Shogun Assassin 2: Lightning Swords of Death
Studio: Animeigo
WorkNameSort: Shogun Assassin 2: Lightning Swords of Death
A renamed (and dubbed) version of the rogue samurai classic Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades (the third in the ’70s ‘Lone Wolfâ?� series of films), Shogun Assassin 2 is, like the rest of the early entries, a dark and bloody film. Prostitution, torture, corrupt provincial officials and lots of ingenious dagger-hurling, swordplay and other miraculous bladework figure prominently, but it’s Tomisaburo Wakayama’s portrayal of the stoic, ruthless and seemingly invincible Ogami Itto (Lone Wolf) that helps the film transcend blatant hackery. The series is already well-known to aficionados of the genre, but the surprisingly solid language dubbing and occasional descriptive caption accent Animeigo’s beautiful scratch-free, high-resolution transfer, making this a recommended purchase for those who can’t be bothered to read subtitles.
This article appears in Mar 21-27, 2007.