Shaun Watson reviews�

Movie Poster from the Internet Movie Database The Princess Blade (Shura Yukihime) based on the manga by Kazuo Koike Starring: Yumiko Shaku as Yuki Hideaki Ito as Takashi Kyusaku Shimada as Byakurai Shiro Sano as Kidokoro Yoichi Numata as Kuka -and- Yoko Maki as Aya fight choreography by Donnie Yen

I'm beginning to loathe and dread the latest comic book movies that come out here in the States. I can't figure out what makes the stuff such a hot commodity now. Is it the characters? Do the movies give hope for some sort of resolution for the people who can't separate fact from fiction, so much that a live-action version needs to be made? Given the source material of the comic book movies, it tells me that people in the 21st Century aren't interested in reading anything unless they're subtitles[barely even that], video game hintbooks or the text is beamed onto their computer screen. It's a sad day when people are so adverse to the act of reading the printed page that they'll not even dedicate themselves to reading base literature, like the comic book. Such is the case here in the US, but it has balanced out in Japan.
Japan--originator of all things manga--gave us Kazuo Koike, a great manga artist. How great is he? Ranma-philes know for a fact that there'd probably be no Ranma 1/2 if Mr. Koike had not mentored the manga's creator, Rumiko Takahashi. Or at least they should. While working on the future, Koike also produced some of the best 70's manga and is indirectly responsible for the anime classic Crying Freeman and its live-action movie counterpart starring Mark Dacascos. He is also the creator of the inspiration for many avant-garde writers/ filmmakers in the United States: the samurai drama Lone Wolf and Cub. While these are all well and good, a lesser known manga of his was put onto the silver screen in the 1970s. That manga was titled Shura Yukihime and the movie titled Lady Snowblood(1973).
The Edo period piece about a swordswoman raised only to avenge her mother's honor, Lady Snowblood is a hidden treasure for those tired of boring samurai drama. I plan to compare and contrast this old film with its latest incarnation/ re-make, The Princess Blade, at a later date. For now, follow me to the end of the article as we slash our way through periods and parentheses to know the sad story of a girl named Yuki.

Yuki(Yumiko Shaku, Godzilla Tokyo S.O.S.) is one of the best swordsmen in the Takemikazuchi clan, a warrior group fallen from the emperor's grace in a futuristic Japan. Without a master, these fighters have gone merc and kill anyone for a price. At their head is a powerful warrior named Byakurai(Kyusaku Shimada, Doomed Megalopolis), who is keeping a secret from the young woman: when she turns 20, she becomes head of the Takemikazuchi. Byakurai wants the Takemikazuchi clan for himself and made sure Yuki would never know by killing as many people who knew the truth--including Yuki's mother.
Despite all his efforts, Yuki finds out that she is the last pure-blooded member of the Takemikazuchi from her mother's old retainer Kuka(Yoichi Numata, Ringu[2001]). Once she knows this Yuki tries to handle it on her own and fails to kill Byakurai in an act of revenge. Kuka, trying to ensure the princess' escape, dies in the ensuing chaos and Yuki escapes�to a completely different movie.

And it's aaaaalll-right/ Jumpin Jack Flash/ it's a gas gas gas!

In the second movie, Yuki meets some dude named Takashi(Hideaki Ito, Onmyoji). He lives in an abandoned gas station with his traumatized sister Aya(Yoko Maki, Battle Royale 2, The Grudge[2004]) and ekes out a living driving trucks. His real big-money job is urban terrorism in the city for the sleazy terrorist called Kidokoro(Shiro Sano, Godzilla 2000 and voice work for Pokemon 2001). Takashi's losing his nerve to kill the innocent, and goes back to driving trucks to find out that he's got a stowaway in the truck.
Getting past a rocky start, the Princess Blade Yuki and Takashi strike up a friendship. She helps him move crap around the house and he helps her to learn to enjoy life--a life that so far had been filled with the fighting and the killing and icky bad things� A smile gradually develops on the Yuki's face, because her mind has been set at ease by the warmth of Takashi. The world looks happy and fine for her, because it'll all turn out well in the end. Little does the princes know that she'll be thrown back into the first movie in about five seconds�aaaaand�GO--
Byakurai et. al. of the Takemikazuchi hunt down the young woman and try to kill her. Defending herself to the fullest, she defeats Byakurai, avenges her mother and heads back to the gas station triumphant. Upon arrival, Yuki learns that the path of blood never ends.

So. I've heard nothing but good things about this movie and I watched it--all 92 minutes of it. Perhaps it's my inclination to Asian cinema or bad movies that was the initial factor in exposing me to this kind of film, but I never expected it to be this bad. The choreography's wire-work was easily visible, yett still engaging enough to take my eyes away from the horrible costumery. Almost. And to think that the main draw for a lot of people to see this was Donnie Yen's involvement.
The acting by Hideaki Ito and the other non-Takemikazuchi Clan cast was lackluster. I understand this is the dystopian future, but surely Japanese people are not this boring in real life. On the other hand, the Takemikazuchi cast had some good moments. There's no way a Japanese person can mess up a death scene: they have perfected it to a science, as I saw in the awesome Japanese romantic comedy StereoFuture.
Fond memories of StereoFuture aside, this movie blows the final note of "Taps" on its horrid ending. If you've seen the movie, you know what I speak of: there's no latter statement of purpose with the character Yuki, a sorely needed element to bring the path of blood full circle. For a movie with so much potential, it smoothed over so many necessary things like a polished stone, only to be wasted on an ending that never came.

• It seems that every time Yuki gets kicked, she goes flying across the room. That's the problem with the average Japanese woman: no body mass.
• It's a little known fact that Asian people have more blood in their body overall than the rest of the human race. While a normal human body pumps approximately 9 pints of blood in their system at any given point, the Asian body produces and circulates about 13 pints. This is another explanation for the Asian obsession with blood type: it's good to know where a surplus of blood can be found when necessary.
• Nice computer.
• I can only hope that the subplot of Takashi's involvement with the terrorist rebels was a holdover from the manga or the earlier samurai drama. If not, that's the dumbest subplot ever.

"Good job, Yuki. Did he beg for his life?"
"Did my mother beg for hers?"

Back to the Movie Views and Reviews Homepage