Product Details

• Actors: Tak Sakaguchi
• Directors: Tak Sakaguchi
• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Tokyo Shock
• DVD Release Date: July 28, 2009
• Run Time: 110 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001UW592G
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,006 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

SAMURAI SCHOOL - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I am a MAN, July 30, 2009

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Samurai School (DVD)

Otojuko is an elite men's private school, where Japanese heroes and leaders have been trained for centuries to be the ultimate macho warriors.

And since "Samurai School" (adapted from Akira Miyashita's manga "Sakigake!! Otokojuku") was written and directed by Tak Sakaguchi, you can expect the movie to have two things: a warped and weird sense of humor, and lots of elaborate butt-kicking. It's a fun action-packed parody on Japanese macho attitudes, which gets more bizarre as the plot winds on; the only flaws are a subplot or two which really add nothing to the movie.

After being rescued by a mysterious stranger named Momotaro (Sakaguchi), who says he can be found at Otojuku, Hidemaro (Hiroyuki Onoue) learns that his mother plans to send him to Otojuku to become a man, and restore the family's fortunes. He encounters Momotaro and the bombastic, good-hearted Genji Togashi (Sh'ei) at the opening ceremony, but things start going wrong immediately -- Otojuku is a superhardcore school where students must endure thousands of pushups and horrible punishments (boiling oil and potential death-by-megaboulder) for minor infractions.

And after a brief run home, Hidemaru starts fitting in at Otojuku with his friends. But suddenly the school is attacked by Omito Date (Hideo Sakaki), an expelled student, and his sidekicks Hien (Go' Ayano) and Gekko (Shuya Yoshimoto). They challenge the loud-voiced principal to the Amazing Triple Death Battles -- and the winner will get control of Otojuku. Momotaro, Togashi and the nimble martial-artist Ryuuji Toramaru (Shintaro Yamada) all volunteer to fight Date, Hien and Gekko.

Who will triumph in the Amazing Triple Death Battles? Who will come out of it alive, and who will die very, very dramatically? Will school spirit overcome Date? And will Hidemaro ever gain the strength to lift the giant flagpole and bring victory to Momotaro? (No, that is not a euphemism!)

If "Samurai School" is any indicator, then Tak Sakaguchi has a deliciously warped sense of humor -- the entire thing is basically a spoof of Japanese macho-man behavior, which Otojuku takes to hilarious heights. The movie is loaded down in squirting Monty-Python-style gore, cinematic cliches (floating cherry blossoms!), constant butt-kicking, and a few anime cliches brought into real life (a single sword swing that can split stone!) -- it's just constant fun.

The first half of the movie is basically about the guys getting used to Otojuku, but Takaguchi's story really blossoms with the advent of the Amazing Triple Death Battles (fighting while dangling from a cliff, above a pool of heated acid, and in a very unstable underground cavern). And he dials the comedic melodrama up to eleven, with some characters apparently expiring with dramatic final lines ("Let's meet again in Otojuku with cherry blossoms in full bloom!") and a completely over-the-top climax involving mass cheerleading and a flagpole the size of a small submarine.

The biggest flaw is a bittersweet side story, in which the rather unattractive Togashi is asked out by a pretty girl, only to suffer unexpected humiliation and deception. It's a little story that makes you want to hug the poor guy, but it has nothing to do with anything else in the plot.

Inoue serves as a pretty likable everyman who has somehow ended up in Otojuku, despite not being very strong or macho -- and of course, the movie becomes a bit of a coming-of-age for him. Sh'ei and Yamada are also excellent as the strong underdog and the short-fused martial-artist ("I am a CHRISTIAN!"); Sakaki is a solid anti-villain, and Yoshimoto and the gorgeous Ayano also give good if brief performances. And Sakaguchi gives an unusually sedate performance as the Momotaro -- he seems mellow to the point of stoned, and spends a lot of time baring his muscular chest.

"Samurai School" is one of those deliciously over-the-top action-comedies, with lots of fake blood, insane fighting and dramatic cheerleading. Definitely a must-see, right to the end.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yes!, May 24, 2010

By 

Andrew W. Clark (ct, usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samurai School (DVD)

Funny. Since weaklings invented the rules on amazon I am required to write a certain minimum of expression past the true expression.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's so bad it's good?!, December 9, 2010

By 

Daniel H. Fang (Miami, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Samurai School (DVD)

I suspect most of the people interested in this movie are probably fans of the original manga, so interest level should be high.
If you are a manga fan, you would be disappointed by the movie, simply because the movie replaces the comic's gore and gritty bits with totally unconvincing fake blood and poorly choreographed fighting moves sometimes done by special effects altogether.
The supposed samurai spirit is reduced to simple chanting and really long dragged out fights.
The final boss battle is at least 10 minutes long, and that should be spectacular, right?
No, the totally unconvincing battle ground along with the lack of martial arts choreography make the final battle look like two idiots playing thumb sumo.
So what do you get out of this movie? Well, if you are a fan I suggest you stick to the comics and don't let this poorly done imitation ruin your imagination.
If you have not read the original manga, then I suggest you hit the books now.
It should be considered an anime classic, probably more so then the overtly long Dragon Ball series.
If you are just someone looking for totally unrealistic Asian cult films, this movie might be for you.
Otherwise, I barely see any value in this movie.