Blade of the Immortal is a Japanese action movie that was released on April 29 of 2017 by Warner Bros. Pictures in its native Japan. However, people who are interested in jidaigeki fiction with fantastical elements might be interested to know that it will be making its U.S. debut at Fantastic Fest in September of 2017.
Given its name, it should come as no surprise to learn that the main character of Blade of the Immortal is a man named Manji who won’t be able to die until he has killed 1,000 evil men as penance for his past sins. As a result, when he crosses a path with a girl named Asano Rin, whose parents have been killed by a collection of master swordsmen led by a man named Kagehisa Anotsu. Summed up, Blade of the Immortal isn’t exactly the most complicated movie out there, but on the plus side, it should be more than capable of providing interested individuals with what they are looking for.
With that said, it might be more interesting to note that Blade of the Immortal will be the 100th movie made by Miike Takashi, who is a well-known though somewhat controversial Japanese filmmaker who was born in Yao, Osaka to Korean parents. Given the sheer volume of his output, it should come as no surprise to learn that Miike has made a wide range of movies for a wide range of viewers over the course of his career, with examples ranging from horrors and horror comedies to gangster stories and video game adaptations. However, he is best-known for graphic scenes of bloodshed that have sometimes been said to verge on the cartoonish as well as a dark sense of humor. As a result, people who are interested in seeing movies that strain at the boundaries of what is and isn’t acceptable should consider checking out Blade of the Immortal, which possesses both of Miike’s stand-out characteristics in abundance.
What Is Blade of the Immortal Based On?
On a final note, Blade of the Immortal is based on a Japanese manga of the same name, which has been made available in English by Dark Horse Comics. It has much the same narrative as the movie but progressed to a much further extent, though to be fair, this is natural when the manga series encompasses 30 volumes released over the course of close to two decades.
For the most part, Blade of the Immortal is similar to its movie counterpart in that it provides plenty of bloody and violent action to those like such stories set in a near-historical Japan. However, it is interesting to note that it does take the time to explore some of its themes as well, with examples ranging from the implications of someone not being able to die to the process of discovering one’s reason to live. Furthermore, it is amusing to note that Blade of the Immortal is also known for its outlandish weapons, which are sometimes based on real counterparts and sometimes so out there that even the mangaka Samura Hiroaki has admitted that he has no idea what they are supposed to do.
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