Another 4 episodes of the Television incarnation of the amazing blind masseuse swordsman Zatoichi as played by and directed by the great Katsu Shintaro. Damn if he isn’t good at opening his eyes to show the whites in his eyes. Zatoichi is one of the most famous samurai characters of all time with his trademark sword cane and his lower handed fighting style that is a true style. It is also amazing that while Katsu-Shin didn’t direct most of the films (only some of the TV series and the final film), he did choreograph almost all of the fight scenes, and that is what Zatoichi fans love so much, seeing his lighting fast sword get drawn and swing into action, writing wrongs and helping the innocent.

REVIEW CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS…

Episode 14: FIGHTING JOURNEY WITH BABY IN TOW. A group of shady characters, one of whom has a grudge against Zatoichi, and a scar across his neck to prove it are out to kill him. Zatoichi takes a ride in a carriage, but when they pass a sick woman with her baby, he gives her the ride, so the men attack and kill the woman, and Ichi ends up taking the baby to find the baby’s father who was a silk merchant. On the way he gets a female thief to help him take care of the baby, and she is reluctant, but warms up to the baby and especially to Ichi. Ichi is mean with her to get her to leave, because she would have a bad life with him, and tries to return the baby, but the father is now a gang leader an a bastard, and refuses to accept the baby and even attacks Ichi, and eventually he ends up killing him, leaving the baby with a priest and leaving the woman to walk off on his own.

EPISODE 15: FESTIVAL SONG OF THE RAVEN In the fog after leaving a Casino Ichi is attacked, but when he hears one man beg for his life for his sick wife and child, Ichi spares him and gives him 10 gold pieces to return home, but says he will come to the sweat saki shop to see if he was lying. As soon as Ichi leaves though a rough Yakuza who the men were actually looking for comes by and kills the man and takes his charm as well as Ichi’s Ama (masseuse) whistle. Ichi arrives at the Saki shop to find the wife dyeing, but he likes the kid and the sister and stays in the town working with the Yakuza there and their kind boss. Some of the brothers of the men Ichi killed show up to kill him, and want to the boss to give him up, but he refuses, so they blame Ichi for the death of the husband, but Ichi tells the truth that he didn’t do it, and ends up fighting the evil villain who actually killed the father and proving his innocence.

EPISODE 16 BURNING SUNSET IN A BRIDAL PASS has Ichi returning to a village where he has treated a girl once ever 3 years since she was 12, and he happens to arrive on her happy wedding day. On the way to the wedding the corrupt official hijacks the wedding and arrests the groom. He also plans on raping the girl. There is an assassin working for him as well, who keeps telling Ichi to leave. When rumors of an official inspection come the official hides the good at the girl’s father’s house and tries to kill the groom, but the assassin turns out to be an undercover and he and Ichi save the day. The guy would like to arrest Ichi, but knows he can’t and he sneaks off.

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A great series of episodes. I love Ichi. He is so damn cool. The Kitano Takeshi version was a good one of his films, but was just not a Zatoichi film.