Ninja Scroll (Film)
Sunday, 14 February 2010 14:04
Author: Nanami
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Réalisateur: |
Yoshiaki Kawajiri
1993 92 minutes Japon Action, Fantastique |
If today the public is accustomed to see some names of directors of Japanese animated feature films as Myazaki or Kon, Yoshiaki Kawajiri remains relatively unknown in our country. So revered in the United States as the great Hayao, if not more, Kawajiri is someone to reckon with in the media landscape animated. It is time to dwell on what remains his best movie: Ninja Scroll.
Japan, Edo period, a plague decimated a village. Alerted by the strangeness of the event, a group of investigators was dispatched to take all of this out, accompanied by the ninja Kagero. But once there, they are all annihilated by a man with stone skin the opportunity to kidnap Kagero and attempt to rape her. Coup de bol for the young ninja, Jubei Kibagami a lone ronin swordsman and off-pair, passes by and saves her. Soon, the heroes will find board against his will in the battle between the eight devils of Kimon, fearsome ninjas with supernatural powers, the balance of an enigmatic character who would have a common past with Jubei ...
Unable to read this summary does not think the saga of Lone Wolf and Cub, the two works have also some common elements. Nevertheless, it is not listed Kawajiri film that was looking for stories to create his masterpiece absolute but in a book: Koga Ninpo Cho. Written by Yamada Futaro in the late fifties, this little classic has been the source of several adaptations, better known as Basilisk and Ninja Scroll, then. If Basilisk is a faithful adaptation, Ninja Scroll wants more freedom since dropping the love story of Romeo and Juliet for something more simple to image half past one. However, Kawajiri did not drop all elements of the new and keeps many things, especially at government level and sometimes some names. The Kagero Koga Ninpo Cho / Basilisk and the film that interests us here are nice to have characters totally different, they have at least one power in common, namely that of having poisoned the body, useful for getting rid of men a little too enterprising. The atmosphere and the dark side gore and erotica are intact, somewhat surprising when we saw the director's previous films, these elements an integral part of his work. Just as the act of a hero against various dreadful which all have various powers, varied and original.
Kawajiri's films, and perhaps even more with Ninja Scroll, is clearly closer to the operating theater as classic manga. The director has clearly demonstrated through his previous films it was aimed primarily at adults. The components of his filmography did not lend themselves unduly to a vision accompanied by young children (proof is the fact that the film was censored in our departure, veering scenes of coitus and gory, which would cut the film some minutes anyway ...). And in his list of movies, Ninja Scroll clearly arose as a result, an end to the search mixture gore / ass / baston absolute. I must say it is helping with such basic equipment, just a few problems adjusting to do and everything was settled. Probably attracted by the multitude of powers of the enemy, Kawajiri has not bothered to add his own, more original. So to those already present in the new as the woman poisoned, the lady with the snakes, the blind samurai and immortal being added human hive of bees sending the giant rock to hide, the love of explosives, the power controller and the ninja disappearing into the shadows (recurring power in the filmmaker). With such a dream-team, the film promised action scenes and Dante, Kawajiri forces, the promises are kept safely. The action scenes are numerous (one every five minutes), inventive and skillfully choreographed. Relatively short, they do not linger in unnecessary movements and go straight to the point, focusing Kawajiri sequences punches to the epic Longuet. Obviously, the animation is good and reinforces the impact given by the fighting. Everything goes very fast, so much that yours truly can make screenshots, but not good enough for you to understand anything. As the film contains a great number and that everything happens very quickly and in many places, it will indeed several visions to remember everything in detail. Proof that there has to drink and eat.
Now, Kawajiri is not gifted in the clashes and proves very talented when it comes to pressure and put a mood. The latter is often heavy and numerous decorations, beautiful, moreover, appear to be equally hypothetical hiding places for the demons of Kimon. The director sometimes uses his technique of "two colors in the scene, black is always one of two" that seared the retina on his previous films. Convenient way for our director to give an unhealthy side to some scenes, an idea probably derived from visions of Argento giallo, horror / detective Italian sixties multiplying the lighting for this style. Further back than usual, Kawajiri uses them only when primarily scenes discussions. Only cons Shijima battle, taking place at sunset, having the right with a red tint rather murky. But Ninja Scroll would not necessarily have needed these devices to pressure, the gap separating the hero of his opponents well enough for that. Jubei is actually not a hero with powers, it is just a swordsman unsurpassed extremely fast and is often found in deep trouble with his opponents. It's simple: if he does not trick, he died. Which brings us to see these struggles as moments rather distressing, they are far from fun and get a more horrific qu'épique. Even if one suspects that Jubei survive until the final minutes of the film (but THERE will start the credit?), It is not the same for his companions and Kagero Dakuan, old man and very treacherous spy, whose survival seems to be straining every second ...
Now it is fine to give one side unsure about the future of our heroes but for this to work requires that we attached to it a minimum. A more legitimate question since Kawajiri has not always succeeded in creating interesting characters (Demon City being the most blatant example). But it is with happiness that we soon realized that the good man was inspired when he made the outline of its protagonists. Even the hero is a monster of charisma, which was no small task. Rather relax, see mocking the young ronin is a great sweeper who did not hesitate to drop by some valves here and there. However, when it comes to speaking the blade, it takes a very different face.
The thought of someone, gestures precise and deadly. Jubei is a bit like Spike from Cowboy Bebop (or rather the reverse, Ninja Scroll pre Cowboy), a cool guy but dangerous. His companions are doing very well too, starting with Kagero. Young woman condemns her power to love solitude, each man kissing him or making love is doomed to a cruel and painful death, the ninja is a real poison street. Determined to play the strong woman who cares, it will show signs of mental weakness fairly regularly, his destiny is clearly a burden for her. Very touching and very beautiful, she is the best female characters ever created in a manga and greatly to the success of the film. Even Dakuan, the old spy forces Jubei to help is quite nice. Rather comic element in the film (he snaps his mouth is lewd), it is ultimately someone rather disturbing and treacherous. It expects a betrayal on his part at any time and we do not really know what to think of him. Finally, the best for last: the devils of Kimon. Not content with awesome powers, they are not left at the relational level. They all sleep with each other and are viciously jealous, some not hesitating to kill each other for purely personal reasons. Comprehensive group, which we know ultimately not much, adding a mystery attractive, they clearly show. Very scary for some (Shijima the best of the lot), ambiguous for others (Yuminaru, overt homosexual who nevertheless seems to sleep with many women), they all have character and are well cut all different.
All these qualities give you added up what remains an absolute masterpiece of the genre. Not suffering from any defect, Ninja Scroll is just the perfect action movie, combining all the advantages imaginable. Of course, the outrageous side could not please everyone and it is better to love the gore and not against a little erotic (even if he is bad enough here). But these two elements clearly reinforce the atmosphere, small onions and major highlight of the film, and form part of the work. Unforgettable and indispensable.
Meier Link
Japan, Edo period, a plague decimated a village. Alerted by the strangeness of the event, a group of investigators was dispatched to take all of this out, accompanied by the ninja Kagero. But once there, they are all annihilated by a man with stone skin the opportunity to kidnap Kagero and attempt to rape her. Coup de bol for the young ninja, Jubei Kibagami a lone ronin swordsman and off-pair, passes by and saves her. Soon, the heroes will find board against his will in the battle between the eight devils of Kimon, fearsome ninjas with supernatural powers, the balance of an enigmatic character who would have a common past with Jubei ...
Unable to read this summary does not think the saga of Lone Wolf and Cub, the two works have also some common elements. Nevertheless, it is not listed Kawajiri film that was looking for stories to create his masterpiece absolute but in a book: Koga Ninpo Cho. Written by Yamada Futaro in the late fifties, this little classic has been the source of several adaptations, better known as Basilisk and Ninja Scroll, then. If Basilisk is a faithful adaptation, Ninja Scroll wants more freedom since dropping the love story of Romeo and Juliet for something more simple to image half past one. However, Kawajiri did not drop all elements of the new and keeps many things, especially at government level and sometimes some names. The Kagero Koga Ninpo Cho / Basilisk and the film that interests us here are nice to have characters totally different, they have at least one power in common, namely that of having poisoned the body, useful for getting rid of men a little too enterprising. The atmosphere and the dark side gore and erotica are intact, somewhat surprising when we saw the director's previous films, these elements an integral part of his work. Just as the act of a hero against various dreadful which all have various powers, varied and original.
Kawajiri's films, and perhaps even more with Ninja Scroll, is clearly closer to the operating theater as classic manga. The director has clearly demonstrated through his previous films it was aimed primarily at adults. The components of his filmography did not lend themselves unduly to a vision accompanied by young children (proof is the fact that the film was censored in our departure, veering scenes of coitus and gory, which would cut the film some minutes anyway ...). And in his list of movies, Ninja Scroll clearly arose as a result, an end to the search mixture gore / ass / baston absolute. I must say it is helping with such basic equipment, just a few problems adjusting to do and everything was settled. Probably attracted by the multitude of powers of the enemy, Kawajiri has not bothered to add his own, more original. So to those already present in the new as the woman poisoned, the lady with the snakes, the blind samurai and immortal being added human hive of bees sending the giant rock to hide, the love of explosives, the power controller and the ninja disappearing into the shadows (recurring power in the filmmaker). With such a dream-team, the film promised action scenes and Dante, Kawajiri forces, the promises are kept safely. The action scenes are numerous (one every five minutes), inventive and skillfully choreographed. Relatively short, they do not linger in unnecessary movements and go straight to the point, focusing Kawajiri sequences punches to the epic Longuet. Obviously, the animation is good and reinforces the impact given by the fighting. Everything goes very fast, so much that yours truly can make screenshots, but not good enough for you to understand anything. As the film contains a great number and that everything happens very quickly and in many places, it will indeed several visions to remember everything in detail. Proof that there has to drink and eat.
Now, Kawajiri is not gifted in the clashes and proves very talented when it comes to pressure and put a mood. The latter is often heavy and numerous decorations, beautiful, moreover, appear to be equally hypothetical hiding places for the demons of Kimon. The director sometimes uses his technique of "two colors in the scene, black is always one of two" that seared the retina on his previous films. Convenient way for our director to give an unhealthy side to some scenes, an idea probably derived from visions of Argento giallo, horror / detective Italian sixties multiplying the lighting for this style. Further back than usual, Kawajiri uses them only when primarily scenes discussions. Only cons Shijima battle, taking place at sunset, having the right with a red tint rather murky. But Ninja Scroll would not necessarily have needed these devices to pressure, the gap separating the hero of his opponents well enough for that. Jubei is actually not a hero with powers, it is just a swordsman unsurpassed extremely fast and is often found in deep trouble with his opponents. It's simple: if he does not trick, he died. Which brings us to see these struggles as moments rather distressing, they are far from fun and get a more horrific qu'épique. Even if one suspects that Jubei survive until the final minutes of the film (but THERE will start the credit?), It is not the same for his companions and Kagero Dakuan, old man and very treacherous spy, whose survival seems to be straining every second ...
Now it is fine to give one side unsure about the future of our heroes but for this to work requires that we attached to it a minimum. A more legitimate question since Kawajiri has not always succeeded in creating interesting characters (Demon City being the most blatant example). But it is with happiness that we soon realized that the good man was inspired when he made the outline of its protagonists. Even the hero is a monster of charisma, which was no small task. Rather relax, see mocking the young ronin is a great sweeper who did not hesitate to drop by some valves here and there. However, when it comes to speaking the blade, it takes a very different face.
The thought of someone, gestures precise and deadly. Jubei is a bit like Spike from Cowboy Bebop (or rather the reverse, Ninja Scroll pre Cowboy), a cool guy but dangerous. His companions are doing very well too, starting with Kagero. Young woman condemns her power to love solitude, each man kissing him or making love is doomed to a cruel and painful death, the ninja is a real poison street. Determined to play the strong woman who cares, it will show signs of mental weakness fairly regularly, his destiny is clearly a burden for her. Very touching and very beautiful, she is the best female characters ever created in a manga and greatly to the success of the film. Even Dakuan, the old spy forces Jubei to help is quite nice. Rather comic element in the film (he snaps his mouth is lewd), it is ultimately someone rather disturbing and treacherous. It expects a betrayal on his part at any time and we do not really know what to think of him. Finally, the best for last: the devils of Kimon. Not content with awesome powers, they are not left at the relational level. They all sleep with each other and are viciously jealous, some not hesitating to kill each other for purely personal reasons. Comprehensive group, which we know ultimately not much, adding a mystery attractive, they clearly show. Very scary for some (Shijima the best of the lot), ambiguous for others (Yuminaru, overt homosexual who nevertheless seems to sleep with many women), they all have character and are well cut all different.
All these qualities give you added up what remains an absolute masterpiece of the genre. Not suffering from any defect, Ninja Scroll is just the perfect action movie, combining all the advantages imaginable. Of course, the outrageous side could not please everyone and it is better to love the gore and not against a little erotic (even if he is bad enough here). But these two elements clearly reinforce the atmosphere, small onions and major highlight of the film, and form part of the work. Unforgettable and indispensable.
Meier Link
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