill the people who destroyed her family in cold blood.

While this film is mostly known as a huge influence on Kill Bill, because of the fragmented narrative with a heavy use of flashbacks, the swordswoman heroine looking for revenge and the great bloodshed as well, there are some key differences. The non-linear storytelling aspect serves in Lady Snowblood to further expand the background of the protagonist, this is similar to Kill Bill in that regard since that movie also reveals important information needed to understand following scenes every time it goes back in time, but in Snowblood the motivation and what the flashbacks reveal isn't nearly as mapped out and the two timelines that we go back and forward from are not as blatantly utilitarian and are more impressionistic, whereas in Kill Bill it's all very functional. Tarantino does a very decent job and structuring that film dramatically, but it's all according to the machine that is the script. Snowblood allows for more nuance and more time to think about the dramatic scenarios.

Both films also have some stylistic flourishes with their formal exaggerations, but the fixation on the saturated hue of the blood and the extravagant choices in framing, composition, angles, music, the zooms, the sound effects and movements all ring more cohesive and are less exhausting in Snowblood than in Kill Bill, which is too slap-dash and eclectic. In Lady Snowblood every shot simply joins into a unity, a flow that is controlled and mediated by the director quite skillfully, and every hyperbolic element is simply a very expressive manifestation of the emotional intensity the story requires, arriving at a more concrete and precise tone that organically emanates from the storyline as opposed to being implemented outside of the story as an eccentric whim.

Related to the description above is the fact that every confrontation set-piece is a masterclass in vigorous action as every editing choice is just as punctual and necessary for the development of the sequence as every maneuver and motion the actor does in these fantastic choreographies. The almost pictorial quality of the movie is never really overdone as in other movies that try to show off only to come off as sterile, when we see the image of white snow contrasted with bright red blood we don't really think this is a fake and forced visual but it comes out so beautifully natural that it reaches a very lyrical dimension successfully. This is very hard to achieve, especially because the film never overexplains itself. The rapid insert shots of the main character remembering things appear briefly and without any bombastic music or sounds to announce it, you have to do the work and infer the intensity of the significance of the image through the montage and the clues you are provided.  

This is, as usual, a very nice production by Tokyo Eiga (a Toho subsidiary) with good production values and a convincing recreation of 1800’s Japan. This setting is also taken advantage of by the writer as it becomes a critique of Japan's imperialistic tendencies as well as this point of convergence between post-feudal Japan, its modernization and its westernization that eventually ended up as its colonization by the USA in the 1900’s but all explored in a particular period of transition that turn this into a more mythical story than a contemporary fad or something more current. 

Soothing music aids the entirety of the film, this beautiful soundtrack features some dramatic melodies of melancholy by Masaaki Hirao and the songs Shura no Hana and Urami Bushi performed by leading lady Meiko Kaji are now legendary. However, the film mostly knows when to use the music for a better effect and when to use silence accordingly, so it never overdoes it, always austere.

A mandatory swordfighting action film from Japan that any fan of Kill Bill or the entire subgenre should enjoy. If you have never seen it then I can absolutely recommend it for all cinephile audiences.

Slayers Return (1996) Anime Movie Review

Slayers Return (Slayers Movie 2 - The Return) is a 1996 adventure fantasy comedy anime movie directed by Kunihiko Yuyama (Minky Momo, Leda: The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko) and Hiroshi Watanabe, who would be in charge of directing all of the Slayers OVA specials and movies. It was written by the creator of Slayers himself Hajime Kanzaka. The cast features the great Megumi Hayashibara, Maria Kawamura, Akiko Hiramatsu, Akio Ôtsuka and Maya Okamoto. Return was the second entry in the series and it was released theatrically on August 3, 1996. While the film does pick up some things from the previous movie it is not a direct continuation of that storyline and the only thing that was carried over was the fact that Lina and Naga hang out and were introduced in the first film.

Lina and Naga encounter a girl named Saleena, whose village was invaded and slaved by an evil group named Zein. Lina agrees to rescue her people because she heard there's an elven treasure nearby that she can retrieve. So both Lina and Naga go there to save the land from Galev, the organization's leader, but things are not what they seem.

Starting out with Lina and Naga bickering and fighting over food is always a treat. It also sets the tone for the entirety of the movie. The previous film alternated between funny comedic antics with Lina and Naga and a relatively more serious and emotional subplot that intermittently crossed paths with the humorous girls. This time the comedy blends together with the main plot quite greatly and even takes the reins of the narrative, allowing for not only exaggerated moments of comedy but also comedic resolutions to several conflicts and obstacles.

The animation is always good (to great) in these but this time it felt like the action was better storyboarded or at least the staging of the close combat sections allowed for more fluidity of movement in swordfighting and magic spells of destruction. Every angle was pretty perfect and the impact of the blows and punches is palpable. Visually it's quite beautiful and skillfully animated, with great designs, expressive faces and striking colors.

With a likable roster of one and off characters introduced, inventive situations that take advantage of the fantasy world that has been created, the adventure-seeking spirit and the hilarious lines and physically comedic gags this one is some steps closer to what we know of the Slayers anime series, as it does feel like an extended episode of the show in a few ways, both because of the sensibility and because of the way it's structured. This isn't a bad thing since not only is the show itself good but also because what could have been glazed over in a 20 minute time slot it's properly developed in this hour long movie.

Recommended for fantasy anime fans in general. If you are a Slayers fan already then it goes without saying that this is a very fun one that you will very likely enjoy a lot since it has all the proper ingredients.