The domestic release of the 2005 Japanese fantasy horror flick Ashura didn’t get a whole lot of fanfare in the states, but it deserves a watch for sure. I found it reminiscent of Kadokawa’s 80’s neo-chambara epics like Legend of the 8 Samurai and Ninja Wars.
If for nothing else, see it for the great sets, decent digital FX and GREAT character designs, like these:
Best creepy demon girl ever.Naughty wizardess and invader from the darkside Bizan is like an old-school Disney villainess.She's flanked at all times by these demon samurai, whose race is hunted relentlessly by......these "Demon Wardens" - who are in SUPERB costumes!This, however, is my favorite scene in the film - a kabuki play wherein a ninja wizard summons the inevitable giant toad.Someone, somewhere, kept this giant toad from the shoot, and I want to be that person... badly.
