09-30-2023, 10:06 PM
S1e6 was unusually brooding, even for tragic Zatoichi. He confesses his fears to an ex-prostitute who was freed by her brother when he joined the yakuza to make the money to buy her freedom, only to be killed by Ichi. Out of guilt, Ichi gives her his cane sword as a pledge if she stops drinking. Then he’s attacked by the local yakuza, plus their hired ronin who is also an expert swordsman and cuts a moth in two without even looking. The big fight happens in a torrential downpour which heightens the grim drama, plus there’s some wacky cinematography like a bird’s eye shot looking down at an narrow alley in pouring rain that I liked a lot. This one wasn’t as strong storywise and the previous - it felt more abstract and disjointed, but therein lies it’s charm.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse