I hadn’t even heard of this Japanese adaption of the Manga with the same name until I saw it at Five Star Laser in San Gabriel and picked it up, and I am quite glad I did. The effects might stand up to an American film, but they are adequate to the task, and makes for an enjoyable Wuxia style Chambara film. The characters are fun, and Kou Shibasaki is damn cute even if her original character is supposed to be a bow, and not a woman hiding herself as a man until she can revenger her parents and find a great man to be her husband. The New Zealand landscapes give this a fresh look, and this movie is just. And it is cool to be able to pull off a limb and have a sword inside of your, and then be able to put the hand back and have it work. Nice. I am so looking forward to the 2 sequels to this enjoyable popcorn action film.

The film strangely is set in the future while the manga was set in the Ancient Songoku period, and that is where this seems to be, except in a magical version of the past. The world is at constant war, and one clan is losing badly, so its surviving leader Kagemitsu Daigo (Kiichi Nakai) spends the night in a temple filled with the depictions of 48 demons, where the monk who carved them went mad. Daigo makes a deal with the demons that he will give them his unborn son, so they can carve him up and use his body parts, and they will grant him the world, and Daigo agrees, getting a lightning burned cross shaped scar in the process. We then cut 16 years into the future, and a female thief dressed as a boy and living with no name (Kou Shibasaki) steals some guys purses and runs into a bar, where a warrior who pulls off his hands and has swords under them is battling a spider demon. The man is Hyakkimaru sometimes know as Dororo (meaning little monster) [Satoshi Tsumabuki] and once he defeats the demon, his leg falls off and cumbles to dust, and then causing him great pain his leg grows back. The girl follows him, and talks to a story teller he knows, who tells her Hyakkimaru’s story.

REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS…

A wizard named Jukai (Yoshio Harada) who had discovered the ability to use dead limbs to recreate new limbs for the injured found the child in a basket going down the river, and saved it, realizing it was alive though it had no limbs or eyes or organs, and he collected the bodies of many dead children and used them to create the body for Hyakkimaru. And he taught him to use his mouth when he spoke, and look around when he looked, because the new organs were functional, but did not help him speak or see. And Jukai placed a demon fighting sword that he got from the storyteller inside one of his arms, and covered it with the replacement hand, and put another blade in his other arm, so he could defeat demons, and he trained him in martial arts. When Hyakkimaru had gotten older he came home one day to find the man he called his father, Jukai, wounded and dieing, and Jukai made him promise not to ever use the healing powers he has learned, and to destroy the house so that the magic could never fall into the wrong hands, and he also tells the boy he is not his father. Hyakkimaru then set out to defeat the 48 demons that had taken his body parts, and when he killed them, his original parts would be returned, and while he has the demon parts he regenerates from his wounds, though his original parts can be damaged once they are returned.

The thief then runs after Hyakkimaru and decides to join him, and even steals his name Dororo for herself. She wants to stick with Hyakkimaru until he defeats the demons and drops his demon killing sword, so she can take it and kill the evil Daigo who murdered her Father and Mother and her whole village, and whom she has sworn revenge on. Hyakkimaru doesn’t want to take this woman dressed as a man who is now called Dororo with him, but eventually he agrees, and the two go out and slay more and more of his demons, gaining back more of his humanity, until they come upon Daigo’s land.

The two split up and head into the city, and Hyakkimaru ends up in a fight and catching the eye of a well to do young man named Tahoumaru (Eita, wow some Japanese have only one name too?!??!?!?), who decides to take him back to Daigo castle and introduce his family. At the Castle Hyakkimaru meets Tahoumaru’s mother, who freaks out and calls him Tahoumaru, Hyakkimaru touches her and in his mind sees the whole story of how she is his mother, and how his father gave him to the demons to be ripped to pieces, and Hyakkimaru quickly leaves. He goes to find Dororo, and he tells her that they can no longer travel together because he is the son of her mortal enemy, even if he hates his father for what he did. Dororo leaves, but is obviously upset, but she can’t go, and returns because she cares for Hyakkimaru, and says that she will give up her revenge if he also gives up his.

Hyakkimaru’s mother tries to go find him, but Tahoumaru stops her, and sets out to kill his brother who has his own name. Hyakimaru doesn’t want to hurt him, but a broken sword goes into his neck and kills him. Then the mother and Daigo show up, and the mother tries to stop her husband from killing her only living son Hyakkimaru, but instead Daigo kills her and tries to kill his son, but he is outmatched. Daigo them makes a deal with the demons to resserect his son in exchanged for giving his whole body to the demons, and he agrees. The demon takes over Daigo, but he fights it and stabs it, allowing Hyakimaru the chance to kill him and gain back his heart.

The now living Tahoumaru wants Hyakkimaru to become king, but Hyakkimaru must finish his quest first so he takes off, and meets up with Dororo who is running away, and tells her that they will go together to get the last 24 demons. She starts to cry, but then attacks him and tells him she will not be a woman yet (though she obviously loves him) and they head off and see the ocean together for the first time.

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A really enjoyable popcorn action film, with some good characters and some sometimes cheesy effects, but for this film I think they work. I rate this film highly and think it should be watched, and the Chinese DVD is inexpensive and looks pretty damn good.