Customer Reviews

Zatoichi The Blind Swordsman: Vols. 1-4

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I have been looking for this set to show up at Amazon. If you don't have the first four Ichi films, buy it. Watch all four in order and you will be in for a real treat. The set of twenty six Zatoichi films and the first six volumes of the TV series are a treasure to be viewed over and over for the rest of your life. Watch them in a quiet setting and breathe the atmosphere of life in feudal Japan. Love, hate, violence, peace, honor, pathos..it's all here..in spades. I have never seen anything like it in film. And so much of it. I have a dozen of the films and the first six volumes of the series and have been enthralled with every one. I'll continue until I have them all. Then I'll start all over from the beginning. If you get hooked, you will too.

I came to the Zatoichi franchise in college when AMC or TCM had a saturday morning Samurai movie special every week. They pulled heavily from the Zatoichi films and I was instantly sold on their humor, sometimes through wordplay, but alternately in the form of slapstick.

The sword fights also resonated with me as being very different from what I was used to. They were compact and final. Enemies fell after a single blow and a the hero rarely started fights; always attempted to talk his way out of them not from fear, but rather because killing was not something he relished.

This collection is a tremendous value with high quality examples of this storied franchise. The packaging looks great, very colorful with dynamic images on each case. It looks fabulous on a shelf and looks even better on a screen.

First off, when the Japanese make a series of films they don't get cheaper - the films are either given the same budget or MORE! Also, while the crew may change they try to STICK to the facts. Watch all four of the first films in a row and you have a VERY long story, with plots that link together, the same characters played by the same caste, and the feeling that there was money, sweat and love poured into each scene.
The first two films were in Black and White but by the third we get color. Wonderful, beautiful color.
The scenes are realistic, the settings gritty, the characters dirty and the action wild. It was nice to see Tomisaburo Wakayama as the one armed Samurai in the second story. Not only is he acting as Zatoichi's brother - which works really well because he is the real brother of Shintaro Katsu - but it is nice to see him before he became famous for being the Lone Wolf, in Lone Wolf and Club.
By getting them all together I did save money AND was able to watch them over the week, having my own Samurai Movie Convention! Yes, I did eat noodles and rice. Not really for kids - serious themes - but while there are tons of action there is little blood and it is SO cool. So many the kids could peek. Get it used or new.

Ichi is the classic hero who is courageous, selfless, honorable and somewhat vulnerable at some level. He never gets the girl and always rides...er, walks off into the sunset!

Zatoichi is a blind masseur - a disability looked down upon in Japanese society at that time. However, craving respect, he learns the way of the sword and becomes a Yakuza gangster. When we meet Ichi, he has already decided to leave that life behind and "go straight" but his former life always come back to haunt him either because someone wishes to employ his services or because someone with a grudge wishes revenge. Ichi is a masterful swordsman but will often display his skills against inanimate objects to make potential opponents think twice.

I should point out that these movies are not the typical martial arts films which showcase action almost exclusively. Like the great western movie "Shane", there are very few fights in these films. Ichi is a character (wonderfully portrayed by Shintaro Katsu) that is fully developed. He has regrets, hopes, fears and desires. Ichi is a man who wishes to be left alone to live his life in peace but is never allowed to do so by circumstance.

These movies are more than a showcase for superb swordsmanship (yes, his skills are indeed superb and the action sequences are excellent). They are morality plays and tales of compassion and honor.

Every Saturday for the past few years I've arose on Saturday morning to watch a Samurai movie on International Film Channel. Since watching my first Zatoichi film I became a rabid fan of the series. My 4-volume set arrived this past Friday and I have already watched all four movies. Its a good thing I also ordered the 7-volume set.

The Blind Swordsmen movies are captivating in the way they are filmed. When it would have been easy to churn out a low budget action film, the producers of these movies took the high road and turned out films that are high quality in every way. Sure, there's the obligatory "blind swordsman wipes out two dozen samurai" stuff in it. But its all done in a believable way.

Zatoichi is a true antihero. Picture him as the Japanese version of the Lone Ranger, Marshall Dillon, Josie Wales, and John Wayne all rolled into one man. And Shintaro Katsu brings him to life in such a way that I cannot imagine anyone else playing Zatoichi. In fact, I was surprised to find out that Shintaro Katsu wasn't blind himself. He makes the part that believable.

Even if you've never seen a Zatoichi movie but you like samurai movies, I can promise you that you will not be disappointed in any of the Blind Swordsman movies.

I was completely unfamiliar with Zatoichi except for seeing a 5 second clip of one of his movie or TV show. So, I wanted to watch the beginning of Zatoichi. As I did some research, I found out that the entire character started with movies (many of them were made). Then, it began a successful TV series. I noticed that there are tons and tons of various movies, tv shows, and packages. This particular package is what introduced the character Zatoichi to Japan. This is where it all began.

Great examples of this cult classic. I have all 26 DVD's and find these to be the best of the bunch.

I was living in Japan in the the earil to mid sixties--what a wonderful memory!! I watched this on Japanese TV all thoes years ago and never thought I would see it again. But thanks to Janus films I can relive my childhood. Seeing these episodes again is like being reunited with a dear-long lost friend. I highly recommend this set to anyone..don't pass it up!

My husband is a big fan of Zatoichi. I purchased this set of four early films for him for Christmas. He watched all four films within a week! These are classics which I know he will watch again and again.

Fantastic, and from the early '60s, no less! Getting close to 50 years! And, without all the editing, explosions, CGI, bells and whistles of today's similar type films! Very interesting original stories about the humble, sometimes humorous, blind masseur who only wants to get along with people, but always seems to wander into a human snake pit. These movies were very nicely done, and there are even a few instances where some of the slow moving camera shots remind me of early classic "Bergman", which I love.
If you haven't seen any of these movies, just try and imagine this scene near the very beginning of the very first movie in the series. Zatoichi, (who can't see of course) is led into a seedy dark gambling house, where someone has escorted him, and sits him down on the floor. Attracted by the boisterous sound of a large group of men gambling, he moves over amongst them. The rough, sleazy-looking buggers throw Zatoichi annoyed glances while they continue their dice game. Zatoichi then interrupts them and, smiling, proceeds to inform them ever so politely that they all "smell" very bad! You might be able to imagine the reaction, but better still, you might want to see it!
Finally, I guess I'm at a bit of a "stalemate", since there are three great boxsets out, (all of which I have), but are they going to put the rest of the movies into boxsets? I feel compelled to wait, because that would obviously save a ton of money, yet I'm really eager to get all the movies in between- right now!