Customer Reviews

Kai Doh Maru

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I was quite excited at the perspective of watching another production from IG, especially since they featured such an interesting mix of visual and editing approaches in Blood: last vampire. On top of that, some of the earlier screenshots I saw looked very promising in terms of reproducing the aesthetic/cultural qualities of medieval Japanese illustrations. Unfortunately, my feelings end up being mixed regarding the entire narrative. While I'm familiar and enjoy the implicit meanings or broken-up narrative structure of animes, this one is a little obscure at times and requires you to review some of the background information to begin understanding characters and plot. Innovative in its aesthetic approach (pastel colours in a very limited hue range associated with thin outlines), this choice becomes too much at times, as most colours end up being washed out on your regular TV. Whereas the historical sources for this visual approach are relevant, this inspiration is being interpreted too literally, and ends up getting in the way of the dramatic tension of the story itself. The anime is inspired, but never quite beautiful nor emotionally moving...The theater version probably turned out quite different, but I never saw it. In terms of the production value of the DVD, the interviews are pretty worthless, since the production team seems either too tired and/or not really inspired to talk about anything substantial regarding the movie. Some 3D reproductions of scenes/objects are placed on the DVD with no particular comments either. They'll give you an insight on techniques pioneered to a great effect in Blood, but won't give you a good idea on the approach regarding their integration into the narrative itself.
So, somewhat disapointed by a studio that was aiming at a great initial start with Blood, but failed to carry on their innovative edge.

This is a difficult anime to assess. It comes from Production IG, the studio responsible for 'Blood - the Last Vampire' and 'Ghost in the Shell.' But unlike those anime and others intended for large public exposure, 'Kai Doh Maru' is a far more intimate creation, curiously low key for a tale with this much violence. Intended more as artistic expression than high profile.

The story is set in the late 9th Century in the Heian capital of Kyoto. Action revolves around Kintoki Sakata, the Kai Doh Maru. When an envious uncle wiped out her branch of the Sakata clan, Kintoki escaped and was finally rescued by Lord Raiko Minamoto who is the captain of the Four Knights of the defense ministry. Kintoki has always been a tomboy, and now she sets out to be a warrior, one of Raiko's right hand 'men.'

The overt theme is the political conflict already brewing between the Minamoto and the Taira. Doji Ibaragi is a mad swordsman who serves Kintoki's cousin, Hime Ohni. He uses Hime's own compulsive desire for Kintoki to manipulate events into a crisis. The true theme, amidst the whirl of fighting and betrayal, is Kintoki's fatal effects on the lives of those that love her.

This is all told with the terse minimalism that the Japanese often seem to relish. The ending is sudden, and difficult to grasp. I found it jarring in its sudden tragedy, and I expect that many watchers will feel that 'Kai Doh Maru' is much too short. The film cries out for more detail and character development.

Yet, as an art piece, this film is outstanding. Colors and graphic style have been chosen to recall Heian artistic forms. The images of the capital and characters will stay with you for some time. And the fight chorography is nothing short of remarkable. It all makes the abruptness of the telling forgivable. The DVD includes a long discussion bout the making of the film and a lot of artistic artifacts. The latter include many of the 3D models for many of the film's features.

The animation group Production IG needs to understand that style is not substance. They are slick and innovative in their animation, but lack basic storytelling skills necessary to make great animators. Their first release, "Blood: The Last Vampire," could be forgiven as a rookie attempt, but their sophomore film "Kai Doh Maru" unfortunately replicates the same errors. At a little over 40 minutes, this isn't a feature or even an intro to a continuing series.

"Kai Doh Maru" is beautiful. That much is certain. Production IG is not afraid to take risks and push the boundaries of raw animation, playing with muting filters, color pallets, pencil techniques and various other technologies that create a unique look for their films. With "Kai Doh Maru," they have sought to capture the look of antique Japanese art, with an emphasis on browns and other neutral tones. The CG blending with Cel animation is somewhat less artfully done, and stands out in each scene. Still, it is nice to see Heian era Japan so fully dimensional.

The story, such as it is, is just a skeleton of plot to stitch together the visuals. As with "Blood: The Last Vampire," one has the distinct sense that the character designs came first, and then a plot was constructed to bring them together. A female warrior, Kintoki, is on the run from a power-mad Uncle. Rescued by Raiko of "The Four Knights," she begins to question her masculine nature. From there, incomprehensible villains appear and are defeated, and a strange semi-supernatural woman seeks Kintoki to be her lover. It is a confusing mess, and hardly able to be realized in the 45 minutes allotted to the film.

The special features on the DVD are greater than are actually warranted by the feature, clocking in at almost the same length as "Kai Doh Maru." For someone interested in the intimate mechanics of animation, these features might be of great interest. Personally, I could not sit through them all, as disappointed as I was with the main story.

The movie starts out confusing and has an abrupt, yet sad ending. I love it. Berevity is the soul of wit. There is this theme throughout the movie of moral nihilation: burning villiages, creepy girls, etc.

The movie has a very realistic atmosphere, too. The rain makes you feel like you are wet. Serious. It's wierd. The seasons progress in the movie and anyone who's been to Japan will appreciate how realistically it represents her seasons.

The only minus is that in parts of the movie, things just look too much like an OpenGL demo. For the most part, they did a good job at making an all-digital movie look like old japanese scrolls, but there are parts where the suspention of disbelief could have been better. All I can say is I hope they try again.. The ending cries "prequel" I don't care what happens next. probably nothing exiting, but I'd like to see the backstory unfold...

oh, and whatever you do, don't watch the dub! watch it subbed. the dub sounds awful.

I bought this DVD as a set with Wrath of the Ninja, and I was not disappointed at all. The story, concerning a girl who is kidnaped and raised to become a ninja, is touching, serious, and very atmospheric and dreamlike in tone.

There is a slight but definite lesbian subtext in this movie that may be confusing or even off-putting to some viewers, but it is there for a reason. The subtext lends an undercurrent (or is it an overcurrent?) of obsession to the villainess's motives, and makes her perhaps the most complex Japanese villainess since Throne of Blood's Lady Washizu.

Yes, this one ends suddenly, but that adds an air of tension that would be lacking if we knew what came next. In this way, the film does a good job of showing that not even the strongest warrior can fight fate.

Good movie. Buy it and enjoy it.

I gave this DVD 4 stars mainly because of the style of animation that was used. The story line had me interested, however it just ended, leaving me wanting more!! I also got the impression that this was supposed to be the begining of a series, but it was not to be true. I'm just still really confused to why it ended where it did, it had soo much potential to be somthing truly magnificant, yet it fell short with ending the movie where they did...

The style of animation that they used was truly amazing, this is the thing I liked most about this movie. I think that IG Plus / Production IG team did a great job of capturing the look and feel of the Japan's Heian era. Though I was obviously not around during these times, I really think they really captured how things would have looked during that time period. I loved how everything appeared to have a foggy-haze sourounding it and how the characters would sort of glow in the moonlight. The animations reminded me a of a old style painting, which I believe is what the production team was aiming for.

The story, though historical and interesting, was just missing something at the end. The story just all the sudden ended, and I still am pondering what could have been. Truly, though the story lines were completly different, this movie reminded me alot of another IG Plus / Production IG realese, "Blood, The Last Vampire". Both are visual masterpieces in their own unique way, and that both have great potential story lines that just end in the middle of the story!! It kind of upsets me that this is the second time that this production team has done this because of the fact that the story lines had potential. This is also the production team that did one of my all time favorite Anime Movies (not to be confused with my favorite series)"Ghost In The Shell". I really think that Kai Doh Maru needed just another 10 to 15 minutes to wrap up the story line and it could have turned an OK Anime short story into a great animated movie that takes place in an interesting time in Japanese History.

Overall I enjoyed watching this DVD untill the credits started rolling, that just pissed me off!! If watched with an open mind I think you might agree that this particular style of probably one of the most unique styles used in anime. Remember, just keep an opened mind and don't start to compare the style of to your favorite anime movie or series because Kai Doh Maru's style is UNIQUE and truely one of a kind.....

If the ending of Blood the Last Vampire did not bother you too much, then I would highly recomend buying this dvd....

I have long been interested in Japanese history, and so when I found this for a good price in Media Play I made the decision to buy it. I have not regretted that decision one bit.

I will admit that the filter over the film makes it difficult to look at after a while, but I appreciate what the makers were trying to do. It is made to look sort of like an old watercolor, and that really just adds to it's charm.

The dialogue is consistent with the speech patterns you would expect to hear in a period drama. There is some haiku thrown in, which is also historically correct, as that was how many types of people communicated. Granted, my own exposure to poetry being used as formal communication is with lovers from the period, but it still gives the film an authentic feel for me.

The characters are admirable. Kintoki is a strong, confident young girl who knows her place in her chosen world, and is happy being there. Her love for her commander/rescuer is merely implied, not stated. But that is how things were back then, so there is another point in the historical aspect's favor. Her cousin comes across as someone who is not entirely sure what to do with what she wants--she knows what she desires, but it doesn't seem as though she has thought everything through. The leader of the Knights is an eminently likable person, and I felt myself drawn to him as well.

The art is fantastic. The backgrounds are done with ancient paintings in mind, and you can clearly see that, especially with the gardens and forests. The fight scenes rival those in Kenshin.
And I actually found the character designs quite pleasing to look at.

The music is more like what you would have heard then as well. While not the most pleasing sound at times, it is still appropriate.

When all is said and down, I enjoyed this. I like watching it, and I hope you will too.

Kai Doh Maru / B00009MEJX

"Kai Doh Maru" is probably unique in that not only do you need to review the back of the box before the movie in order to understand what's going on, the back of the box actually contains *more* information than the actual film does!

This extremely short film is deeply episodic, with tiny (about 2-3 minutes) vignette-like shots that have been cobbled together in a simulation of a movie. This scene shows two ministers talking about local politics, this scene shows a wagon of mysteriously captured children, this scene shows the cherry blossom trees losing their blossoms in the wind, this scene shows the monastery where the local warriors train. The short scenes fail to tie together in a meaningful way - and while they all relate in some way to the story outline on the back of the box, they never fully realize a story, resembling instead an unfinished storyboard that needed a good deal more fleshing out.

Which is not to say that this couldn't have worked as in interesting, if enigmatic film - I enjoyed the episodic Darkside Blues for its experimental and artistic nature, if nothing else. But "Kai Doh Maru" is so disjointed and disconnected that it's almost impossible to allow yourself any kind of immersion. Several scenes are less than a minute, and without any kind of character development (even from the main character) there's nothing to hold your interest except the artwork which is, in my opinion, pretty poor.

Which is a point to be made: several reviewers have praised the artwork as the redeeming value (or, in some cases, the entire point) of the film, and maybe if you're a *huge* enthusiast of the time period, the artwork might give you a reason to watch this film. But if you're just an anime buff like me and don't have the prerequisite schooling to appreciate this style, then the artwork will seem very bland and amateurish. There's very little color in this movie (except the occasional cherry blossom shot), people and faces look two-dimensional and are impossible to distinguish from one another (I was grateful that one of the warriors had an eye patch so I could at least pick *him* out of a crowd), and textures are largely either ignored or computer generated in a really sloppy way. In the first sequence, we thought that the savior warriors were angels or spirits because their horses seemed to be hovering over a stream of water - but as it turns out, it was just a really badly rendered road that had been computer generated by someone who apparently didn't know what they were doing and made it too smooth, flowing, and blue. Later, it's impossible to tell whether some lumps in the distance are mountains rising out of land, or mountains obscured by clouds, or clouds in a blue sky. Very monochromatic, very bad texture work. It may or may not be authentic to the time period depicted - all I know is that if you're not already a fan, the art in this movie isn't going to make the impenetrable plot any more palatable.

I would highly recommend skipping "Kai Doh Maru". This movie has English captions, which often do not match the English dubs, which is always annoying if you're hearing impaired like me.

~ Ana Mardoll

Whenever I come away from animé or any foreign film scratching my head, I am always suspicious if my perplexity is due to cultural barriers. Kai Doh Maru begins as a promising movie, but as the plot unravels my mind somehow got completely tangled by a confusing storyline and unclear characters.

It's difficult to give a plot synopsis since I'm not exactly sure about what I watched. But it seems like the story has something to do with one group of soldiers training a young girl, Kintoki, to be a warrior; and another group who has some counter-agenda that involves her. There's a love story in here somewhere, too. Sorry, but that's all I got. I suppose for more information read the plot synopsis on the packaging.

Having said that, of all the incomprehensible films, I was actually able to finish this one; and for two reasons: One, it's only 40 minutes long. Had it been much longer, I probably would have hit the eject button. But if complicated ambiguity is a writers style, I suppose the successful lesson here is to not keep your audience in their seats for very long. The other reason I got through this is that the art is fantastic. The subdued colors make the scenes of blood spatter all the more real. When the action happens, I'm never quite sure why it has happened, but oh well...that didn't prevent me from being fully engrossed by some high energy and wildly poetic fighting sequences. There's some neck slicing that has so much grit that it rivals any live action equivalents.

Strangely, I feel compelled to re-watch this movie and see if one or two more viewings won't crack open this cryptic storyline. Something tells me that once I "get it", I'll find myself praising it as a hard earned classic. If not, it can at least be excused as the mess that is often accumulated and left around by brilliant minds.

Kai Doh Maru, while having the makings of a great film, failed horribly in its endevor. While the film boasts highly stylized animation, computer constructed environments and filtered animstion to make it appear as if it were a Heian period Ukiyo-e painting, the film has very little in the way of plot and plays out much more like a progression of major events and has remarkably little character development.

The film is about Kentoki, the daughter of a feudal lord who raised her as a boy (something that was not uncommon in feudal Japan) in order to prevent his brother from usurping the lordship of the clan in the event of his death. Kentoki's uncle, in response, slaughters her family and takes control of the clan, forcing Kentoki and her maid to flee to the hills, where she is nicknamed Kai Doh Maru because of all the trouble she causes for the villagers. [Oddly, none of this actually plays out in the film]. After her uncle tracks her down, Kentoki is taken in by the Four Knights of Kyoto and she eventually falls in love with Lord Raiko [something else that is indirectly stated in the film, although this is a bit more understandable as intimate relationships in feudal Japan were not spoken of directly]. The bulk of the very short film revolves around Ohnihime (meaning Princess Ohni), Kentoki's cousin who has been driven mad by her consuming love of Kentoki and having watched her father kill her uncle and Kentoki's family, seeking her out by any means.

While the film had great potential, based on the character and storyline profiles on the DVD, it failed to create a gripping storyline and calls for viewers to have an extensive knowledge of feudal japanese history in order to establish the relationships between the various historical characters. Although the film is visually pleasing, I would not recommend purchasing it if you are an intellectual viewer who demands a fully developed plot in addition to stunning visuals.