Pois é, mais um projeto que é da EA mas eu acabei pegando o 1080p pra lançar por aqui
Teremos distro por 3 bots no canal e talvez em 2 ou 3 dias teremos por torrent no seizu e depois no haitou  então leechem enquanto está apenas no bot para fazer ratio depois!!!
Torrents:
Seizu

Prêmios:

Todos pelo anime reactor, a lista de 2008 pode ser conferida aqui.

Galeria no final do post!
Review by Animehaus
Violento anime de ação produzido pelo BONES em 2007, “Sword of the Stranger” envolve personagens japoneses e chineses numa trama que se passa num período que corresponde, simultaneamente, à Era Sengoku no Japão e à Dinastia Ming na China. Para que possam se situar melhor, a Era Sengoku (Sengoku Jidai) foi o período das guerras civis no Japão, e durou aproximadamente de 1467 a 1615, quando o país estava dividido entre muitas províncias em guerra, cada uma governada por um senhor feudal. Já a Dinastia Ming abrange o reinado de vários imperadores da China entre os anos de 1368 a 1644.
Um garoto chamado Kotarou foge de um templo budista em chamas, sendo informado por um dos monges que deve se dirigir urgentemente à província Akaike e procurar o monge Zekkai. Acompanhado de seu cão Tobimaru, Kotarou segue sozinho em seu caminho até se encontrar com um espadachim num mosteiro abandonado. Apesar do cão ter simpatizado com o estranho, o genioso Kotarou não nutre o mesmo sentimento, e por ser muito inquieto e ter muita dificuldade para confiar nos outros, não faz a menor questão de esconder seu desprezo pelo homem.
Enquanto isto, uma tropa de ladrões ataca com violência um carregamento misterioso de caixas guardado por uma tropa de chineses. Liderados pelo incrível espadachim de olhos azuis Rarou, conhecido como “Monstro Louro” e sobre o qual existem histórias lendárias, os chineses mostram que não estão para brincadeiras. Os verdadeiros motivos de sua missão no Japão podem fazer com que seu caminho acabe se cruzando com o de Kotarou, Tobimaru e do “espadachim sem nome”. Por que Kotarou teve que fugir correndo do templo budista, por que parece ser alguém tão importante, e o que ele e os chineses teriam a ver com as escavações feitas na província Shishine são apenas algumas das várias perguntas que vão aparecendo ao longo da narrativa.
Verdade seja dita, a história genérica de “Sword of the Stranger”, ainda que longe de ser fraca, é o elemento menos marcante deste impressionante anime. Várias obras, animes ou não, versam sobre a mesma linha narrativa do “garoto predestinado perseguido por forças do mal e que acaba sendo ajudado por um homem misterioso”, mas em “Sword of the Stranger” a força do conjunto é potencializada pelos excelentes personagens e pelas violentíssimas cenas de ação de cair o queixo.
Ainda que não chegue ao nível de excelência técnica das obras da Madhouse, por exemplo, “Sword of the Stranger” apresenta uma incrível mistura de animação 2D num ambiente 3D, repleto de inventivas tomadas de câmera que dão a impressão de se estar no meio das batalhas. Os cenários são muito detalhados mas sem ostentação, sempre com cores suaves e tons pastéis, tudo feito com muito bom gosto. O clima é acinzentado, frio, sempre com a presença de muito vento e do céu nublado, como se houvesse uma ameaça constante no ar. Em termos de animação, é digna de nota a atenção dada à sutil movimentação facial e corporal dos personagens, como o garoto se mexendo despreocupadamente, o “espadachim sem nome” todo largadão, e Rarou sempre altivo. E o estreante Masahiro Ando mostra que tem potencial para se tornar um diretor de primeira linha no futuro, demonstrando um grande domínio narrativo em todo a duração do anime. Merece destaque uma cena que envolve alguns caçadores de recompensa, cujo jogo de “mise-en-scéne” dá um clima perfeito aos eventos mostrados e ainda faz a história seguir sem atropelos.
A ótima trilha sonora de Naoki Sato (X TV, Eureka Seven) usa temas baseados em percussão nos momentos mais tensos, enquanto os momentos mais calmos são embalados por temas mais focados em flautas de bambu. Ainda em termos sonoros, o anime é falado em japonês e chinês, fato ainda mais interessante se levarmos em conta que não houve dubladores chineses envolvidos na obra. Em outras palavras, os “seiyuus” japoneses também fizeram suas falas em mandarim quando exigidos. Se a pronúncia saiu correta, aí já são outros quinhentos!
Mas são os personagens, ao lado das lutas, o grande motivo para se assistir a “Sword of the Stranger”. Kotarou é um garoto de temperamento forte, mas sem parecer muito petulante ou irreal. E o fato do roteiro de Fumihiko Takayama não fazer do cão Tobimaru apenas um mero figurante torna a amizade do garoto com o animal ainda mais comovente. Mas é claro que a relação entre Kotarou e o espadachim Nanashi (que significa “sem nome) geram alguns dos melhores momentos da obra. Sempre às turras com Nanashi, Kotarou tem muitas dificuldades para aceitar os conselhos e ensinamentos do espadachim, que chega a chamar o garoto de “melequento” num momento em que perde a paciência. O clima tenso entre ambos gera ótimos diálogos, como este:
Nanashi – “Se não lhe digo o que faz de errado, nunca irá melhorar.”
Kotarou – “Se só me disser o que faço direito, farei ainda melhor!”
Por outro lado, Nanashi mostra desde o início que seu jeitão largadão e despreocupado é só uma fachada. Sempre assombrado por lembranças do tempo de guerra, ele possui um pedido amarrado em sua “katana” e, apesar de sua insana habilidade de luta, nunca desembainha sua espada em combate. Mas, ao contrário de Kenshin Himura, ele mata o oponente se for preciso. Meio a contragosto, Nanashi acaba se tornando uma espécie de “tutor-protetor” de Koutarou, e a evolução natural do relacionamento entre ambos é um ponto muito positivo no enredo.
Rarou é um ótimo exemplo para o que costumamos chamar de “força da natureza”. O simples olhar e postura deste excepcional espadachim, nunca ferido em combate, são suficientes para gerar arrepios. O interessante neste personagem é que, apesar de ser um monstro para matar, ele tem um senso ético que a maioria dos demais personagens da obra não possuem. Tanto que é o único entre os chineses que não utiliza uma droga capaz de anular a dor, pois diz que esta mesma dor faz a pessoa sentir-se viva. Tudo o que Rarou busca na vida é a possibilidade de encontrar um oponente do seu nível, para que possa saber qual é a sensação de ser ferido numa luta.
E que lutas! “Sword of the Stranger” talvez seja um dos animes mais sangrentos já feitos, com uma profusão de cabeças e braços cortados que voam para todos os lados. O interessante é que esta violência não chega a ser ofensiva, como em Ninja Ressurection, pois em nenhum momento aparecem vísceras e pedaços de cérebro voando pela tela. Sim, o anime é muito violento e sangrento, mas a intenção foi simplesmente mostrar que as lutas de espada não eram nada bonitinhas ou limpinhas mas, sim, cruéis, dolorosas e com muito, muito sangue. O fato é que as lutas neste anime são impressionantes, bem mais realistas que a média e, apesar de alguns exageros óbvios, são um prato cheio para quem curte obras neste estilo.
Seria interessante poder saber um pouco mais sobre o passado de Rarou e Nanashi, mas isto não é nada que estrague o resultado final. “Sword of the Stranger” é um anime na linha de “Ninja Scroll”, mas muito superior à obra da Madhouse. Não é recomendado para quem tem estômago fraco, mas se você curte cenas de luta de cair o queixo, ótimos personagens e uma história interessante que só peca pela falta de originalidade, “Sword of the Stranger” é uma obra imperdível.

Enjoy a galeria.

Créditos ao povo do FSiHD pelo encode da raw utilizada no projeto

A Freaking awesome samurai movie judging by the trailer. This one was off my radar when it made its debut in Japan some time back. There has not been a good samurai action flick lately since Samurai Champloo. This movie is by Anime studio “Bones” creators of the PSN anime hit Bonen no X’amd . Looks like I will be getting the Blu-Ray version.

Buy it from Play-Asia.

For a direct download Click HERE!

Yo! What’s up guys?! We’re back again with Episode 75. Like the title suggests, this is an “eh” episode. Mostly due to the fact that we decided to change up the format of the episodes, and well… we had to get used to it. This is that HORRIBLE episode haha. But, we talk about some decent news, and we have some good reviews. *Except my review. Which was just a bunch of characters… sorry*

Reviews:
Jason -

Over the top sword fighting, and a super hot kunoichi! What else would you want? A good plot line? PSSH!

Info!
-Anime News Network
- Wikipedia Page

Kyelen -

Well the oldest sister is hot...plus one for me.

Info!
- Anime News Network
- Wikipedia Page

News
-HALO LEGENDS?!?!? WHAT?! HALO ANIME?! DIRECTED BY 7 PEOPLE?!
-CHARLIZE THERON AND SAM JACKSON VOICE ACTING?! ASTROBOY?!
-Bakuman and some shit added to Shonen Jump!
-Blade, Planet Hulk, Iron Man, and WOLVERINE ANIME! GOD DAMMIT!
-Fate/Stay Night film teaser released/opened. (Plus a site has been made.. yea…)

Who Would Win?!
We put Mugen from Samurai Champloo against Nameless from Sword of the Stranger in a fight to the death! Winner: Mugen. Of course!!!

So that was Episode 75! Kind of boring. We are still trying to get used to this new format. Also, if you listen closely, my little sister is like.. yelling for my Father haha. Oh well. Give it a listen!

halo

Sword of the Stranger

Mukou Hadan

Tür: Aksiyon, Fantezi, Tarihi, Dövüş Sanatları, Seinen, Samuray, Şiddet

Yıl: 2007

Süre: 98 dk

Dil: Japonca (biraz da Çince)

Upload: Abhimanyu

Sword of the Stranger – İzle

Sword of the Stranger (ストレンヂア 無皇刃譚, Sutorenjia Mukōhadan?, Stranger Mukou Hadan) is a Japanese anime feature film directed by Masahiro Andō and produced by BONES. The film follows a swordsman with no name and a golden-haired assassin as circumstances draw them towards a mysterious young boy.

Hunted by the Ming from China, young Kotaro and his dog meet a nameless samurai (“Nanashi”) who is haunted by memories of his past which have led him to avoid drawing his sword ever again. Among the Ming is a fearsome Western fighter named Luo-Lang, whose only desire is to find a worthy opponent. When both groups clash with a Sengoku-era feudal lord, a proud general, and monks torn between faith and survival, the reason behind the Ming’s pursuit tests the bond between Kotaro and Nanashi.

Watch Sword Of The Stranger Hosted @ Veoh

WARNING: LONG ENTRY LIKE WOAH!

been really busy lately.  been getting ready for metrocon (totally a last minute plan btw) and been so busy with this and that.  luckily i’ve been able to find time still to hang out with the Brodeo.  ^^

a few weeks ago, beni and i went to our friend Kienan’s art show in Kaleisia Tea Lounge.  it was really cool and there were a lot of people there just to support him!  there was also a Doorstop Productions open mic there (DSP hosts the open mic i go to every thursday) which was AWESOME!  grant even played the “icelandic people are strange” song he always plays.  x3  the art was pretty ballin’ too.  all done in gel pen!  i wish i got a few shots of it.  D;

beni and i at kienan's art show

also been going to open mic like usual.  thought i’d try the pastries there for the first time.  OMG!  DELICIOUS!!!  so people, if i ever take you to the open mic, make sure to get food from there.  i had the chocolate zucchini bread, and as strange as it sounded, i thought my mouth was going to have an orgasm.  holy crap it was so good!
chocolate zucchini bread + vietnamese iced coffee = nervana

enjoying goods at cafe hey

went on a midnight beachcapade recently with the Brodeo.  it was quite a trip.  haha.  there was SOME fire spinning involved, but it pretty much turned into a silly guy-time type trip to the beach.  haha.  oh i love them..

me and beni before the crazy started

me and mike before the crazy started

and the crazy begins (top, left to right: mike, eddie - bottom: beni, dara)

me and eddie jumping in during an "intimate moment" between dara and mike

one of many "wacky faces" pictures of the guys. oh boy... ^^;

i thought i should stop it there.  there are just so many of them i figured it’d kill the post with it’s insanity.  xD  oh.  and it DOES get worse, btw..

at dairy queen with beni and mike

—

metrocon just passed last weekend.  it was ok in general.  the best parts were haning out with friends, seeing old friends again, and people watching.  OH!  and i also finished my nanashi costume in time!

incomplete nanashi

absolutely NO ONE knew who i was, but it was all good.  i didn’t really expect anyone to.  after all, the DVD did just come out like, what?  3 days before the first day of the convention?  there wasn’t even any merch for it in the dealers room aside from the blu-ray disc sold by Best Buy.  i was hoping to get the nanashi + laou figures there or (wishful) the tobimaru plush toy.  nope.  that’s ok.  a lot of people did like the outfit though and took a picture of it just because they thought it was really good.  i felt bad because everyone wanted me to draw my sword, but i couldn’t due to story purposes.  *sigh*  if they only knew, it would’ve been so much cooler that way.  D;  i might make the tie out of velcro come comic-con so i can do the “epic teeth rip” as i call it that nanashi does at the end of the movie.

my "son" as marth and me as nanashi

watched the chess match on sunday.  missed it on saturday.  honestly, it was OK~~…  i don’t know.  maybe it was exactly the same as every chess match, but since i’ve never actually watched it, i didn’t know what to expect.  probably my favourite fight was the Marth and Captain Falcon fight.  it was good and hilarious at the same time.  i just loved the Smash Bro. elements to it too like the many lives, sluggish attacks after long battle, smash ball, and the clapping at the end.  hahaha!  too cute!  too cute!  some other fights were really good too.  but at the same time a lot were HIGHLY disappointing.  *sigh*  i commend all in the cast though.  it’s a tough show to put on!

dana as engineer, me as nanashi, jason as sniper

chilled out and walked around with some really fun people on saturday too like dana, who i met for the first time saturday, jason or “martini gendo”, beni, and henry.  dana and jason were dressed up as engineer and sniper of the RED Team from Team Fortress.  they were SO awesome!  jason even had a jarate, which btw wasn’t filled with his own urine but white grape juice.  shame no one EVER wanted to sniff it!  oh!  and his rifle was also fully functional and bolt action.  of course it wasn’t real but a nerf gun rather.  it was funny because they could hardly get ANYWHERE without being stopped for pictures!  they even met a RED Team scout and demoman while there.  i wish i got their picture!  D;  i loved it when people also found out engineer was a girl.  hahaha.  she did such a good job looking like a dude even with the 5 o’clock shadow.  oh dana.  she was such a sweetheart!  it was fun.  they left not long after arriving, albeit.  it was a shame.

after they left we hit up the happy hour at the embassy.  had a couple drinks, i won’t lie.  it’s good to be 21.  xD  the fun just continued too.  i can’t even really explain it.  let me just say sober beni + drunk henry + other drunks + russian accents = awesome tiemz

yeah.  after the day ended, my face hurt so much from laughing.  oh man…  i love my friends.

sunday: in line for chess match with madison

wish i got to to see a few other old friends, but i wasn’t all too successful (suzy, sam, maddie, etc).  like it said, overall the convention was OK.  the good was friends, a few fights from chess match, and fire.  the rest were pretty much…ehh.  like closing ceremonies.  i won’t even go there.  well, i think that’s about it for now.  until i decide to post again, which i hope will be soon, ta!!

drive home from metro

New DVDs that will be added to our shelves on Tuesday June 16th.

• Friday the 13th
• One Week
• Cell 2
• Morning Light
• Madea Goes to Jail
• Direct Contact
• Thin Ice
• 45RPM
• Body Armour
• Education of Charlie Banks
• Exposed
• Face
• Harder They Fall
• Killing Ariel
• Skid Marks
• Sword of the Stranger
• Tommy and the Cool Mule
• Garfield’s Pet Force
• Legend and the Sasquatch
• Tommy and Jerry’s Greatest Chases
• Family Guy Season 7

For more information on these movies such as ratings, synopsis, reviews, and video trailers click on the movie title above. This will open the NewThisWeek.ca website.

To be notified of new releases, sales, and contests > Sign Up to our E-Newsletter.

nii-san is an official college graduate!  holy crap!  yeah.  i know she graduated a month ago yesterday, but she just got her diploma in the mail.  So NOW it’s official.  i’m so excited for her.  god.  i’d be graduating next year.  oh if i only stayed in school.  ehh~

haven’t blogged in a while.  been even longer since i vlogged.  oh man.  i should really edit and post my “Earth Day” vlog.  i might just have to rerecord that since it’s so old.  Dx  uhh…so what’s been up?  OH!  i met my friend Jim7 from the forums i go to.  he was actually super cool (not that i expected him not to be) and even though we never met in person before that, i felt really comfortable talking to him about whatever.  i was kinda afraid i’d scare him a bit especially since i think i act a little differently on the forums than i do in real life, but i think he thought i was a decent las myself.  hehe.  too bad he drove up north for the summer.  would’ve been cool to hang out with him again.

i made beni try on some of my wigs.  lololololololol (oh arby and the chief.  you influence my speech so much!).  he actually looked really cute.

i was going to crop out everything but the two of us, then i saw how much NERD was on my dresser and thought it was best to keep it.  yep.  beni’s umbrella shirt, my greg cipes painting under that, my ben 10 alien force omnitrix, and my treasured copy of god hand that i luckily found by chance in the brandon mall.  lulz.  dorkz. anyway, i made beni try on my short black wig on this picture which i call the “kevin 11″ wig.  hahahaha.  and because of that, i thought i’d try on my gwen wig.  aww!!  wouldn’t we make a cute kevin and gwen??  xD

lulz tiemz!  i think beni makes a better nathan keyes as kevin than the actual cartoon kevin.  xD

speaking of dressing up, i’ve decided on a new costume aside from tira.  GASP!  yep.  oh, and the fun part is, i’m going to be cosplaying a dude!

nanashi (left), laou (right)

yep!  i’m *hopefully* going to be cosplaying nanashi from sword of the stranger.  which, by the way people, it is an AMAZING movie.  watch it like WOAH!  i’m excited.  i’m planning it mainly for comic con this coming july, but i might be wearing it to metrocon (yeah.  i know, metrocon.  EWW!  long story).  i figured that if i was in costume, people wouldn’t recognise me that easily.  hahaha…  i really wish beni would just give in and cosplay laou with me, but he’s too much of a pussy to mullet-ify his hair.  oh well.  his lovely yellow locks are fine how they are.  wish they were leon-long again, but this cut is still super cute.  the costume is actually kinda important to me.  the movie was not only epic with deliciously beefy studs (uhhhh~~~<333), but it was also very moving for me.  i guess it just hit my soft spot.  i didn’t dislike any characters and that surprising because children in anime almost ALWAYS piss me off, but kotarou was just so lovable and i was heartbroken when he was betrayed by his own family.  and tobimaru REALLY made me want to get a shiba inu.  i had seen one a while ago at a puppy store and really wanted him.  went back a few months later only to see he was still there and discounted because no one wanted him.  ;-;

uhh.  just watch it!  you’ll love it.  i was afraid nii-san wouldn’t like it, so i forced her into watching it today and she loved it.  <333

beni and i went to the beach recently too.  i got a little burned and i think i got a tan.  it was fun though.  this nice couple also let us use their umbrella when they left so we weren’t burning in the sun for too long.  the water was lovely and the sky was a really pretty blue.  the day actually started out TERRIBLY, but it got SO much better after we went to the beach.  i hope we go again soon.  it was really fun.

uhh.  so i have so much more to write about, but this entry is getting long.  i’ll update more soon.  until then, ta!

Entre os longas que concorrem a melhor animação de 2009 estão: Wall – E, Kung Fu Panda e Madagascar 2 – A Grande Esacapada – que estreou recentemente nos cinemas. Há outros longas como Bolt – Supercão, Horton e o Mundo dos Quem!, Delgo, Valsa com Bashir, Os Mosconautas no Mundo da Lua, Igor, $ 9.99, The Sky Crewlers, Sword of the Stranger, O Corajoso Ratinho Despereaux e Caçadores de Dragões.
Israel também está na luta com Valsa com Bashir tentando concorrer com o Oscar de Melhor Filme Estrangeiro.
O evento de premiação irá acontece no dia 22 de fevereiro de 2009 em Los Angeles. Em sua 81ºcerimônia da entrega do Oscar em 2009, o ator Hugh Jackman será o anfitrião que irá entregar estatueta.

I consider myself a big fan of anime and pretty knowledgeable when it comes to the subject matter, so it is not often that I get surprised by a series or movie these days. But every once in a while a title would sneak up on me and totally catch me by surprise, and I have stumbled upon such a title. What you may ask?  Well a wonderful anime movie entitled “Sword of the Stranger” produced by one of my all time favorite production companies Studio BONES.

Hunted by the Ming from China, young Kotaro and his dog meet a nameless samurai (“Nanashi”) who is haunted constantly by memories of his past which has led him to avoid drawing his sword ever again. Among the Ming is a fearsome Western fighter named Raro, whose only desire is to find a worthy opponent. When both groups clash with a Sengoku-era feudal lord, a proud general, and monks torn between faith and survival, the reason behind the Ming’s pursuit tests the bond between Kotaro and Nanashi.

The animation in Sword of the Stranger is just jaw dropping, but this comes as no surprise I mean Studio BONES have brought us titles like Full Metal Alchemist and Cowboy Bebop the Movie. Stating that the animation and fighting sequences are superbly animated would be an understatement. The animation quality is top notch from start to finish the attention to the character detail and background animation is simply stunning. All the characters have their own personality and distinctive style. And plenty of creative and vivid backgrounds which only ads to the atmosphere of the story.

And my personal favorite: the smooth and creative camera work and choreography during the action scenes. And the excellent usage of blurs and motion gives the action sequences a very “real feeling” A true movie score appropriate for Feudal Japan, accompanies Sword of the Stranger. From strings, flutes, and other crazy named wind instruments can be heard in Sword of the Stranger and fits in perfectly with the time period and is woven beautifully into this tale. The voice acting (Japanese) is also very good, everyone sounds like their part and conveys there emotions across perfectly.

The story would be the only “weak” part of Sword of the Stranger if you can put it that way. If you judge the story against any other anime title that plays off against the feudal Japanese era then Sword of the Stranger is undoubtedly head and shoulders above the rest. But compared to other titles out there it could seem lacking to some viewers but having said that. The overall simplicity is, in fact, a benefit to this historical martial arts epic of Sword of the Stranger, this straightforward approach to the story lends itself very well.

If there is one anime movie you have to watch this year then do yourself a favor make it Sword of the Stranger you will not be disappointed with stunning visuals and equally and stunning soundtrack  even the amateur anime viewers out there will enjoy this movie. Don’t expect a deep and involving plot as this is your typical bread and butter action title but what it lacks in story it makes up for in ever other department. So what are you waiting for?.

Haven’t finished this anime movie yet, I think I have like 20 min left, but I can already say that it is FREAKING AMAZING! Definitley one of the best I have seen in a while. I will have the review up later, after I finish it.

Sword of the Stranger

There are not to many movies that I immediately want to rewatch right after finishing. But this is definitely one of them. First of all the opening credits in this movie are amazing. Right from the get go you can tell it is going to be action packed!… (read more) There are not too many movies that I immediately want to re-watch right after finishing. But this is definitely one of them. First of all the opening credits in this movie are amazing. Right from the get go you can tell it is going to be action packed! The animation/story/soundtrack/fights are all superb. Whether you are new to anime or not you have to check out this amazing masterpiece! You wont be disappointed.

Saw this trailer when I went and saw Underworld 3. Looks awesome. Plan on watching this movie tonight. I hate subtitles but It looks too good to wait for the June 16th english dubbed bluray … if its as good as early reviews say it is then Ill be buying the english bluray anyways. Here is the trailer:

I was lucky enough as a U.S. moviegoer to catch this anime in theaters for a one day Fathom Event in early February.  To the best recollection of my memory, it is the first anime I have ever seen on the big screen. Sword of the Stranger is Bones’ first attempt at an original movie. Masahiro Ando, who had no prior experience with directing an entire anime, was given the director’s chair.  On paper this all sounds like an experimental project resulting in a let-down. Even though you shouldn’t expect too much from the story, it unfolds beautiful with plenty of engrossing characters and action elements to keep you entertained.

Story is fairly simple stuff. Kid has a bounty on head for reasons revealed later, he meets amnesiac samurai whom he manages to convince to look after him. Most of the time in this movie is not actually spent on the fights, but on showing how these two, with totally different personalities come to understand each other amidst their arguing.
 

Even though the film falls prey to a number of action film clichés, and at times feels like a rehash of bits of the samurai film genre, and even though its plot is undemanding and almost silly, it is irresistibly engaging. With the accompanying music score being of the classical Japanese drums and strings, it all adds up to something special.

Yes, there is copious amount of blood and gore, and for this reason alone I can’t recommend it to kids.  Which is a shame really because this is a story that would make a great family film ala Miziyaki films.  They went the Manga route and you could tell they borrowed heavily from Ninja Scroll in some aspects.  If this movie came out, say, 10 years ago, it would be at legendary classic status among anime flicks.  Being released in this generation muddles it down to just another above average anime.  Buy this movie for the sleek visuals and gorgeous music but check your brain at the door. Recommended.

Last Thursday was the U.S. big-screen premier of Sword of the Stranger, or as I like to call it, the crappiest dub money could buy.

The story is fairly straightforward: lost little boy meets nameless ronin. Ronin takes boy on a journey, which is wrought with danger. More specifically, warriors from the Ming Dynasty in China are after the boy Kotaru, because they think killing him in a ritual will bring eternal life to the Chinese emperor.

Animation/Art:
Sword of the Stranger was very pretty. VERY pretty. Everything had a polished look to it, and the animation was fluid. It has a more or less realistic feel, though the character design is fairly standard. The fight sequences are just plain fun!

Music/Dub:
Some of the background music is just gorgeous. Everything fits well with the scenes, but if you asked me to hum any of it, I would not be able to do so. As for the dub, well, I already mentioned it was the worst dub ever. It was bad to the point of being distracting. I mean come on…when one of the main characters sounds like a whiny child, and really kind of a badass, you’ve got to realize you’re doing something wrong.

Story/Characters:
Though I did enjoy the story, and was rapt at attention through most of it, some parts did bother me. Without giving too much away, let’s just say most of the “ohsnap” twists are not really very surprising, nor are they twisty. I’ve always been a sucker for overthrow plots and swift, unexpected deaths, and the fact that no one falls in love with anyone is most assuredly appreciated.

Overall:
I’ll go ahead and give this one a 6.5 bit rating. I can’t, in good conscience, give it any higher. I liked it quite a lot, but I didn’t LOVE it. I’d see it again because I do think it’s a good movie for people who don’t necessarily love anime. Check it out if you enjoy well-told, but fairly straightforward stories with pretty decent dialogue, excellent art and animation, and ridiculous depictions of foreigners.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s regularly scheduled podcast!

I try to support anime’s continuing struggle for mainstream recognition/viability whenever I can. I buy DVDs of shows I like, and I buy tickets to whatever theatrical runs trickle down to the American market. It seems that most of the theatrical animated features in Japan nowadays are annual One Piece/Detective Conan/Doraemon movies, sooo the pickin’s have been pretty slim for a while. The first one I ever saw while it was actually in theaters was Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. I saw a review of it in the paper and persuaded Film Walrus to come with me and check it out at this awesome independent theater which is now defunct. And it turned out to be great!! Since then, the experiences have ranged from the sublime (Cowboy Bebop: The Movie with Film Walrus’ whole clan in a packed theater downtown) to the underwhelming (last year’s Paprika where I was one of three people in the theater and one of the others brought half of the concession stand back with him).

So it was with enthusiasm that I read an article about a new original film getting an exclusive one-night premiere in the U.S. before getting dumped onto DVD. It was through Fathom, that company that makes its business off of selling tickets to one-night events that they stream through satellite to theaters so that you can see Naruto or whatever on the big screen. I had gone to a rather costly screening of a This American Life event last year that… could have gone better. But this one was cheaper and the movie looked intriguing. What was that movie, you ask?! Sword of the Stranger!

Sword of the Stranger is a period flick set in Japan’s feudal era. A young boy named Kotarou is being hunted and a kindly monk quietly smuggles him out of harm’s way when their monastery is attacked. Kotarou’s loyal dog in tow, the boy is left to fend for himself and squats in an abandoned house when he meets No-Name, a mysterious (REALLY?) stranger who ends up protecting Kotarou’s life from people that are sent to capture him. Kotarou decides to go with No-Name, whom he promises a treasure to as long as he and his dog are delivered to safety. Along the way we learn that No-Name refuses to use his katana, and actually has it bound up so he can’t unsheathe it, and that he has nightmares about a horrible deed in his past that he had to commit.

At the same time, we’re shown a group of Chinese that are traipsing about the Japanese countryside. Apparently they are shacking up with a local feudal lord and using his land to construct a giant macguffin for some reason. They’re searching for Kotarou because he is an essential ingredient for their ceremony to create a potion of immortality that they can bring back to the Ming emperor. Serving the Chinese is a tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed man they call Luo-Long, who is a master swordsman seeking out his equal in combat.

…Can you see where this is going?

The first thing I can find fault with in Sword of the Stranger is that it’s perfectly predictable. I can guarantee you that you already know exactly how this movie plays out, because I was sitting in my seat in the theater and calling everything before it happened, too. It’s a very straightforward tale where the good guys win and the dishonorable die. The story and characters don’t stick with you at all. In another few weeks I guarantee I won’t remember any of this.

There’s a quote someone says in this movie: “Never set your aspirations so high that you can’t achieve them” or something like that. Well, I guess the staff took their own advice and didn’t bother taking a chance on any of it. There WAS potential in this movie to be something special and poignant, even with its cookie-cutter ingredients. If it had an actual artistic aspiration, it could’ve focused a bit more on the relationship between No-Name and Kotarou and really had us invest in the boy’s safety. As it is, he spends half the runtime being an obnoxious twerp that rewards No-Name’s protection with rudeness and suspicion. There could’ve been an authentic emotional core to the whole thing that was just hollow in the end.

It didn’t help that the movie seemed cluttered with a bunch of plot detritus that got in the way of telling a simple, focused story. Every few minutes it would zip off to show us an irrelevant conversation that half-heartedly developed characters that got maybe four minutes of screen time in the end. The people making this really needed to take a few steps back and ask themselves about their storytelling priorities when they made this. Do we need to know about No-Name and Kotarou, the core relationship of the movie, or do we need to know about this random Chinese dipshit that has a few lines and then dies in a fight in the end? There was even a silly subplot that the movie kept shoving in our faces about the Chinese soldiers taking drugs so they wouldn’t feel pain. WHY DID WE NEED TO KNOW THAT.

There’s also problems of believability. Why would the Japanese let a bunch of Chinese jerks tromp around killing as many people as they liked? What happened to that famous Japanese xenophobia?

Oh, that’s right, it’s one of the themes of the movie. Kinda fitting since it’s called Sword of the Stranger, at any rate. There’s definitely SOME tension between the Japanese and Chinese. There are lines here and there of both sides saying something snarky about the other, like “who can possibly know what goes through their minds?” and stuff like that. Plus the Chinese end up being duplicitous and evil. Well, so do the Japanese, I guess. And No-Name ends up being a foreigner with red hair who has to keep dying it black or else people get suspicious of him. And he ends up being a former child-killer. Maybe the message is that every culture has awful people?!

So if Sword of the Stranger doesn’t really give a hoot about story or character, what IS the draw? Ostensibly, it would be the action. There’s some really well-done sword fights scattered throughout the film, with the best saved for the final duel between No-Name and the blond villain. It’s fluidly animated and obviously the bread and butter of a film like this.

Unfortunately, if you took out the sword fights you’d be wondering if it were really a feature film at all. The animation studio bones produced the film and it doesn’t really show. bones is responsible for some really beautifully done motion pictures, such as Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and Escaflowne the Movie. None of the lavish artwork or animation of those films end up in Sword of the Stranger. If anything, it looks on par with a reasonably good television show. When it comes to animated movies from big-name studios, I expect a certain amount of eye candy, and Sword of the Stranger doesn’t even look as good as their Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa movie, let alone approach the artistry of the two I mentioned previously.

And that’s even without getting into the technical issues I have with the way that Fathom presented it. The picture was totally unacceptable considering the price I paid for my ticket. The picture was fairly soft and the audio half-hearted. It actually looked worse than a DVD. I could’ve waited a few months, rented this on Netflix, and had a better audio/visual experience than I had forking out a premium price to see it in theaters.  This is completely appalling and it totally makes me think twice about giving Fathom any of my money ever again.

But while I say all these mean, critical things, the movie had some nice things about it. Hey, the character designs were actually fairly distinctive and attractive to look at. The soundtrack would play a neat little bagpipe tune sometimes. (Is No-Name supposed to be Scottish?!) And Fathom was nice enough to include making-of stuff after the film… involving the AMERICAN staff, so nothing about the ACTUAL making of the movie.

Was it a bad movie? No, not really. Just a disappointing one that didn’t seem to want to live up to its own promise. It was one of those where you can’t help but make a checklist of things you would’ve done differently in your head while you’re seeing it. I’m a little more bitter about it than I would otherwise be considering the price I paid to see it and the lackluster presentation. My first film of 2009 is a big, fat phooey.

If you’re looking for a good movie to see and have already exhausted the theatre’s available screenings, don’t fret:  there’s still time to check which theatre near you will be screening Sword of the Stranger.

This interesting samurai epic follows a young boy named Kotaro, and the nameless samuari with a terrible past he meets, as they are hunted down by the Chinese Mings for a reason not even Kotaro knows.

The movie will be airing on the 7:30pm time slot on February 5th in select theatres (check here to see the list of theatres).  Like other Fathom Events, there will be a “behind-the-scenes making-of” featurette airing as well.

This looks to be a very promising movie–I myself really hope I’ll be able to see it (too bad all the theatres are so far away!!).