Zatoichi

[Drunk Monk]

I've been watching Zatoichi movies on Hulu and enjoying them immensely. I'm about 4 films deep. I didn't realize that the films were so linear. I saw most of them in a haphazard order at art film houses, but if you watch them from the beginning, the characters and story arcs cross from one film to the next quite well. Shintaro Katsu's characterization of Ichi is just superb. And the swordfights are still cool - lots of long, frantic exchanges with Ichi adopting that ridiculous reverse-grip guard, and hapless attackers falling helplessly to stop cuts and thrusts, especially that reverse stab for the idiot yakuza who tries to cut him from behind and gets the ol' under-the-arm stab to the belly. As if attacking Ichi from behind is the way to go - he's blind so he doesn't have to see you coming.

I'm struck with how good Katsu's noto is (sheathing the sword). I have a scar on my thumb from a bad noto. That's actually one of the hardest moves in iaido, even with a dull blade.