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Based on a serial novel by Kyokutei Bakin (1767-1848), The Hakkenden is a sprawling samurai epic with supernatural elements. During the civil wars of the 15th century, Lord Satomi offers his daughter's hand to whomever brings him the head of a rival lord. His dog Yatsufusa appears with the head, and Princess Fuse insists on honoring the bargain. Although Fuse and Yatsufusa are killed in the first episode, they set the karma in motion for a group of eight warriors. These disparate ronin are linked to eight crystal beads from Fuse's shattered Buddhist rosary, each of which is inscribed with one of the traditional Confucian virtues: Brotherly Affection, Filial Piety, Faith, Loyalty, Wisdom, Proper Form, Duty, Sympathy. Although the Dog Warriors share a common destiny, they usually act in twos and threes, rather than as a group, when they battle corrupt and drunken lords, ghost-soldiers, a cat-demon, and the spell cast by an enchanted flute. The tangled story line offers the requisite duels, battles, tearful separations, reunions, and defiant stances, plus a number of otherworldly visions, including a mysterious figure with a scarlet parasol, the magic beads, crimson pinwheels, and a blizzard of symbolic cherry blossom petals. Although the look of the film is often rich, the animation is extremely uneven, with the appearance of the characters sometimes changing within individual scenes. The results land somewhere between Samurai X: The Motion Picture and Sword for Truth. Rated 16 Up: Graphic violence, grotesque imagery, sexual situations, minor profanity. --Charles Solomon
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