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.
RG
|
You gotta love me for this. (Maybe.) Well, you just won’t get more vintage than this (at least easily):
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?