The Princess Blade

Rating:
Summary: Got Azumi dvd and as i liked it i buy the special edition
Review: Got Azumi dvd and as i liked it i buy the special edition too...
but what a mess the Special Editon disc1 and disc2 just do nothing in the dvd drive.... :( its a bug??? if anyone know the answer pleaz emai me at [e-mail]
my lill PC is P4 3.2gig AtiRadeon9600 128 2gigPc3200DDr400
16x DVD drive (that plays normal version of azumi) Windows XP Home Edit (not a copy)

Rating:
Summary: Yumiko Shaku is a babe
Review: Hong Kong martial arts films are well known for the women that kick ass. That trend has started to spill over into the american film industry, with Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu duking it out in KILL BILL VOL.1, Lucy Liu going at it with Mr. Ray Park in BALLISTIC:ECKS VS SEVER.
Japan, by contrast, has never really had too many female action stars. True, I haven't seen too many Japanese movies (except for GODZILLA movies), but the only ladies I can name off the top of my head is Sue Shiomi in the STREET FIGHTER series, or Norika Fujiwara in CHINA STRIKE FORCE.
Yumiko Shaku is the first I've seen in a long time. Not only is she is GORGEOUS (even that's an understatement), but you should see the look on the face of an unwise fella who is proven wrong when he thinks it would be a good idea to tie her up.
THE PRINCESS BLADE takes place some 500 years in the future, when all civilization has descended into chaos. The Takemikazuchi (ya know, they could've made that clearer) are a clan of mercenary samurai assasins who handle any rebels in post-apocalyptic Japan, which is now under dictatorship. The youngest member of the ring, Yuki (Yumiko Shaku), learns on her 20th birthday that her leader, Byakurai, killed her mother. Quicker than you can say GOJIRA!!!, Yuki is out for some payback.
I am naturally a big fan of kung fu movies, and contrary to what some of the other reviewers may have told you, this movie is utterly action packed. But it is true that there is much more character development than usual for this sort of movie.
Still, there are plenty of fight scenes (choreographed by Donnie Yen.) Other than that, you feast your eyes on Yumiko Shaku. Whether she's kicking the crap out of her ex-buddies, slicing them into sushi with her trusty samurai sword, or just sitting there looking like the cute little angel she is, you can't take your eyes off her.

Rating:
Summary: Fresh take on martial arts movies
Review: I bought Princess Blade as a blind buy, and overall I really liked it. I think what really made it feel original to me was the way they showed the futuristic setting. There weren't a lot of dumb costumes or cheesy touches to overemphasize the fact that the characters are in "the future". There was one amazing shot of a super high-speed train speeding by the construction of a huge Orwellian statue of some kind of "supreme leader", and there were a couple of radio broadcasts giving us similar hints of a dystopian future setting, but it was all very subtle. Also, I liked the fact that although it was a futuristic setting, most of the fight scenes took place out in the forest. The action choreography (almost completely consisting of swordfights) is quite well done and not as fantastical as a lot of 90's Hong Kong wire-fu movies---there's very little use of wires or undercranking. The story, casting and acting are quite good, although the film suffers somewhat from an obviously limited budget. Also, although there is some blood, the movie is not excessively gory. Unfortunately, the ADV DVD picture quality is not very good for such a recent movie---it's non-anamorphic, and there are some compression artifacts evident.

Overall though, I thought the swordfight scenes were very good, the performances and story were touching, and the setting was unique and subtle. A very enjoyable, fresh and stylized take on martial arts movies.

Rating:
Summary: An overhyped waste of time and money
Review: I ordered this based on the hype about great action and swordfights. Boy was that a crock.

The film is mostly - that is, about 98% - boring, slow-moving, and tedious, trying to get some "drama" into it. The plot is ridiculous and filmed and acted in such a way as to make it even more unrealistic, like a bad anime. It's utterly joyless and depressing. The characters you don't much care for.

There are a couple of promising-looking swordfights - there seem to be maybe three swordfights in the whole movie - but they're badly filmed and in the end you feel cheated - you don't get to see just how the heroine survives those dozen or so opponents. The bad costumes make the fights look even more silly. The final showdown ends weakly and cheaply. Very cheaply.

So what was all the hype about?

What a piece of junk. Unbelievable. Almost worse than Star Wars Episode One.

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly great.
Review: I wasn't expecting much from this movie, it was just a casual rental, but I liked it enought I ended up buying it. First of all, it's just a visually stunning movie. The lighting, the sets, the haunting, futuristic feel to the whole thing, was just plain beautiful to watch.

So, just looking at this movie was a nice enough experience - but that's not all that it has to offer. The characters and their internal struggles, the love story and the questions it raised for them is what adds some depth to what could've been just a typical comic book-ish action flick.

The main character, Yuki, doesn't seem to question her place or purpose in life. Trained as an assasin, she seems dedicated with a certain acceptance to her life as a ruthless killer. There are questions concerning her mother's death, though, that shake her certain place in her world. And when circumstances bring her to meet Takashi living in a conflicted world of his own, she is confronted with his idealism, and forced to look at what her whole existence is dedicated to. The relationship between the two main characters is interesting. They both seem haunted and alone, dealing with questions concerning their involvement in their causes. Questions of the morality of killing for a cause, how far to go for something you believe in seems the issue facing Takashi. While Yuki is forced to look at her violence through Takashi's idealistic eyes, he's forced to look at his own participation in violence when he's confronted by the violent Yuki showing up in his life.

There are a few times when Princess Blade touches the edges of being a comic-book type of deal (the title comes to mind) there are steroetypical and childish moments, but more often than not, it has more depth than that. If you watch it for the visuals, the characters and plot, you'll have a good time, but I should mention the action scenes are aslo fun. They're maybe a little shaky at times, but still great in places, the swordplay can be fast and aggressive, so they are decent if you love the action. I would love to see a sequal to this movie and I wouldn't be surprised if this one became a cult classic. Definitely worth a look.

Rating:
Summary: Blunt "Blade"
Review: I'm a sucker for Asian cinema but "The Princess Blade" doesn't cut it. Set in a corrupt, futuristic Japan, young Yuki leaves her assasin gang to discover her royal roots as a princess.
Don't let gravity defying martial arts (simillar that of "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon") and the sword slashing gore-factor (simillar to that of "Kill Bill vol.1") fool you. The bullet-dodging scene in the beginning is worth a peak but I suggest hitting the stop button after that.

Rating:
Summary: Blunt "Blade"
Review: I'm a sucker for Asian cinema but "The Princess Blade" doesn't cut it. Set in a corrupt, futuristic Japan, young Yuki leaves her assasin gang to discover her royal roots as a princess.
Don't let gravity defying martial arts (simillar that of "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon") and the sword slashing gore-factor (simillar to that of "Kill Bill vol.1") fool you. The bullet-dodging scene in the beginning is worth a peak but I suggest hitting the stop button after that.

Rating:
Summary: Don't know why it's being dissed
Review: I've read mostly bad reveiws. Why? Then again, most of them also said that is was too slow and that it was entirely boring... just not true, if you're able to sit still, you hyperactive weirdos. Sure, it moved a little slowly at times... but it was to show you, yeah, maybe Yuki is moving on a little... settling from that fast paced, meaningless life. It's the little quirks in these parts of the movie that flesh it out. I've also read a review that said Takashi's silent sister, Aya, was useless... not true at all. Didn't you pay any attention to his dialouge at all? The action scenes were stylish and gory at times, but never excessively so... if blood makes you queasy, stay away, but no guts... I just cringed when her hand was injured >_<
I find that this reminds me of the Rurouni Kenshin OAVs (also known as Samurai X...), so if you liked those, you're certain to like this. The drama is very present but certainly not overplayed, as the characters manage to keep pretty cool thru a large portion of the movie. The actors were great. The humor is scarce, but it's there if you can catch it, and it's sure to leave you feeling pretty good about the characters. If you look close enough, you'll find a very cute and somewhat lost side to the heroine, Yuki. Very sad, but entirely worth seeing.

Rating:
Summary: A good movie...
Review: I've seen bad reviews of this movie. And I have to say that they don't really matter. I enjoyed this movie... and people should see it themselves to judge that. So rent the movie and make up your own mind.
I rented it and I own it now.
For me at least it's well acted, has good music, and has good fight scenes, and a moving story and ending...

^__^

Rating:
Summary: Terrific action film with sublime fight choreography...
Review: In a dark future where Japan is once again under the rule of an emperor who often seeks the help of the Takemikazuchi clan as hired assassins to help control probable resistance. Yuki, a devoted assassin, has been raised by the clan from early childhood and she finds out that the clan leader, Byakurai, killed her mother when she was just a child. Angry and motivated Yuki seeks out Byakurai in order to carry out her revenge, but he is too powerful for her and she must escape. In Yuki's getaway she crosses paths with Takashi who works for the rebel forces. Takashi is suspicious of Yuki's motives, but it soon appears to Takashi that she is not sent to kill him. Princess Blade is an action packed love story that attacks the audience's attention with sublime fight choreography as it offers a good cinematic experience.