AoD Review: Kaze no Yojimbo Vol. #6

[Chris Beveridge]

Review

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In Summary:
Kaze no Yojimbo has been a hard series to watch because it required a lot of patience and a lot of setup both in the past and the present to be done. In looking back at it there are certain areas that could have been cut out or streamlined but I don't know that it would have actually improved the pacing of the show just because there is so much. With a good number of the people in the town complicit in the events of the past, there had to be a fair amount of examination of the key figures to it and then the forces that are exerted upon them in the present day to really have it all sink in. It's easy to see that this isn't a show that's going to have a lot of fans and I doubt it did well in Japan either, but it's a show that's great to display just how wide and varied the medium really is. There are no super-villains here, or buxom babes in skintight clothes, aliens or harem girls. It's a solid mystery series that's more layered than it lets on at the beginning and it got me very caught up in it.

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[crion]

This was the most interesting TV series I've seen come out in a while. Very much unlike the standard fare that proliferates these days, it was like a breath of fresh air. That being said, some episodes we could do without (i.e. most of disc 2).

[itsuka]

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crion said:
This was the most interesting TV series I've seen come out in a while. Very much unlike the standard fare that proliferates these days, it was like a breath of fresh air. That being said, some episodes we could do without (i.e. most of disc 2).

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I agree very much with those sentiments, it has been an interesting ride. And despite my fear in the beginning especially after seeing the opening titles that the schoolgirl would be used for dumbing things down, she luckily kept her place, which was not too much on the foreground. Very well done, scriptwriter(s).

And what a storyline... I haven't seen the last disc yet, but it definitely was a wonderful convoluted mystery plot, with a lot of atmosphere as added bonus. Too bad we don't get much anime like this. And why do I feel like a minority for liking it so much?

[MalrocK]

I just watched vols. 2 - 5 this weekend and they got me all pumped to see how the final volume ends [img]/images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif[/img]. This is a really stylish show that doesn't get much attention. It really is a hidden gem. I can't wait to get volume 6. More people really need to give this show a shot. Plus Miyuki is hot. <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>I hope she doesn't die. The next episode preview makes it seem like she does. The ending I'm really hoping for is her and George leaving together for Tokyo. That would rock</span>

[MalrocK]

This show was fantastic [img]/images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif[/img]. Especially the last volume which I would grade an A +. Granted, a lot of that score prolly comes from the fact that we get to see Miyuki naked (complete with nipple action) but that's neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is that it was great. I absolutely love shows where <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>where every character gets what they deserve. Everyone that took part in George's brother's death and the stealing of the gold got punished, whether it was death or being sent to prison. I love stuff like that [img]/images/graemlins/catgirl0.gif[/img]</span>. George was such an awesome character also, great to see a show where the lead isn't a pussy and actually has some brain cells in his head. My only disappointment was <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>I was hoping that Miyuki would go to Tokyo with George. She has nothing left in the town, her mom's dead and her father's in jail. She lost her house and her fathers fortune was gone too. There was no reason for her to stay there and yet she didn't go to George at the train station, which he was kind of expecting [img]/images/graemlins/cry00000.gif[/img]. I don't get it</span>. That was my only complaint, to an otherwise perfect disc in a great show. Good stuff.

[slerch666]

She <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>didn't go with George, I think, because he was to blame for the majority of the shit that went down. Sure, he didn't kill her family, but as a result of him showing up and investigating, she is now basically parentless. Her removing the bow from the tree is symbolic of her letting it go.</span>

I didn't like that about the ending either, but it WAS based on the Yojimbo character that Kurosawa did, and <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>if you've seen the movie, you know he leaves town totally alone, though I don't recall him "hookin' up" in the movie either.</span>

It's too bad way too many people are over looking this series. It's one of a few sleeper hits that were released or began release last year. I put it on the overlooked pedistal with Figure 17... though I liked F17 more. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[MalrocK]

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slerch666 said:
She <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>didn't go with George, I think, because he was to blame for the majority of the shit that went down. Sure, he didn't kill her family, but as a result of him showing up and investigating, she is now basically parentless. Her removing the bow from the tree is symbolic of her letting it go.</span>


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Ah, I didn't even notice that [img]/images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif[/img]. What was the bow on the tree for again? It was way back on volume 1 so I forgot [img]/images/graemlins/sweat000.gif[/img]

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I didn't like that about the ending either, but it WAS based on the Yojimbo character that Kurosawa did, and <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>if you've seen the movie, you know he leaves town totally alone, though I don't recall him "hookin' up" in the movie either.</span>

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True, I knew it was going to end that way because like you said, in the Yojimbo movie <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>he comes in alone &amp; leaves alone</span> but I was kinda hoping and half expecting for them to change that. It still pisses me off.

[slerch666]

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Itsuka said:
And why do I feel like a minority for liking it so much?

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Probably because not many people seem interested in the series at all. Anyone I've said anything to about it basically stares at me with a blank look and blinks. Idiots all.

I rated it positive and positive. Every series seems to have some sort of filler episodes, it felt like even the filler was decent enough. Could have been done in less episodes (say 20-22, though no series I know of does that if it's on TV), but hey, whatever, it's still a damn fine show overall.

[slerch666]

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Malrock said:
Ah, I didn't even notice that [img]/images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif[/img]. What was the bow on the tree for again? It was way back on volume 1 so I forgot [img]/images/graemlins/sweat000.gif[/img]

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The bow had something to do with them being together, or whoever ties a bow on the tree would be with the person they tied it to the tree with forever, or something "romantic" along those lines.

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True, I knew it was going to end that way because like you said, in the Yojimbo movie <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>he comes in alone &amp; leaves alone</span>. It still pisses me off though.

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I don't know, I can't say the ending pissed me off. I've seen plenty of series that have had the <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>really happy ending</span>, but this ending the way it did felt like it, I don't know, fit.

I put the spoiler tag in there so as to not possibly ruin the ending for anyone as it hints at what to expect from the ending. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[Chris Beveridge]

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slerch666 said:
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Itsuka said:
And why do I feel like a minority for liking it so much?

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Probably because not many people seem interested in the series at all. Anyone I've said anything to about it basically stares at me with a blank look and blinks. Idiots all.


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It's series like this that make me glad that I do try to watch most everything and that I do finish what I start. I would have skipped over this myself easily based on the solicitations for it and what little trailer material there was, but instead got treated to a really fun series. It had its ups and downs, but it had some truly amazing episodes, such as Rin's introduction into the series, the set up itself and a couple of other episodes that were just phenomenal.