Onmyoji - Sorcerers and Shikigami!
The existing reviews written by viewers at my online anime rental source, Greencine, didn't do justice to Onmyoji, so I'm writing my own. I'll replace this with the final copy when it's done. Comments invited.
NEW DRAFT
If you love dark fairy tales, travel back a thousand years, to a time when people lived among vengeful spirits, magical creatures, and the dark machinations of evil men, and the emperor of Japan was protected by sorcerers wielding sinister powers.
Anime fans who enjoyed Clamp's X:1999 and Tokyo Babylon, Yami No Matsuei (Descendants of Darkness), history, swordplay and archaic Japanese in Rurouni Kenshin, or the Go master Sai in Hikaru No Go, will have a great time seeing parts of your anime worlds come to life.
Onmyoji is neither a high-budget Hollywood special effects extravaganza nor a Chinese "wire-fu" demonstration of exaggerated martial arts. Rather, it's a live action magical folk tale, recreating a mythological world respectfully and accurately, and bringing specifically Japanese archetypes to life.
Spend some time among Onmyoji, powerful wizards; shikigami, magical shapeshifters; samurai in perfect armor; and beautiful men and women dressed in gorgeous, meticulously recreated Heian period attire.
See evil sorcerers and possessed victims, handled with flair by a hero with a sense of humor. Meet his young, bumbling sidekick from a good family, who plays a mean flute, wields an ineffective sword, and watches the magic with innocent awe, gradually evolving into more mature nobility. See spells being cast through spoken words or calligraphy and symbols, written on bodies, walls, or fuda, strips of paper imbued with power as the onmyoji wields his brush.
Casting is perfect, especially the lead, Mansai Normura, who brings Seimei to life with the lift of a nonchalant eyebrow and a small, assured smile, as he exorcises demons and reveals enemies. The primary failing is a cheesy battle with demons late in the film; it's laughably bad. Otherwise, special effects were used effectively, if minimally (probably budgetary limitations), and what little wire-work was needed by Seimei in his final battle was appropriate.
If you are intrigued, rent Onmyoji. Please listen to the voices of the well-known Japanese actors rather than the dub. Bring Japanese snacks, perhaps chocolate Pocky, or onigiri, the popular rice balls seen in so many Japanese anime. Have fun!
NEW DRAFT
NEW DRAFT
If you love dark fairy tales, travel back a thousand years, to a time when people lived among vengeful spirits, magical creatures, and the dark machinations of evil men, and the emperor of Japan was protected by sorcerers wielding sinister powers.
Anime fans who enjoyed Clamp's X:1999 and Tokyo Babylon, Yami No Matsuei (Descendants of Darkness), history, swordplay and archaic Japanese in Rurouni Kenshin, or the Go master Sai in Hikaru No Go, will have a great time seeing parts of your anime worlds come to life.
Onmyoji is neither a high-budget Hollywood special effects extravaganza nor a Chinese "wire-fu" demonstration of exaggerated martial arts. Rather, it's a live action magical folk tale, recreating a mythological world respectfully and accurately, and bringing specifically Japanese archetypes to life.
Spend some time among Onmyoji, powerful wizards; shikigami, magical shapeshifters; samurai in perfect armor; and beautiful men and women dressed in gorgeous, meticulously recreated Heian period attire.
See evil sorcerers and possessed victims, handled with flair by a hero with a sense of humor. Meet his young, bumbling sidekick from a good family, who plays a mean flute, wields an ineffective sword, and watches the magic with innocent awe, gradually evolving into more mature nobility. See spells being cast through spoken words or calligraphy and symbols, written on bodies, walls, or fuda, strips of paper imbued with power as the onmyoji wields his brush.
Casting is perfect, especially the lead, Mansai Normura, who brings Seimei to life with the lift of a nonchalant eyebrow and a small, assured smile, as he exorcises demons and reveals enemies. The primary failing is a cheesy battle with demons late in the film; it's laughably bad. Otherwise, special effects were used effectively, if minimally (probably budgetary limitations), and what little wire-work was needed by Seimei in his final battle was appropriate.
If you are intrigued, rent Onmyoji. Please listen to the voices of the well-known Japanese actors rather than the dub. Bring Japanese snacks, perhaps chocolate Pocky, or onigiri, the popular rice balls seen in so many Japanese anime. Have fun!
NEW DRAFT