Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: A 45 minute film done by Production I.G. No plot. No animation. No anything. This film was AWFUL. I wasted my money on it, that is why I am warning you not to buy this. It is about a girl who's parents were killed by her uncle when she was little and she grew up as a boy(?). If what I just said is incorrect, don't shoot me. You wouldn't understand this either. Back to the plot(?), a lady fell in love with Kai Doh Maru thinking she was a boy. Well this lady who is actually some sort of demon tries to take Kai Doh Maru for herself. She fails but Kai Doh Maru's love was killed. Then it ends. The animation was an attempt at being sort of...different and turned up being awful. The plot could have developed into a great story, don't get me wrong. It just did not pull through. The only things that I liked in this film were the opening and ending sequences. The opening sequence was full of old Japanese paintings which are beautiful. Well, I'm not sure what else there is to say except that this movie is terrible. No question about it.
Rating: 
Summary: Well, at least the cover looks cool.........
Review: After Kintoki's uncle murders her parents, she is rescued from certain death by the captian of the `Four Knights.' The `Four Knights' are the defenders of the Capital city of Kyo. Kintoki is raised as a boy and soldier amongst the `Four Knights' over a period of five years and becomes one of them. She's also falling in love with Raiko, the man who rescued her.
Sadly, she's falling in love with Raiko at the wrong time as the Shueten Dohji mob are coming into town to bust a few heads and the Four Knights have to protect the Capital city of Kyo.
Kai Doh Maru was an anime that I bought on impulse. An impulse that went something like `hey, that's a cool looking cover,' `from the creators of Blood: the Last Vampire!?! Blood: the Last Vampire was entertaining', `Play Magazine and Anime Insider seem to like it' and the summary read like I was going to be getting into a good samurai action flick.
My major problem with this anime production is the story telling. It feels like ninty minutes worth of information stuffed into forty-five minutes worth of film and the worst thing about forty-five minutes worth of film that we do have is that the focus is divided evenly between Kintoki and the leader of the Shueten Dohji mob. Kintoki and her fellow `Four Knights' are never given enough screen time to develop any sort of feeling towards their characters. They felt like they had character but I guess time devoted to getting to know them would have slowed down the film.
The time devoted to the Shueten Dohji mob and it's leader is kinda wasted. I found the leader of the mob to be relatively boring and the mob never feels like a threat. Let me rephrase that last part . . . . the mob never feels like it's threatening anything. The Capital city of Kyo never feels like a city. It's a road with tall walls on either side of it. I honestly can't remember any scenes in Kai Doh Maru where there were citizens much less scenes with citizens walking in the background. This lack of a city feeling also works against the `Four Knights.' Who are they defending? That road and the tall walls?
So, when the Shueten Dohji mob eventually attack it, so what? Go Shueten Dohji mob! You really showed that . . . road with tall walls on either side who's the boss.
Another thing I wasn't fond of was the use of color in this film. All the colors in this film are extremely dull and soft. Watching Kai Doh Maru gave me a headache twenty minutes in because of this `stylish' use of colors.
The action scenes were well done and exciting although they were short. Short as in thirty seconds each. Longer action scenes would have taken time away from characters I never got to really know I suppose.
Oh, and the ending sucks.
Don't buy this movie without seeing it. You'll be wasting your money.
PS. If you rent it or, God forbid, buy it, read the character profiles before viewing the movie, they make Kai Doh Maru a tiny bit better.
Rating:
Summary: No story, faint colors, Bad script
Review: Any film would follow a certain pattern that goes like this Introduction - Escalation of Events - Ending that ties together previous events As for this film, the latter two parts are missing... The story moves on the same level & provides no good ending leaving you questioning..what/when/where/how/why? What's even worst are the faint colors... As if a de-polarizing filter has been added to make the colors faded. Even the characters in the story are not well connected together, a girl loves this man giving no history of how this love evolved, a woman loves this girl and you barely know how they met or how they got to know each other.... Manga should reconsider producing films like the old classics used to be, such as Crying Freeman!
Rating:
Summary: Movies should tell a story
Review: I am a long time anime fan. This movie was one of the biggest disapointments that I have ever seen. The story line had no foundation and no structure. The climax was weak. The animation was bad. And the entire movie is only an hour long. Do not buy this movie. I.G. productions didn't put any money into this one at all.
Rating: 
Summary: Short and ends abruptly, but very well made
Review: I bought this DVD as a set with Wrath of the Ninja, and I was not disappointed at all. The story, concerning a girl who is kidnaped and raised to become a ninja, is touching, serious, and very atmospheric and dreamlike in tone. There is a slight but definite lesbian subtext in this movie that may be confusing or even off-putting to some viewers, but it is there for a reason. The subtext lends an undercurrent (or is it an overcurrent?) of obsession to the villainess's motives, and makes her perhaps the most complex Japanese villainess since Throne of Blood's Lady Washizu. Yes, this one ends suddenly, but that adds an air of tension that would be lacking if we knew what came next. In this way, the film does a good job of showing that not even the strongest warrior can fight fate. Good movie. Buy it and enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Short and ends abruptly, but very well made
Review: I bought this DVD as a set with Wrath of the Ninja, and I was not disappointed at all. The story, concerning a girl who is kidnaped and raised to become a ninja, is touching, serious, and very atmospheric and dreamlike in tone. There is a slight but definite lesbian subtext in this movie that may be confusing or even off-putting to some viewers, but it is there for a reason. The subtext lends an undercurrent (or is it an overcurrent?) of obsession to the villainess's motives, and makes her perhaps the most complex Japanese villainess since Throne of Blood's Lady Washizu. Yes, this one ends suddenly, but that adds an air of tension that would be lacking if we knew what came next. In this way, the film does a good job of showing that not even the strongest warrior can fight fate. Good movie. Buy it and enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: STUNNING ANIMATION missing ending of the story......
Review: I gave this DVD 4 stars mainly because of the style of animation that was used. The story line had me interested, however it just ended, leaving me wanting more!! I also got the impression that this was supposed to be the begining of a series, but it was not to be true. I'm just still really confused to why it ended where it did, it had soo much potential to be somthing truly magnificant, yet it fell short with ending the movie where they did... The style of animation that they used was truly amazing, this is the thing I liked most about this movie. I think that IG Plus / Production IG team did a great job of capturing the look and feel of the Japan's Heian era. Though I was obviously not around during these times, I really think they really captured how things would have looked during that time period. I loved how everything appeared to have a foggy-haze sourounding it and how the characters would sort of glow in the moonlight. The animations reminded me a of a old style painting, which I believe is what the production team was aiming for. The story, though historical and interesting, was just missing something at the end. The story just all the sudden ended, and I still am pondering what could have been. Truly, though the story lines were completly different, this movie reminded me alot of another IG Plus / Production IG realese, "Blood, The Last Vampire". Both are visual masterpieces in their own unique way, and that both have great potential story lines that just end in the middle of the story!! It kind of upsets me that this is the second time that this production team has done this because of the fact that the story lines had potential. This is also the production team that did one of my all time favorite Anime Movies (not to be confused with my favorite series)"Ghost In The Shell". I really think that Kai Doh Maru needed just another 10 to 15 minutes to wrap up the story line and it could have turned an OK Anime short story into a great animated movie that takes place in an interesting time in Japanese History. Overall I enjoyed watching this DVD untill the credits started rolling, that just pissed me off!! If watched with an open mind I think you might agree that this particular style of probably one of the most unique styles used in anime. Remember, just keep an opened mind and don't start to compare the style of to your favorite anime movie or series because Kai Doh Maru's style is UNIQUE and truely one of a kind..... If the ending of Blood the Last Vampire did not bother you too much, then I would highly recomend buying this dvd....
Rating:
Summary: STUNNING ANIMATION missing ending of the story......
Review: I gave this DVD 4 stars mainly because of the style of animation that was used. The story line had me interested, however it just ended, leaving me wanting more!! I also got the impression that this was supposed to be the begining of a series, but it was not to be true. I'm just still really confused to why it ended where it did, it had soo much potential to be somthing truly magnificant, yet it fell short with ending the movie where they did... The style of animation that they used was truly amazing, this is the thing I liked most about this movie. I think that IG Plus / Production IG team did a great job of capturing the look and feel of the Japan's Heian era. Though I was obviously not around during these times, I really think they really captured how things would have looked during that time period. I loved how everything appeared to have a foggy-haze sourounding it and how the characters would sort of glow in the moonlight. The animations reminded me a of a old style painting, which I believe is what the production team was aiming for. The story, though historical and interesting, was just missing something at the end. The story just all the sudden ended, and I still am pondering what could have been. Truly, though the story lines were completly different, this movie reminded me alot of another IG Plus / Production IG realese, "Blood, The Last Vampire". Both are visual masterpieces in their own unique way, and that both have great potential story lines that just end in the middle of the story!! It kind of upsets me that this is the second time that this production team has done this because of the fact that the story lines had potential. This is also the production team that did one of my all time favorite Anime Movies (not to be confused with my favorite series)"Ghost In The Shell". I really think that Kai Doh Maru needed just another 10 to 15 minutes to wrap up the story line and it could have turned an OK Anime short story into a great animated movie that takes place in an interesting time in Japanese History. Overall I enjoyed watching this DVD untill the credits started rolling, that just pissed me off!! If watched with an open mind I think you might agree that this particular style of probably one of the most unique styles used in anime. Remember, just keep an opened mind and don't start to compare the style of to your favorite anime movie or series because Kai Doh Maru's style is UNIQUE and truely one of a kind..... If the ending of Blood the Last Vampire did not bother you too much, then I would highly recomend buying this dvd....
Rating:
Summary: I actually liked this!
Review: I have long been interested in Japanese history, and so when I found this for a good price in Media Play I made the decision to buy it. I have not regretted that decision one bit. I will admit that the filter over the film makes it difficult to look at after a while, but I appreciate what the makers were trying to do. It is made to look sort of like an old watercolor, and that really just adds to it's charm. The dialogue is consistent with the speech patterns you would expect to hear in a period drama. There is some haiku thrown in, which is also historically correct, as that was how many types of people communicated. Granted, my own exposure to poetry being used as formal communication is with lovers from the period, but it still gives the film an authentic feel for me. The characters are admirable. Kintoki is a strong, confident young girl who knows her place in her chosen world, and is happy being there. Her love for her commander/rescuer is merely implied, not stated. But that is how things were back then, so there is another point in the historical aspect's favor. Her cousin comes across as someone who is not entirely sure what to do with what she wants--she knows what she desires, but it doesn't seem as though she has thought everything through. The leader of the Knights is an eminently likable person, and I felt myself drawn to him as well. The art is fantastic. The backgrounds are done with ancient paintings in mind, and you can clearly see that, especially with the gardens and forests. The fight scenes rival those in Kenshin.
And I actually found the character designs quite pleasing to look at. The music is more like what you would have heard then as well. While not the most pleasing sound at times, it is still appropriate. When all is said and down, I enjoyed this. I like watching it, and I hope you will too.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but not fully realized
Review: I was quite excited at the perspective of watching another production from IG, especially since they featured such an interesting mix of visual and editing approaches in Blood: last vampire. On top of that, some of the earlier screenshots I saw looked very promising in terms of reproducing the aesthetic/cultural qualities of medieval Japanese illustrations. Unfortunately, my feelings end up being mixed regarding the entire narrative. While I'm familiar and enjoy the implicit meanings or broken-up narrative structure of animes, this one is a little obscure at times and requires you to review some of the background information to begin understanding characters and plot. Innovative in its aesthetic approach (pastel colours in a very limited hue range associated with thin outlines), this choice becomes too much at times, as most colours end up being washed out on your regular TV. Whereas the historical sources for this visual approach are relevant, this inspiration is being interpreted too literally, and ends up getting in the way of the dramatic tension of the story itself. The anime is inspired, but never quite beautiful nor emotionally moving...The theater version probably turned out quite different, but I never saw it. In terms of the production value of the DVD, the interviews are pretty worthless, since the production team seems either too tired and/or not really inspired to talk about anything substantial regarding the movie. Some 3D reproductions of scenes/objects are placed on the DVD with no particular comments either. They'll give you an insight on techniques pioneered to a great effect in Blood, but won't give you a good idea on the approach regarding their integration into the narrative itself.
So, somewhat disapointed by a studio that was aiming at a great initial start with Blood, but failed to carry on their innovative edge.
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