see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: Animeigo
: Anime, Animation, Adventure, Cel, Westerns
: 132 min.
: Japanese
: English
see additional details...
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In mid-1800s Japan, a young boy named Jiro comes home to a horrible sight: His adoptive mother and sister, murdered. Found kneeling over the bodies and holding the murder weapon -- the dagger his parents left with him as a baby -- the villagers accuse him of murder and chase him out of the village. Jiro is rescued by Bishop Tenkai, the head monk of the Tengen temple of the Ezo (now Hokkaido) region. Under Tenkai's guidance, Jiro undergoes rigorous ninja training -- until he discovers that Tenkai was behind his mother and sister's murder, and manipulated him into killing his biological father. Fleeing Tenkai's temple and pursued by a cadre of ninjas equally deadly and bizarre, Jiro discovers that Tenkai charged his father with finding the lost treasure of Captain Kidd. Tenkai plans to use the money to help bolster the shogun's control over Japan and cut off its nascent contact with the outside world, but all he knows is that the key to finding the treasure is somehow linked to Jiro's dagger. As Jiro embarks on a journey that takes him to Russia and the western United States before returning him to Japan, he finds himself becoming further enmeshed in Tenkai's web -- as events push him close to the treasure, Tenkai and his people are never far behind. (American release in 1993.) ~ Emru Townsend, All Movie Guide
Special Features: - Character bios
- On-screen maps
- Original trailer
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| The Ultimate Ninja Anime Movie
by hneline1
March 10, 2004 - 12:06 AM PST
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3 out of 4 members found this review helpful
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Forget Ninja Scroll. THIS is the ultimate ninja anime movie. Unlike many lengthy anime "movies" that still feel like an extended TV episode, I'm blown away by how much presence Dagger of Kamui(Kamui no Ken) has as a solid, well-developed, full feature film.
The story follows young Jiro in a long-ago Japan, whose adopted mother and sister are killed by an unknown assassin. Jiro is taken in by a ninja clan which trains him until he becomes a young adult and is told to find his missing father, who may have been a ninja himself. As we watch Jiro through his adventures, what starts off as a timeless tale of ninja fighting and betrayal slowly metamorphs into an epic saga set within a rich socio-historical backdrop.
Director Rintaro (Galaxy Express 999, Captain Harlock, X: the Movie, Metropolis) is a master visual storyteller. From the thrilling opening title sequence where Jiro is being chased to the quietly intense closing credits, Rintaro uses a variety of camera angles, old-style action sequences and new-style experimental animation techniques to draw us into the tale. The music is a mixture of classic Japanese plus an ethnic rhythm, reminiscent of Neo Ranga. Rintaro's attention to detail in character depictions is mesmerizing, from Andou getting his finger stuck in the sake bottle to Sam's shadow rippling on the curtained doorway as he steps away.
Of course, keep in mind that this is a mid-80s anime, so the drawn animation is slightly dated and you are not going to see gorgeous CG backgrounds or modern character design. There are some plot devices that puzzled me but made sense for story continuity, like why do all the foreigners speak Japanese so well? Also, I like epics and dramas set in history, but some people may think that it's too overblown.
Think of Dagger of Kamui as Princess Mononoke meets Rurouni Kenshin with ninjas, sprinkled with some Indiana Jones and Jack London. It's just a well done film. Oh, and there's no sex, just the action and the adventure and the non-gratuitous violence, in case you're squeamish.
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.20)
56 Votes
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