Review for Kamui: The Lone Ninja (Review)
Monday, 2nd August 2010, 15:43

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Introduction
We only get a small fraction of Japanese cinema in the West, so it's hard to tell just what is a trend, and what is the way of things. Of late, I have been seeing many more live action adaptations of manga and anime. It may be that it has always been thus in Japan, but I get the feeling that it's the recent revolution in digital filmmaking and special effects that has made many of these adaptations possible. After all, manga is replete with fantastic visual ideas, letting imaginations run riot, and I'm sure that even just a few years ago, there's no way that purse strings could accommodate ideas like Dororo or Kitaro. Also, the audience for manga has broadened and fragmented, and recent titles with adult, complex stories like 20th Century Boys or Death Note seem ideal for cinema, whereas something more simplistic like Dragonball Z has difficulty.

With anime and manga being a 'now' thing, we usually aren't aware of those titles that were popular in Japan thirty or forty years ago, just like the recent Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler release. Manga now turn to Kamui: The Lone Ninja for a little live action anime fun. You probably haven't heard of Kamui before, but it was a popular manga in Japan running from 1964-1971, and it begat a 26-episode anime series in 1969. If you've seen an episode or two of Naruto, you'll know what animated ninja are capable of. So it's no wonder that there had to be a digital effects revolution before Kamui could come to the big screen. With the popularity of Naruto, I've always wondered why they don't make a live action version. Having seen Kamui: The Lone Ninja, I now know why.

Kamui was born into a poor family in a poor village in the 17th Century Tokugawa Era. His dream was of being free, but the only way out of his shackles of poverty was to become a ninja, and he became an exceptional one. But as he learnt when his clan had to hunt down the rogue ninja Sugaru, the only way out of the clan was death. Nevertheless, tiring of all the killing that he had to do, Kamui eventually grew to desire that freedom again, and he rebelled against the clan. Now he flees from their assassins, having adventures on the way. As the film begins, he's locked in battle with his former friends, while in the same forest, an itinerant fisherman named Hanbei is about to commit a grievous crime. He's about to slaughter the horse of the local Lord Gumbei. This confluence of events lead to the two of them fleeing together, as Hanbei invites Kamui to shelter with his family. It's an idyllic, isolated island to hide on, but their freedom will be short lived. Gumbei still wants crucified the man who attacked his noble steed, while the ninja of his clan still are hunting Kamui down. If that isn't enough, Hanbei's daughter Sayaka develops a crush on Kamui, while Hanbei's wife has a secret that she's willing to kill to protect.

Picture
Kamui gets a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer that is really quite pleasant, clear and with vivid colours throughout, and mercifully a native PAL transfer at that. It is a little soft though, and darker scenes are a tad indistinct. I don't know how much of that is down to the transfer, and how much of it is the inherent sneakiness of ninja though. This is a CGI heavy film bringing all the various ninja abilities to life, and you'll have to meet the film more than halfway when it comes to suspension of disbelief. The digital effects aren't all that effective.

Sound
In terms of audio, you have the option of DD 5.1 Surround, and DD 2.0 Stereo Japanese, with optional English subtitles. The dialogue is clear; the music suits the film well, if it is immediately forgettable, while the surrounds are put to good use conveying the action and effects. The subtitle translations did raise my eyebrow on more than one occasion, as some distinctly British colloquialisms crept in, 'grassed up' instead of 'betrayed' a glaring example.

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