Zatoichi Challenged is the seventeenth entry in the Japanese franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza. It's an above average episode which is entertaining from start to finish. In this movie, Zatoichi shares a room with a dying mother and her child. It's the dying woman's last wish that Zatoichi takes her six-year old son to his father. The impatient Zatoichi and the energetic child soon grow fond of each other as they travel with a performance troupe that is terrorized by the men of a new pitiless yakuza boss. He gradually challenges the former boss who was very close to the performance troupe. Zatoichi soon gets caught between both clans, especially when he realizes that the child's father is hold captive by the new boss to draw sexually explicit paintings. However, the government has become aware of the scandal and has sent its own fighters out to silence all those who have been implicated. Zatoichi needs to bring a family together, confront a despicable boss and even fight the government to set things right.

There are many elements to like about this movie. First of all, the film starts like a musical with a few Japanese folk songs while Zatoichi is traveling through rural Japan. I liked this fresh idea since it wasn't overused but am aware that some critics didn't appreciate the idea. Zatoichi had already been traveling with a toddler in Fight, Zatoichi, Fight but traveling with a child that has just lost its mother, needs to trust a complete stranger and will meet a father he has never met before is a quite emotional addition which makes this film stand out. The plot might not be surprising but it's told with fluid pace and includes a few intriguing characters such as the potter and his daughter. The mysterious swordsman who often crosses Zatoichi's path is nicely played, especially in the gloomy palanquin sequence at night and in the final fight sequence. This final fight sequence must be pointed out for being one of the very best in the franchise. Everything is perfect about it, starting with the set-up and the initial dialogues, followed by the intense fight at night in a small alley under heavy snowfall and concluded with a surprisingly original outcome.

There really aren't any obvious negative elements aside the usual fact that each Zatoichi movie has quite restricted patterns which makes the franchise predictable.

Zatoichi Challenged still has enough intriguing elements to make it stand out among other films in the franchise. The movie's final fifteen minutes including one of the franchise's most memorable fight scenes are essential. Any collector or fan of the franchise should watch this film which might also serve as an appropriate introduction to those who haven't watched any Zatoichi films yet. If you watch this movie and like it, you'll be hooked and might as well watch all other films of this atmospheric, energetic and intelligent franchise.

Zatoichi the Outlaw is the sixteenth entry in the franchise about the blind masseur, skilled swordsman and lowly yakuza. It's also the first film to be produced by Katsu Productions, lead actor's Katsu Shintaro's own company. The movie remains faithful to the franchise's typical storytelling of the main character traveling across rural Japan during the shogunate's final years in mid-nineteenth century in order to support the helpless in their struggles with exploitative authorities. However, there are also a few new elements such as more explicit fight scenes with severed limbs and fake blood. The plot is also more complex and epic than usual. To keep it short, Zatoichi travels to a town led by a sword-less ronin who leads a peasant movement advocating the abstention from drinking, gambling and whoring and teaching how to cultivate rice more efficiently. This ronin is supported by a seemingly honest yakuza and boss who appears to be very close to local farmers. However, another boss who is backed up by a corrupt government official has interest in making money as he organizes a festival promoting the use of alcohol, indepts young peasants by making them participate in crooked gambling and establishes a new brothel. Zatoichi gets caught in between the opposing parties and decides to help the sword-less ronin and the honest yakuza boss. He accidentally kills a peasant that was sent to attack him and injures another. When the corrupt boss confronts him, Zatoichi kills him and goes into hiding. However, Zatoichi soon realizes that his actions have changed things for the worse. The dead peasant's sister is abused by the corrupt government official and then forced into prostitution. The injured peasant is obsessed with killing Zatoichi. The honest yakuza has taken the dead boss' place and has been corrupted by greed and power. The sword-less ronin gets is accused of treason and gets imprisoned. One year after he left the village, Zatoichi is back to repair his mistakes by using his sword.

Even though several critics had a negative perception of Zatoichi the Outlaw, I happen to think it's one of the best entries in the franchise. First of all, the camera work is splendid. It's calm, focused and precise and the landscapes are even more colorful than usual. The score is dramatic and adds a solid dose of intensity to the film. The numerous characters are intriguing and have depth, especially since a lot of them are going through profound and at times unpredictable changes. The movie also has a more ideologiocal and philosophical note as the sword-less ronin tries to organize collective farming and suggest Zatoichi to lay down his sword. This movie almost has a socialist message which is quite interesting. The fight sequences are more intense as well thanks to more explicit scenes with torn hands and heads and the use of fake blood. It makes the brief fights more realistic.

However, the film has a few minor flaws. Even though new writers and even a new director were hired for this film, the plot is still mostly predictable. Also, there aren't many sword fights and the few that are shown aren't as skillful as one is used to. The fights are more brutal and realistic but less artistic and dynamic, taking away from the charme of the series.

In the end, Zatoichi the Outlaw is still a highlight of the Zatoichi franchise in my book. The great acting performances, progressive ideologies and epic plot make this film stand out for fans of old date and new ones alike. Ignore the negative reviews and give it a try!

Zatoichi's Cane Sword is the fifteenth entry in the franchise about the clever gambler, blind masseur and skilled swordsman with a lowly yakuza background and I still can't get enough of this series with its authentic atmosphere bringing rural Japan of the mid-nineteenth century to life, with its unique lead character with a strong moral compass masterfully played by a credible Katsu Shintaro and the cool story lines involving conspiracies, greed, love, murder and redemption. As in many other films, Zatoichi comes across a dying boss who can only tell him his name. The blind masseur goes to the next town and stays in an old inn where he comes across the dead man's children. While the son is reluctant to take over his father's business, the daughter is determined to convince him and save their family's reputation. However, another boss named Iwagoro, supported by corrupt government official Inspector Kuwayama, wants to take over the dead man's business by any means necessary. Zatoichi tries to remain neutral in the conflict but when the dead man's son is brutally killed and the dead man's daughter lured away from the inn, Zatoichi decides to set things right. However, there is one big problem. The local blacksmith informs Zatoichi that his cane sword is about to break and that the blind masseur might only have one strike left before it snaps.

As usual, there are many positive elements about this film. First of all, the characters are very nicely developed in this film. The drunk blacksmith that rediscovers his art, the determined daughter who never gives up, the reluctant son who wants to avoid conflicts, the pervert government official and the wicked boss are all intriguing characters. The fact that Zatoichi has to fight without his usual cane sword at times adds some tension to the film. The movie has a few interesting twists that keep the viewers interested until the very end. The final fight sequence at night and in the snow when both Zatoichi and his opponents use numerous tricks to fight each other is particularly well-choreographed. In addition to this, the movie includes a few brief yet refreshing humorous scenes such as Zatoichi performing a chant and dance to make fun of the evil boss and Zatoichi playing a game of dice with an overtly self-confident loudmouth who challenges him to a duel.

However, the film also has a few flaws. The story is extremely similar to other movies and lacking some fresh originality. On the other side, the story is also more complex and at times a little bit hard to follow with its numerous characters, side stories and minor twists. It would have been better if the movie had been a few minutes longer to tell this complex story in greater detail.

Still, Zatoichi's Cane Sword is an above average entry in the franchise. The tense atmosphere in the inn where several key scenes take place is a very intriguing guiding line. The characters have depth and you either root for them or despise them quickly. The complex story is a little bit more challenging than usual which has positive and negative consequences. Collectors and fans of the franchise might appreciate this movie more than some of the weaker previous films but it's not strong enough in my book to be among the franchise's best entries. Those who aren't familiar with Zatoichi yet shouldn't start here and discover the series in chronological order.

Zatoichi's Pilgrimage is the fourteenth episode in the franchise about the skilled gambler, blind masseur and fast swordsman. It's a good average episode with some positive and a few negative points. In the beginning of the film, Zatoichi is on a pilgrimage to visit the eighty-eight shrines on Shikoku. He is on a spiritual journey because he has grown tired of killing people. He makes a prayer to not need to use his sword on his pilgrimage but it seems the deities aren't on his side. Very early on his pilgrimage he gets attacked by an unknown assailant traveling with a horse and Zatoichi is forced to kill him in self-defense. He follows the horse to the home of his attacker and meets his sister. She initially hurts Zatoichi after she realizes what had happened but then tells him that her brother was sent by a local boss who exploits the modest farmers of the village. Zatoichi soon realizes that the cruel boss saw an opponent in the assailant and sent him to attack Zatoichi to get him killed on purpose. As Zatoichi and the dead man's sister grow very fond of each other, they decide to trick the ruthless boss and avenge the assailant's unnecessary death.

There are several positive elements about this film. The landscapes, the score and the fact that many men are riding horses in this film almost make this movie look like a classic western. Instead of guns, there are obviously intense sword fights but the evil boss also uses bow and arrow to kill Zatoichi which is very interesting. Another positive element is the relationship between the assailant's sister and the blind samurai. In the beginning, she hates him and is scared of him but she soon starts respecting his motives and grows so fond of him that a friendship and even a fragile romance blooms between them. Another thing to point out is the selfish behavior of the farmers in the village. They decide to let Zatoichi fight for their cause but won't support him openly. They think if Zatoichi won they could live better lives and if he lost they wouldn't get associated with him and punished for their support. Their cowardice leads to a tragic death and services as a moral lesson in this movie.

Aside all these positive elements, the movie suffers from overlong dialogues which is quite unusual for this franchise since Zatoichi is usually a modest man who hasn't much to say. I think this movie has too many conversations and not enough fighting scenes even though the final fifteen minutes are truly rewarding in that regard. Another problem is the fact that the movie is basically only carried by Zatoichi and the dead assailant's sister. The side characters are quite pale and can't impress. The story is chambara by the numbers and quite similar to other films in the franchise.

In the end, Zatoichi's Pilgrimage is a good average entry in the franchise about the blind yakuza. Collectors and fans of the franchise will appreciate the film even though it fails to stand out. Those who aren't familiar with the franchise could like this film because it's closer to Western cinema and recalls more western elements than most movies in the franchise.

The blandly mistitled Zatoichi's Vengeance is a typical movie of the franchise about the skilled gambler, blind masseur and pitiless swordsman. Zatoichi witnesses how a man got attacked on the road side and speaks to the dying man who tells him his name and asks him to bring a small bag of money to someone called Taichi. Upon arriving in a nearby town, Zatoichi stumbles upon a young boy with that name and realizes he is the dead man's son. He hands the money over to the child and his grandmother but doesn't want to tell them the boy's father is dead. Zatoichi wants to leave town quickly but he is invited by the family of the dead man to stay and attend the roaring drums festival. While in town, Zatoichi witnesses how merchants get brutally extorted by a boss who has started controlling the calm town six months ago. Zatoichi gets caught in the conflict and decides to root for the helpless merchants while the boss hires the same man who killed Taichi's father to challenge Zatoichi to a deadly duel.

The story described above might sound familiar if you have watched the Zatoichi films released before this one. This is also the film's most obvious flaw because the story is quite predictable and doesn't add anything new to the franchise. Another element I disliked is the fact that some background stories of interesting characters aren't fully explored. We never get to know why Taichi's father really had to die and the reason why the caring prostitute in the town's brand-new brothel ended up like this isn't fully explained either. One element a lot of people praise but that I didn't appreciate was the presence of a blind priest Zatoichi comes across. The old man is quite arrogant and selfish. He asks Zatoichi to buy him food, talks to him while lying down to sleep and doesn't stop lecturing him but can't give any useful advice either. One moment, he tells Zatoichi to not draw his sword in front of Taichi who idolizes the blind samurai and then he approves Zatoichi's decision to defend the exploited merchants. I happened to find the character of the blind priest very annoying, dishonest and pretentious.

Still, there are enough positive elements about the movie to make it at least an average entry in the epic franchise. First of all, the set of characters is overall quite interesting. Zatoichi is brought to think about his destructive lifestyle, Taichi is torn between admiring and despising the blind samurai, the prostitute is torn between helping her colleagues and helping herself and even the samurai that challenges Zatoichi has to fight his inner demons because he needs to take enormous risks to make money in order to free the person he still loves. The film's atmosphere is also quite intense. It's interesting to see a calm town with honest citizens getting terrorized and infiltrated by criminals, gamblers and prostitutes. Thirdly, the fight sequences are quite great, especially the fight scenes on the bridge where Zatoichi's opponents try to distract the blind samurai with their roaring drums.

In the end, you will like Zatoichi's Vengeance if you like the franchise. It's an entertaining film even though it doesn't bring anything new to the franchise. If you aren't familiar with the franchise yet, you should rather start watching it in chronological order.