cartoon Blog and Journals

Movie Review: Sword of the Stranger:

By Howard Lee

Tomatovision TV

On Feb, 5, 2009 a special anime event took place in Chicago. Several AMC theaters presented "Sword of the Stranger "for a one night one time event. For those who missed this event all I can say is that you missed something that doesn't happen to often first run anime in America on the large screen.

 Sword of the Stranger is well worth watching it's a shame it's not a regular feature at theaters around the country. It would make a change from the "happy meal movies" Hollywood keeps spitting at us. Well that's enough of me on my soapbox on with the show

 Sword of the Stranger is a historical drama set in feudal Japan. It tells the story of Kontaro a young boy and his dog that are being chased by a group of Chinese warriors who are in the service of the Ming Emperor. Kontaro escapes his captors with the help of a Japanese monk who has been taking care of him since his parents died. One other thing about Kontaro is that he is not Chinese or Japanese but an outsider. You see Kontaro and his parents where shipped wrecked in China years earlier. Kontaro now is on the run with his dog hiding out at an abandon temple until he can find his way to safety at another temple where the kindly monk told him to meet as he left Kontaro to throw off the Chinese warriors that are after Kontaro.

 Kontaro and his dog steal some food then make their way back to the abandon temple. That is where they meet the Stranger who is now staying at the temple. Kontaro is suspicious of the Stranger and challenges him, the Stranger looks at Kontaro with a slight unconcerned smile and pays little attention to Kontaro's fake bravery. Kontaro still acts brave and refuses to share is meal with the Stranger, but his dog takes the Stranger some food, the dog like him which is unusual since the dog usually attacks anyone that comes near Kontaro. Kontaro seeing that the dog likes the Stranger Kontaro relaxes just a little but he is still suspicious of the Stranger.

 Meanwhile the Chinese warriors are being lead by a group of Samurai warriors to the Japanese Warlord who is building a fortress for the Chinese Emperor. But what is the fortress for? And why is the Emperor so intent on capturing Kontaro that he would send a group of his best warriors after him? These are the questions that the Japanese Warlord wants to know so behind the back of the Chinese warriors he has sent another group of Samurai to find Kontaro and find out why Kontaro is so important to the Emperor Ming.

The next morning Kontaro still suspicious of the Stranger makes a deal with him to get him safely to the temple to meet the monk who will get Kontaro out of the country before the Emperor's warriors can recapture him. But there is danger lurking in the shadows this morning. One of the Chinese warriors along with a group of the Samurai has founded Kontaro and the Stranger's hiding place. They confront the Stranger and tell him that he should not interfere with the business of the Emperor. Kontaro and his dog attacks one of the Samurai warriors and is thrown to the floor. His dog attacks the warrior and tears his throat out. Then the Stranger warns the attackers to leave or face him. As the Samurai warriors advance the Stranger quickly uses his unsheathed sword to defeat them. Then he turns to the Chinese warrior who pulls out a whip and lashes out at the Stranger. The Stranger uses his unsheathed sword to block the whip. But the Stranger is thrown against the wall as the Chinese warrior advances Kontaro's dog attacks the Chinese warrior to save the Stranger and is wounded. The Stranger then uses his unsheathed sword to quickly crush the warrior's throat.  Kontaro then runs to his dog crying, and begs the Stranger to save him. The Stranger says he can't because the dog has been poisoned, but maybe there is a medicine man in the village that can save him so the take one of the warrior's horses and travel to the village.

 In the village the Chinese warriors has ordered the Japanese Warlord to find Kontaro in the next two days or face the wraith of the Emperor Ming's army of warriors who seem unbeatable and unable to feel pain. The Japanese Warlord unmoved by the threat is still working behind the leader of the Chinese warriors has captured one of his men and is torturing him to make him reveal the Emperor's real reason for building the fortress and why Kontaro is so central to his plan. But something is wrong instead of screaming in pain the Chinese warrior feels nothing and only smiles at his torturer. The Japanese Warlord then instructs his warriors to find Kontaro and kill anyone that gets in their way. Meanwhile Kontaro and the Stranger finds a medicine man who says that he can give them something that might save Kontaro's dog but the should not move him to much or he might die. So Kontaro and the Stranger stops for a while to give the dog time to heal.

The Stranger then goes into the village to find a new saddle for the horse. While in the village he finds out that the Chinese leader has offered a big reward for anyone who can help them find Kontaro. Also in town are many of the Chinese warriors including one warrior who is not only the best but the most unusual like Kontaro he is not Chinese or Japanese but an outsider with blond hair and blue eyes. Many of the Samurai warriors are afraid of him because he can kill quickly as he demonstrated the day before by killing a group of bandits by himself.

 The Stranger and this blond warrior meet on a bridge and the blond warrior challenges the Stranger to a duel. The Blond warrior pulls his sword, but the Stranger does not unsheathed his sword blocking the blond warrior's sword. The blond warrior yells at the Stranger to unbind his sword and fight him but the Stranger does not. As they stand on the bridge they both size up each other and are about to attack when the blond warrior is ordered back with the others to continue the search for Kontaro, not knowing that the Stranger had Kontaro hidden just a few miles away.

 The Stranger returns to Kontaro and they continue to travel to the temple meet with the monk who saved Kontaro. Later that night the two stop by a stream to take a bath. That's when Kontaro finds out something about the Stranger. While the Stranger was washing his hair it started to change color from black to red. That's when the Stranger reveals to Kontaro that he is like him, from another country and that he uses the black hair dye to blend in with the Japanese. He also revealed that he was once a samurai in a great army. But something happened that made him leave the army and never use his sword again just what that was the Stranger would not tell Kontaro. What he would tell Kontaro is that he would never kill again and that Kontaro should understand that he should never become like him no matter what.

 In the village the Japanese warlord is still trying to find out from the captured Chinese warrior what the fortress was being built for and why they need Kontaro. But still the Chinese warrior did not fell the pain of torture and told him nothing. Meanwhile at the camp of the Chinese warriors they are visited the Emperor's high priest. He is upset that Kontaro has not been captured. Then he revealed the reason the Emperor needs Kontaro in the next two days. Kontaro is to be sacrificed to the gods at midnight in two days. Kontaro sacrifice to the gods will give the Emperor and the high priest immorality. If Kontaro is not sacrificed the Emperor will be forced to wait another year and it would also plunge him into war with many of the Japanese warlords.

 Meanwhile at the Japanese warlord castle he is still torturing the Chinese warrior who still is feeling no pain until suddenly he coughs up not only blood, but several tiny pills after that he could fell pain. Writhing now with pain the Chinese warrior told the Japanese warlord about the special drug that the Chinese warriors take to feel no pain and about how Kontaro's sacrifice will give the Emperor immorality. Armed with this information the Japanese warlord sends his own army headed by his trusted Samurai general to destroy the fortress he built for the Emperor and capture Kontaro. He knows that this will stop the Emperor from invading Japan and make him a hero to all the other warlords in Japan who are battling the Emperor.

 The next morning the Stranger and Kontaro make their way to the temple to meet the monk who saved Kontaro.  At the temple the monk talks to the head of his order about Kontaro and how they can save him. But he is in for a surprise the head of his order is in the pay of the Chinese warlord and has betrayed Kontaro to the Chinese warriors who are waiting for him. When Kontaro arrives at the temple with the Stranger he is met by the monk who leads Kontaro to the head of his order who hands Kontaro over to the Chinese warriors. At the same time the Stranger see what is happening tries to save Kontaro from being captured by the Chinese warriors. During the battle unexpected help come in the form of the Samurai general and his army. They begin to fight the Chinese warriors who get way from the Samurai general and heads toward the fortress with Kontaro. At the fortress the high priest discovers that the Japanese warlord have tried to betray them by trying to capture Kontaro and hold him until after the sacrifice. The high priest has a plan of his own he sends the blond warrior to capture the Japanese warlord and hold him to stop his Samurai general from attacking the fortress.

 The Chinese warriors arrive at the fortress with Kontaro who is quickly taken to the top of the fortress giant clock and is tied down to wait to die at the stroke of midnight.  Outside of the fortress the Samurai general arrives with his army and storms the gates of the fortress. The priest has a surprise for him they have the Japanese warlord tied up and put in front of the gates to stop the Samurai general from breaking down the gate. But the Samurai general surprise them he kills his warlord master and takes over the army and names himself warlord. Now the Chinese warriors must now defend the fortress until the high priest can perform the sacrifice of Kontaro at midnight. Meanwhile the Stranger long with Kontaro's dog has entered the fortress and begins to fight their way up the tower where Kontaro is being held. The Stranger fights his way up the tower to save Kontaro. When the Stranger reaches the tower he is confronted by one of the Chinese warriors and then something happens the Stranger uses his sword to kill one of the warriors who is holding Kontaro just before he is about to kill Kontaro for the sacrifice.

The high priest could not believe that his plan to become immoral was gone. He then turns to the blond warrior and orders him to kill the Stranger for the glory of the Emperor. Then the blond warrior turns to the priest and tells him he is not going to kill the Stranger for the Emperor but for himself. The high priest could not believe the blond warrior would not obey him so he pulls out a gun and points it at the Stranger. The blond warrior then takes out his sword and cuts off the priest arms then stabs the priest to death.

 The blond warrior now turns toward the Stranger and motions at him to attack him. The Stranger moves quickly toward the blond warrior and uses his sword to battle the blond warrior who smiles at the Stranger as they begin to fight. Both men are engaged in battle with each other they do not realize that the tower is falling. As the both fall seeming to their death Kontaro and his dog escapes to the out side of the fortress. As the smoke from the fallen fortress clears the blond warrior appears in front of Kontaro, then from the smoke the Stranger staggers out toward the blond warrior. They look at each other as if knowing what the other is thinking. The begin to charge each other then with one stroke both swords find their mark. The blonde warrior smiles for a moment and the falls death. Then the Stranger falls in front of Kontaro seeming dead. Kontaro runs over to him and lifts his head. The Stranger is still alive Kontaro takes him over to a horse and helps him on. Then the Stranger tells Kontaro that he is now his master now what would he like to do. Kontaro says he want to feel the thrill of riding a horse. As the two rides away the Stranger smiles and closes his eyes as Kontaro and his dog rides along the beach.

Personal Notes:

So do you think the Stranger lives or his he slowing dying on the back of the horse? That's one of the questions that the voice actor who did the voice of the Stranger asked in the featurette of the behind the scenes from Sword of the Stranger. This full length anime film by Bandai is produced by Taku Otsuka and BONES the creators of Cowboy Bebop. Their Sword of the Stranger does not disappoints the anime is very realistic with some of the best sword fight scenes that rival even some of the lice action sword fighting scenes. As for the anime the characters are all hand drawn but looks very realistic.  One the most amazing thing about Sword of the Stranger is the background they are not very colorful like BONES Cowboy Bebop but very muted they look more like woodcut scenes from Japanese scrolls. This gives Sword of the Stranger the look of feudal Japan of the 1600's.

 One thing that must be said about Sword of the Stranger is that this is a violent story. This is not for children or adults that are not used to seeing animated character getting killed in very graphic ways. So if you are looking anime story telling at its best look for <a rel="nofollow" xhref=http://www.rightstuf.com/catalog/browse/link/t=item,c=right-stuf,v=right-stuf,a=tomatovision-tv,i=av20012

> Sword of a Stranger</a> when it is released on DVD from Rightstuf Date Available - Jun 16 2009  Retail Price:$24.98 Your Price:$18.74  Pre-order your copy NOW!

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