Pre-pubescent axe-weilding hero Watari goes through standard shinobi like shit through a goose, but things get a lot dicier when he encounters a bizarre rogues gallery of super-powered villains.
The uber-nemesis of the film is played by RYUTARO OTOMO, but Watari will have to wade through a legion of weirdos to get to him…Lifted right off the manga pages, these goons are caked in make-up, primary-colored skin paint and off-the-wall costumes. They have powers to match, too. I won’t spoil anything for those of you yet to see WATARI, but one of these ninja is actually a robot!
The pervy toad boy and the thick kunoichi are my faves. Can’t find any info on who that is, but she’s got that joshi puroresu look…Demon freaks and robo-ninja aside, there are even weirder bits in the film, like this trippy attack by animated butterflies.This staged still got bit and re-bit for foreign posters, even for other films. Check out the Pakistani poster for Kadokawa’s LEGEND OF THE EIGHT SAMURAI below.
Further Reading:
I wrote a short plug for this film on the old Ninja80 blog (aka Not-So-Vintage Ninja)
Kung Fu Cinema wasn’t especially impressed with the martial arts of this film. And another review by Golden Pigsy.
There’s an all-too-small gallery of manga covers here.
And most importantly, BUY THE FILM at Kurotokagi! It’s worth it for the amazing theme song alone.
Yes, by Osamu Tezuka. Sasuke the Kid (but a kid with no giant-ass battle axe) was apparently HUGE these days. Nowadays he’s usually all grown up, I wonder why?
RG
You gotta love me for this. (Maybe.) Well, you just won’t get more vintage than this (at least easily):
http://www.archive.org/details/GoketsuJiraiyajiraiyaTheHero1921
This version lack the piano music, though. And especially the dialogue boards (with subtitles, obviously).
Another classic that I discovered today:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=9719
Yes, by Osamu Tezuka. Sasuke the Kid (but a kid with no giant-ass battle axe) was apparently HUGE these days. Nowadays he’s usually all grown up, I wonder why?