sword of the stranger

a boy and his dog...



a group of chinese warriors, representing a ming dynasty emperor, are in japan. they are paying vast sums of money to a clan; firstly to build a large, ceremonial altar, secondly to capture a young boy. the boy, and his dog, team up with a wandering samurai and attempt to escape the clutches of the chinese...

after working as an animator on the likes of 'cowboy bebop', 'metropolis' and 'ghost in the shell', masahiro ando takes the directors chair for his first feature. the film is pretty traditional in form and subject, but is nicely executed and an engaging watch. there's plenty of action, some beautiful animation and it pretty much ticks all the boxes you want ticking when you start watching such a film.

nothing spectacular, but good stuff...