In the middle of the 19th century, the era of Shogun rule in Japan is nearing its end. Corruption in the government and warring between the factions vying for power have facilitated the rise of powerful Ninja clans, making use of lethal skills and mystic arts to attain their goals. But not all ninjas are evil--some are noble men, but are also apt to be manipulated by the clans they serve.

In this world, we are introduced to Jiro, a young child found by the river and raised by a kind woman and her daughter. However, the only family Jiro has known is murdered, and Jiro is chased from the village as a parent-killer. Jiro is left with nothing but the dagger he found by the body of his foster mother--the Dagger of Kamui. Taken in by Tenkai, the head of a powerful ninja clan and a an evil Buddhist monk, Jiro is first allowed to take vengeance on his family's apparent killer, and then trained in the ways of the ninja by Tenkai and his minions. However, as he reaches maturity, Jiro realizes what kind of organization he has been taken in by, and vows to stop them in their apparent plan to take control of Japan. Jiro flees the ninja and begins seeking not only a way to combat Tenkai and his minions, but the truth about himself and his parents. Hounded by Tenkai's underlings and tormented by fate, Jiro begins his quest armed only with the mysterious Dagger of Kamui and a legend about Kamui, a mystical mountain somehow connected to both the dagger and Jiro's past.

Jiro's journey takes him through the islands of Japan, across the sea to the wild west of America, and back again. Along the way he encounters many memorable characters, including Oyuki, a female ninja with a connection to Jiro's past and Jim, a slave that Jiro takes in. But in the end, it will come down to whether Jiro has what it takes to stop Tenkai, his plans, and his manipulations of Jiro's life.

Review :

The Dagger of Kamui is one of the true classics of anime. On top of that, I would go so far as to say it is the ultimate ninja movie. It deserves this distinction not because of the number of limbs hacked off (not to say that there aren't any), nor due to the amazing feats of stealth performed by the too-cool-for-words hero and his adversaries (don't worry, there are some of those, too), but because it gives the ninja a human face. The characters in this movie have depth and motivations beyond just cutting up the bad guys (or good guys)--they are more real than the stereotypical heroes and villains, and the lines between good and evil are blurry enough to make things interesting. I won't go so far as to say the characters and plot of the Dagger of Kamui are thought provoking, but they are at the very least complex and well thought out--you may have to watch twice, or at least pay very close attention, to get everything.

The plot of this one is quite a bit different from most ninja movies; it may be detailed, but that's not to be confused with convoluted, with random twists and turns--the story is based in reality, intricate, and laced together quite well. It does hinge quite heavily on coincidence, but the whole story has an air of fate and mysticism to it that makes it seem believable. Along the same lines was the use of magic in the story: there was never really anything that you would call magic per se, but there are a number of characters who use illusions (very artistically rendered ones, at that) that seem supernatural, at least in the way they're presented to the viewer, although whether they actually were is open to some interpretation. In any case, I thought it worked quite well by maintaining a recognizable reality, but allowing for a hint of mysticism on occasion.

The plot as a whole has a very epic quality to it, which is another reason that this deserves the crown among ninja movies. The story isn't artificially epic--the fate of the world isn't at stake (though the future of Japan is), and there are no demon invasions to be found. What there is is a sense of greater purpose missing from many heroic stories, and a sense of the grand scale that the world of the last century had to its occupants. Speaking of which, it's quite strange to think of a ninja hanging out in the wild west, but the periods were in fact simultaneous, and this is probably your only chance to see it happen (with a serious face, anyway). The movie also has the length and pacing of a proper Japanese-style epic--it is quite long, and the pace is pretty leisurely, particularly by ninja movie standards. The slow pace will definitely put off some people, but as long as you're patient enough to let the story unfold, you'll be treated to a grand tale. Keep in mind also that this is still the era of Japanese honor and stoic silence--an awkward pause or thoughtful silence can be a legitimate replacement for dialogue.

Don't take all this to mean that the Dagger of Kamui is devoid of action--it most certainly isn't. In fact, this movie has some of the most beautifully rendered violence of any movie I've seen. That may seem like a contradiction in terms, but most of the action scenes--which definitely don't shy away from ninja movie gore--are animated in a style that seems almost like a dance or some kind of semi-abstract art (particularly the illusory battles mentioned above). That may be a slight exaggeration, but suffice it to say that the action scenes are done in a stylized, "arty" manner, while they still manage to look like action--they aren't totally robbed of their gore or realism. At the least, this movie has, without question, some of the coolest throwing stars of all time. If you don't go for gory action, you might be pleasantly surprised by what this movie has to offer, and if that is your thing, you might well like what you see, too. Basically, the blend of action and art seems to succeed on both levels, which is rarely achieved. Action aside, the animation as a whole is very well done, particularly for a movie this old, with lots of artistic flourish (look at the flashing of the blade in the opening chase sequence, for example). Again, battles aside, the art also has a distinct look to it, and the character designs are distinct and stylized. The backgrounds are subtle, but quite well done, and there are a few distant battle scenes that are worth a long look.

Although there is a dubbed version (two in fact), AnimEigo only released a subtitled one, and that's all I've seen. The acting is quite low key for the most part, but is well done, and keep in mind that not saying anything (even in animation) is meaningful at times, particularly in 19th century Japan. All of the main characters are acted very well, and the voices are distinct without being exaggerated. Note also that the man behind Jiro's voice is well known for his live action roles, and this was the only time he ever did animation. The music is worth a mention; much of the movie is quite quiet, but the background music is very unusual. A combination between a sort of tribal chanting, heavy drums, and a more modern beat. Though different from the swelling orchestral themes you'd expect to go with an epic story of this scale, it fits quite well with the visual style of the action, and the silence in the remainder is well suited to the mood of the production. The end theme, a semi-modern, semi-folk song, is very pretty as well, and worth watching the credits for.

To sum all that up, the Dagger of Kamui is not only an anime classic, but probably the greatest ninja epic ever filmed, and a fine movie in its own right. The characters and plot are deep and intricate, and the story is told on a grand scale that is rarely successful in movies of its kin. The art and animation are equally well done. Don't come looking for mindless action, and be prepared for the length and slow pace, but if you like Japanese history, ninja movies, or just a great story, you will almost certainly enjoy this movie.

An older but very high budget theatrical movie produced by the great Haruki Kadokawa. Note that, although the movie was filmed in TV aspect ratio, it was in fact a theatrical release. The lack of letterboxing isn't due to some oversight at AnimEigo.

Note also that this is one of AnimEigo's first releases, but there seems to be two other versions of it floating around, each by a different company. One is a full-length dubbed version called "The Blade of Kamui". The other is a different dubbed version released under the name "The Sword of Kamui" which apparently had about an hour of the movie cut out and somehow added an alien invasion to the plot. I have seen neither, but I'd guess that the latter ranks among the greatest anime travesties of all time (though I do have to wonder what kind of creative dubbing they employed to get aliens into 19th century Japan...).

Rates :

-5- I have trouble imagining a better ninja movie.

Genre :

Historical Ninja Epic (Drama)

In It :

Sword Fights
Artistic Bloodletting
Surreal Illusions
Mass Combat
Chases (a great opening sequence)
Tragedy

Break Down :

Has mature themes, but probably wouldn't rate more than a PG-13, based mostly on the violence.

Violence:
3--Not gratuitous, but still quite violent.

Nudity:
2--A couple of brief scenes.

Sex/mature themes:
1--Implied romance only.

Language:
1--Not noteworthy.

Availability :

Translated by AnimEigo
Available on subtitled VHS and subtitled LD, probably released on DVD.

AnimeNation and RightStuf probably both have this video if you want to buy it.

Cast :

Jiro: Hiroyuki Sanada
Tenkai: Gentaroo Ishida
Oyuki: Mami Koyama
Hanzoo Tokachi: Takashi Sotoyama
Captain Drasnic: Takashi Ebata
Tarouza: Michio Hasama
Oyaruru: Masako Ikeda
Chiomapp: Mitsuko Horie
Chico (Julie): Yuriko Yamamoto
Shouzan Andoo: Ichiroo Nagai
Sanpei: Takeshi Aono
Koozunosuke Oguri: Hidekatsu Shibata
Mark Twain: Iemasa Oyumi
Elder: Shiroo Amakusa
Sam: Kazuyuki Sogabe
Shingo: Kaneto Shiozawa
Uraka: Naoki Sugimoto
Genjuuroo Fujibayashi: Mikiko Terashima
Iga Chief: Kooichi Kitamura
Indian Chief: Yasuo Muramatsu
Tooami no Magoroku: Yasuroo Tanaka
Tsuyu: Yoshie Asai
Sayuri: Tomiko Suzuki
Jakal: Ryooichi Tanaka
Kinsaku: Masato Hirano
Magohachi: Kazumi Tanaka
Goldgun: Kazuo Oka
With: Fukunaga Eiichi, Hiroshi Endoo, Hiroko Emori, Hidehiro Kikuchi, Jun Takeyanagi, Yuuichi Kanemaru, Naoko Taniguchi
Okinba: Ryuudoo Uzaki
Shinban no Kikusa: Eitetsu Hayashi (Special Apperances)

Crew :

Screenplay: Mamoru Mazaki
Director: Taroo Rin
Art Director: Takemura Kurao
Music: Ryuudoo Uzaki, Eitetsu Hayashi

End theme sung by Noriko Watanabe.