Kaze No Yojimbo

Publisher
Bandai
Director
Hayato Date
Production
Dentsu, Nippon TV, Studio Pierrot
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
25 episodes
Year
2001

Kaze No Yojimbo V. 1

By David Rasmussen
2nd Dec 04

Company - BANDAI
Rated - Age 16 and up.
Created by Kurosawa Production/Sammy
Producers - Hiroshi Yamashita, Tetsuya Watanabe and Yuji Nunokawa
Story Advisor - Hisayuki Toriumi
Director - Hayato Date
Animation Producers - Ken Hagino & Naoji Hohnokidani
Chief Writer - Katsuyuki Sumisawa
Character Designer - Takeshi Ito
Music - Tsuneyoshi Saito
Produced by Nippon Television Network Corporation, DENTSU and Studio Pierrot.

Yojimbo...
Before we begin let's do a little background on the 1961 classic that this is based on.
This first bit of information comes from a website dedicated to Akira Kurosawa (the Akira Kurosawa Database)

Title - Yojinbo
Original Title in Japanese - Yojinbo
Running Time - 110 min
Year - 1961
Company - Kurosawa Production - Toho (NOTE - Kurosawa Production also is involved in this Anime version as you can see above).
Writer- Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa
Director of Photography - Kazuo Miyagawa
Production Designer - Yoshiro Muraki
Music - Masaru Sato
Cast - Toshiro Mifune (Sanjuro Kuwabatake),Tatsuya Nakagai (Unosuke), Eijiro Tohno (Gon-jii)
Note - The main actor prize at Venice (1961) - Toshoro Mifune
Booster Notes - Yojinbo was remade by Sergio Leone in 1964 as A Fistful of Dollars and this movie made a hit all over the world. But, A Fistful of Dollars was made without Kurosawa's permission. Kurosawa Productions protested against Sergio Leone; as a result, Korosawa Productions got 15% of distribution in the world, compensation of $100,000 and production rights in Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

The second is from a site made by one Dan Kim.

Title - Yojimbo
Also known as The Bodyguard, Yojimbo the Bodyguard
Released Date - April 25, 1961
Running Time 110 min.
Production - Kurosawa Films
Writer - Akira Kurosawa, Ryujo Kikushima
Director of Photography - Gajyuo Miyakawa
Producer - Ryuzo Kikushima, Akira Kurosawa, Tomoyuki tanaka
Music - Masaru Sato
Production Designer - Yoshiro Muraki

Cast :
Toshiro Mifune (As Sanjuro)
Takashi Shimura (As Barowner)
Dasuya Nakadai (As Unosuke)
Susumu Fujita (As former Bodyguard)
Note - Bruce Willis' Last Man Standing is based on this movie

Plot Summary
A well-skilled wandering samurai enters a town that is divided between two gangsters. He finally killed every bandits with his skills and wisdom.

My search for information next led me to a highly praised site called kurofan.com. It had a good description, but I couldn't "lift" it to put here. So I went to Foriegnfilms.com and found this.

"Toshiro Mifune is the nameless samurai who wanders into town in the middle of a gang war. Seeing that the gangs are draining the very lifeblood from the town and it's people, the samurai vows to rid the town of these terrible menaces. He brilliantly plays both sides against each other until he is found out and it looks like the end is near, but he hasn't run out of tricks just yet. The plot of this film was rewritten for the also classic Fistful of Dollars, and the more recent Last Man Standing."

Ok. That's just a bit about the movie. There's much more, but for that I recommend you check the web.
Search for "Akira Kurosawa" and you'll find all the resources I found, and more, to help you do your 4-1-1 on the man and his body of work. Time to review the DVD before us now.

Kaze no Yojimbo
Volume 1 - A New Face in Town

Episode 1 - Gone With the Dust
First off you'll notice it's not set in the same time as the original. From there it takes it's own path that is different from the original movie that inspired it.

15 years ago something happened. Something concerning a thing called WAMU 93125.
But what is WAMU 93125? And what does it have to do with one George Kodama?
That is "the secret", or so it seems, that has driven Kodama to a place called Kimujuku seeking answers.
But on his trip he has run into a young woman named Miyuki Tanokura who seems to have left their first meeting with a dogtag of his, with the name George K. written on it.

Oh, yeah, looks like he can't even get into town without running into trouble.
The situation is the same as the original, in that two rival organizations hold sway in this place.
But unlike the original I'm going to take it that the two organizations are not into the same things as the originals. As for Kodama? He's looking for a man named Genzo Araki. Why? It seems Mr. Araki might have something to do with the "secret" of 15 years ago. It seems Mr. Araki was a train engineer... which is important because the search for WAMU 93125 focused on a train, no doubt manned by Mr. Araki.

Oh, and as for that trouble? Looks like Kodoma is looking for it and it's only Day 1.
Imagine how things will be one week from now, let alone 2 weeks.
Mind you, Kodama is no slouch in the fighting dept., he's got more than enough moves to handle the punks he runs into. But it looks like his shaking up of the punks was a good thing since he ends up finding a good place to pick up ramen, which is good since he has a bit of a thing with ramen.
But why is he hunting down this Genzo Araki? What is he to Kodama?

Obviously, however, his search isn't going over well with the town as people are becoming quite nervous by his prodding. How nervous? Let's just say they'll do anything to get him out of town ASAP. Oh, yeah, they'll even send those punks he ran into earlier to watch him overnight.
Next day? He seems to be on the move, but is he going to leave town?

Survey says -- eh -- looks like his trip out of town is going to be delayed since he's about to beat up on more punks harassing that girl he met yesterday. He gets grabbed by that cop he met, "arrested", and kept from catching his train out of town. Yeah. Apparently the faction that wanted him gone didn't take the time to co-ordinate with the other faction because they're now stuck with him whether they want him or not.

Episode 2 - Snake Swamp
Two towns. Two factions. A "red" town, and a "white" town.
But what of the two "Factions" that call this place home?

One wanted him gone, but thanks to the unintentional "interference" of the other faction it looks like Mr. Kodama's stay is going to be a bit longer than some people may want it to be.
So, now that Mr. Kodama has been "arrested" for saving that girl? Well, not exactly. It seems he's has been arrested to take him out of the line of fire... or so the man he met yesterday speculates. Man? The guy who makes the ramen. That guy. You'll see him when you watch this.

But while he's in jail it might be a good chance for those who are concerned about him to find out more about this person who has come into town to disrupt things.
It looks like the girl he saved is well placed. Her father is a politician and he gets Kodama out of jail. But for which side does this man, Tanokura, fall towards in terms of allegiance? Somehow I can't believe he's the only honest man in town, so he must be aligned with one of the two factions... but which?

For now, however, he seems to be "aligned" with Kodama to help him find Araki. But to what end? And why? He seems to be feeding the same line that he got yesterday but he also offers to search for the guy.
It looks that the girl he saved is quite taken up with him though... romantic interest?
In any case it looks like we might find out since he is about to be hired as her bodyguard. Which might, by the way, explain his sudden interest -- but not well enough for my taste.

So, after he drops his new "ward" off to go to school? It's back to the search for Kodama.
First stop? That place he got the ramen before for -- a refill? Man talk about an obsessive-compulsive habit! It looks like he's going to have a chat with the President of Ginzame Industries, which leads to a meeting with said President's brother. But what good will come of that? Ginzame Industries is the other faction in the town, which means he now has met both sides of the "coin" of Kimajuku.
Looks like a field trip to Snake Swamp is in order, but he'll have more than the "snakes" to watch out for.

Episode 3 - The Bodyguard
One faction seems legit but is not.
So is the other, but one thing I think I can nail on it is pornography.

And a secret that has upset at least one side of the factional "coin" that makes up the "plague" that infests the town of Kimajuku. All this for a "secret". What is the "Secret"? Heck, I can't even figure out what the specifics is concerning what is supposed be kept a "Secret"! I know it concerns a thing called WAMU 93125 but is that really worth killing over? Somebody thinks it is.

One additional thing to consider. When Kodama mentioned "field day" it shook one person up. Buy why?
Oh, looks like his "alliance" with Tanokura has turned up information on Araki... but is it legit?
Looks like the search for truth has to be derailed once again since he does have another job... remember? That bodyguard job? What? He's taking ANOTHER job? This one with the Gizame Industries faction? What is he playing at? Oh, and it looks like Tanokura's allegiance is to the opposite faction... but I won't say how I came to that possible conclusion. Yet another thing for you to watch for when picking this up.

Oh, looks like Kodama isn't the only one who has people mistaking him for the wildlife, a failed drive-by shooting signals the start of a new round of aggressions between the two factions, and the first winds of a very possible turf war over the town itself.

It looks like Tanokura is responsible for this attack, but is it truly that way? Or is there more to it?
Which brings up another interesting thing... which side of the "War" will the police fall towards if war does break out on the streets?

As for the true guilty party? Looks like it's round two with the guy named Raccoon (who harassed the girl that compelled George to stay in town when others wanted him gone)... and this time it looks like George is going to take the Raccoon out once and for all. But guess who the trail ends up leading to? Go on! Guess!
I won't say. You'll have to find that out... yeah, on your own. If you think about it though? I bet you already have a good notion where the trail ends and at whose feet it ends up with!

Episode 4 - Beauty and the Poison
By now you're beginning to see the "forces" each side has, and where the major players are falling in when it comes to alliances between the two major factions. That's the simple part.

The hard part is how it'll all come together if war breaks out on the streets of Kimajuku.
The only one who seems to be truly neutral is Kodama. But his own motivation is still unclear.
We have a name. We have a "secret"... and that's it. Some more clues to why he's so driven would be nice.
Could it be... will this episode FINALLY shed some light on all these questions that built up since the start and Episode 1?!? Can't say... but if you end up with more questions than answers at the end don't blame me. It's a long road yet to travel and we're only near the finale of Volume 1, so there's a lot of distance left to cover before the end.

As for George? Looks like he's out on the street looking for a place to crash.
Finding a place to crash isn't the problem -- it's what comes from finding said place that's the problem.
He's once again become a bodyguard, and once again that will be nothing but trouble.
I can't say more because it may reveal more than you need to know at this point.
Answers come better when you seek them yourself. Trust me. Ok. We're close to the wrap-up so let's power on through and bring this first review to a close.

Oh, one more thing... looks like Raccoon, like real Raccoons, just don't learn very well.
Guess we're up to Round 3 between Kodama and Raccoon and it's all over... love? Twisted love, but...
Oh, who am I kidding? You can't call THAT love, no way! But... eh? Raccoon wants to call George something new now... boss? How that turns out I'll leave for you to see... really... you have to see this.
Moving along now.

Episode 5 - The Pursuit
That's it. I'm closing up here. No more secrets for now.
When we return with Volume 2 I'll recap and we'll see where we stand as of here.
But with only 5 episodes down and 21 or so to go? Things are just heating up it seems.

Optional Extras
Collectible Mini Cell - They've been doing this extra a lot lately in the Region 1 releases... not sure if they've been doing it for the Region 2's though (Witch Hunter Robin and Infinite Ryvius being two good examples of this particular extra in use).

Color me curious but while I do like this extra a whole lot? I would have liked some DVD extras as well... maybe a Making of bio-mini, or some background on the original 1961 film Yojimbo for those of us who didn't see it. Something.

Kaze no Yojimbo Breakdown the 1st
What's Hot? - When I first heard of this I was hoping I'd be able to review it because it comes from excellent lineage. Based on a masterpiece by Akira Kurosawa? The potential this Anime had because of this would be great -- and the disasters it could face if it fell short of expectations would equally be great.
Face it. We're talking a big level of pressure for this Anime to live up to it's predecessor. The movie it's based on is one of those Essentials of Japanese cinema you need to get in on. So, in retrospect, does the Anime also achieve this level of strength in storytelling, visuals and overall "delivery" from just these first five episodes? Is it not only a series fans of the original can watch, but also something that will appeal to (and be easily grasped by) people who might not have seen the original movie before?
I say it delivers in spades and not only is watchable if you're a fan of the works of Akira Kurosawa, but highly watchable if you're like me, and a complete newbie to his works. If I can get into it then by all means you should also have no problem getting hooked on it.

What's Not? - Nothing. Solidly done, and produced from writing to animation it's a good piece of work.
Definitely a series that you should check out ASAP. I know it should be up for this year's Best of 2004, and no doubt it'll have a good shot at winning Best Maxi-Series or Ongoing Anime Series for the year.

Moments to Remember? - A lot of it is highly memorable. A series that compliments the master Akira Kurosawa's work. Nicely done.

What to Ignore? - Nothing. It's all good... oh, wait. Yeah. There is ONE thing. And that is the fact that this series seems to lack any optional extras. That is just so weird. A series like this and no extras? I would have at least expected a bit of info on the original Yojimbo, and it's two known "inspired incarnations" (the spaghetti western A Fistful of Dollars and Bruce Willis' Last Man Standing). I am hoping next DVD will do better in the extras dept. but I'm guessing that's a no.
Too bad. BANDAI is great with that sort of thing too, and I usually have lots to say about their extras.

Overall? - After seeing this it makes me wonder who has the rights to the original 1961 Yojimbo and if we'll ever see it released on DVD... maybe it's already available? Does anyone know if it's available?
Ok. Overall. Well after reviewing the first five episodes? It starts out strong and I have only praise for this series. Good work from writing and plot, to animation and overall feel. Music, story, etc. All good.
Now if they only would port it over to Region 2 then you'd be able to see it as well.

-- David Rasmussen 2nd Dec 04

Kaze No Yojimbo Images