Sutorenja Mukoh Hadan

Title:Sutorenja Mukoh Hadan
Stranger -Mukou Hadan-
Sword of the Stranger
ストレンヂア -無皇刃譚-
Overall:Rent
Keywords: , , , , , , ,
Notables: Animation - BONES
R1 License - Bandai (Defunct)
The Mings (Chinese) come to a remote part of Sengoku-era feudal Japan with money to buy the cooperation of the locals, and fierce warriors to subdue those they can't buy. One of the things they need for their secret plan is the young boy, Kotaro, who goes into hiding in the countryside with his dog Tobimaru. Cornered in their hiding place by the Mings, they are saved by a wandering samurai who calls himself "Nanashi" ("nameless") who is haunted by nightmares of his violent past. The three of them are forced to discover the Ming's dreadful purpose in a conflict that pits the best swordsmen of Japan and China against each other.

Directed by Masahiro Andu.
Produced by BONES studios.
98min Movie.

2009 AnimeReactor Award winner for Best Animation/Artwork and Best Action

30sec - Movie Trailer - YouTube Vid
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Watch 9 10 9 6 5 Ggultra2764 [series:1867#1552]
Meh, another anime movie with more style than substance. The visual presentation for Sword of the Stranger is a treat featuring fluid and brutal-looking battle scenes, as well as depicting realistic details in the designs of its settings and characters. Too bad the plot and characters for the movie are too cliched for their own good considering the movie has a lone-wolf swordsman overcoming his dark past as the lead character, a young boy he must protect, evil foreigners desiring the boy for mystical purposes, the enemy's lead swordsman being your typical "seeking a worthy foe"-type character and enough bloody goodness and dismemberment coming from the various sword fights and a couple torture scenes. Unless you are seeking this movie out just to watch the action scenes, don't waste your time with Sword of the Stranger as its plot and characters have been done enough in other anime titles I've seen in the past.

Last updated Wednesday, January 18 2012. Created Wednesday, January 18 2012.
Rent Jan-Chan [series:1867#967]
Granted I saw this a while ago, and while this is a fun little movie, I just was not that impressed with it. And I think my feelings might be share by others - as the awards are not for best movie, best main character or villain.

So if you are into samurai movies with fast sword action, mondo combat scenes and a lot of good animation, then this might be a title for you. But be aware, the story is a bit weak.

I can accept a tale about a band of evil Chinese mystics attempting to awaken a prophesied power. But the Mings's ace swordsmen are a bit too simple – as in stereotypical, bland, average, ordinary and mundane. And the good guy, with his lone wolf samurai character, has been done too many times before. Given that so much creativity was invested in the animation, why not invest a bit more and offer a creative script with some truly interesting characters.

The end result is a title that is easily well worth the watch, but I don’t know if I would want to buy it. If you are new to samurai titles, then check out the (26-ep) Basilisk series, or perhaps the movie: Ninja Scroll. For great animation in a 100min story format, there is always the stunning Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

But if you have already seen these titles, then this one can offer a quick evening’s distraction.

Last updated Thursday, May 14 2009. Created Wednesday, May 13 2009.
Rent 8 9 9 7 7 chibi [series:1867#2380]
Good action movie with lots of swordplay and associated blood and body parts. Very detailed and beautifully drawn backgrounds. The character designs were a bit on the simple side, but they fit the characters, and they moved very well during the action scenes, with good choreography of the battle. I'd have given this a Buy except that the story line was fairly shallow, with not much depth to the characters' motivations or context and weak interaction.

Last updated Saturday, July 12 2008. Created Saturday, July 12 2008.

Other Sites
NameURL
Japanese (language) Movie Web Site http://www.stranja.jp/
English Language Movie Web Site http://stranger.bandai-ent.com/

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