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Mikogami Trilogy

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    Ian Jane
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  • Mikogami Trilogy

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    Released by: Animeigo
    Released on: 12/4/2007
    Director: Kazuo Ikehiro
    Cast: Yoshio Harada, Atsuo Nakamura, Ryunosuke Minegeshi
    Year: 1972 - 1973
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    The Movie:

    Animegio previously release the three films that tell the story of a wandering Yakuza solider named Jokichi of Mikogami as individual releases but for those who missed out, they're also compiled the three discs into a hand boxed set. Let's take a look at the trilogy, which was adapted from the manga originally created by Saho Sasazawa:

    The Trail Of Blood:

    The first film to introduce us to Jokichi of Mikogami (Yoshio Harada) follows this drifter and sword for hire as he leaves his criminal past behind and tries to start over. After saving a woman who he found in need of help, he settles down with her and after they get married, she bares him a son. Three years later, however, Jokichi's past comes back to haunt him in a big way when the gangs who he shamed by saving the woman who would become his wife track them down with vengeance on their minds - and vengeance is just what they get when they slaughter his wife and child.

    These gangsters, members of the Chogoro clan, aren't stupid, however - they know that Jokichi is one of the fasted swordsmen in the land and that this will obviously pose a problem for them. To help out in this regard, they hire a prostitute to pose as a helpless woman and in turn break their own code of conduct in order to snare him in a trap. Thankfully Jokichi doesn't have to go at this alone when he joins forces with a petty thief and a one-eyed swordsman who is just as deft with his blade as Jokichi himself.

    Though it doesn't move as quickly as the two films that would follow it nor does it reach their almost delirious heights of carnage, The Trail Of Blood is a brooding and intense film with a nice atmosphere and a great lead performance from its star. Yoshio Harada, who continues to be a regular in Japanese cinema, is perfect in the part, bringing a sense of menace to the part that works well. Jokichi is a dangerous man and once he decides that revenge is the only thing worth living for, all bets are off.

    The film is also rather beautiful to look at in certain spots. Director Kazuo Ikehiro, who would helm the entire trilogy, ensures that the Japanese countryside where the film plays out is photographed quite romantically and there's a welcome attention to detail evident in the sets and wardrobe that the filmmakers and their crew created for this picture. Trail Of Blood isn't the best of the three films, but it sets things up nicely for what would come shortly afterwards.

    Fearless Avenger:

    This 1972 sequel (or, follow up film) made the same year as The Trail Of Blood more or less picks up where that film left off. Our hero, Jokichi, is angry after the events that took place earlier in his story and so when we catch up to him this time around he's Hell bent on getting back at the sinister Chogoro. Unfortunately for Jokichi, he makes a few false steps, his assassination attempt fails miserably and he winds up getting caught by the local yakuza chapter.

    Thankfully, Jokichi has a little bit of luck on his side, at least, and the boss, Juzaburo, decides to spare his miserable life because he knows that if he has Jokichi killed, it'll mess up some plans that his gang has for a formal commemoration ceremony. Jokichi, with no one but himself to depend on, heads back into town and soon meets up with Umezo, a different yakuza boss. Umezo knows of Jokichi's skill with a sword and so he hires him to work as a bodyguard for Juzaburo's daughter, the lovely Oyuki. Jokichi agrees but soon learns that his task will be much harder than he was originally lead to believe and before long, his archenemy, Chogoro, is back in the picture and Jokichi rekindles his thirst for blood and vengeance.

    It takes a few minutes to figure out just what exactly is going on if you haven't been lucky enough to catch Trail Of Blood, but after the opening fifteen minute salvo it becomes fairly clear that the plot for The Fearless Avenger really isn't that difficult to latch on to. It's a fairly straightforward tale of revenge and betrayal and if you're willing to deal with the potential confusion that the beginning of the movie could confront you with, you'll find yourself easily immersed in Jokichi's quest. If the story doesn't pull you in, the hyper-violence and sleaze factor will. This is a fast paced and bloody film that is almost on par with the Lone Wolf And Cub movies in terms of how much red stuff is splashed across the screen (though there isn't nearly as much arterial spray here). It's all set to an appropriately funky sounding seventies score that would be more at home in a blaxploitation film than you'd think it would be in a period samurai movie, but it works even when it shouldn't.

    Fast paced almost to a fault, The Fearless Avenger wastes little time getting into the thick of the action. Yoshio Harada (who attentive viewers might recognize from the second Lady Snowblood movie or more recently from Ryuhei Kitamura's Azumi) does a fine job of carrying the movie. He's tough enough that we can believe him in the action scenes that the film relies on but he's also able to bring enough legitimate sympathy to the role that we can also accept him in the more dramatic moments that are scattered throughout the picture.

    Those aforementioned dramatic moments never last all that long, however, as this is an action movie through and through. The combat and swordplay scenes are usually group events with various characters slicing and dicing their way through the competition but a few smaller scale swordplay scenes are equally effective. Plenty of grizzly looking men scowl and grunt their way through the picture, while dainty and pretty girls cower in fear and hope to not get raped. It's all very primitive and base, but underneath the exploitative elements is a very well shot film that mixes some interesting politics and even a bit of humor into its story. The quaint Japanese countryside is captured quite nicely by Kazuo Miyagawa (who also shot the Lone Wolf And Cub movies which would explain why they have a similar look), as is the seaside. The interior scenes are appropriately claustrophobic. A scene in which our hero saves his employer from a roaming stallion is quite dramatic with the camera switching from the horse's point of view to that of the maiden about to be trampled. The story remains open ended when the film is finished, despite a fantastic battle royale that makes up the finale. The third (and final) part of Jokichi's take is told in…

    Slaughter In The Snow:

    The third and final film in the series, released to theaters in 1973, brings the story to a close as Jokichi continues his search for Kunisada Chuji who he intends to kill. Kunisada, well aware that his life is in great danger, his hired a master knife thrower known as Windmill Kobunji to kill Jokichi.

    After a game of cat and mouse, Kobunji and Jokichi finally confront one another in the dead of winter at Sasago Pass. Complicating things is the fact that the clan of a woman Jokichi saved are after his hide as well, while in an odd twist of fate, Kobunji winds up rescuing a woman named Oharu, a wealthy lady whose husband runs a successful inn. Things are going to get very complicated before they get any better for our hero.

    This is a solid conclusion to a great trilogy of film but you can't help but feel like there should have been a fourth film made in the series. The ending doesn't quite have the levity you'd hope for and it leaves a few relationships ill defined and a few characters underdeveloped. What it does deliver, however, is some beautifully bloody scenes of swordplay and carnage all shot with style to spare. Jokichi is given lots of room to play here, deftly dealing with his foes as only an expert swordsman can, while Kobunju's very different style serves as a nice visual and metaphorical contrast for what the two characters experience.

    The film doesn't move quite as quickly as the second chapter but it makes up for that with geysers of arterial spray, the likes of which would make Itto Ogami swell with pride. The violence is operatic and over the top but it fits perfectly in the context of the violent world these characters inhabit. Like the two films that came before it, Slaughter In The Snow is also a very nice looking film - it's well shot and rather romantic looking and the small problem with the script are more than made up for by the excellent action sequences and the strong performances from all involved.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    The 2.35.1 anamorphic transfers are good ones. Aside from some mild edge enhancement and a tiny shimmer here and there, the picture quality isn't bad, though some interlacing is noticeable. There is a fair bit of mild film grain evident in some scenes but there's almost no print damage at all and the colors look quite good on the widescreen image. The black levels stay strong and deep from start to finish and the flesh tones look very lifelike and very natural. The picture is very sharp and quite detailed in both the foreground and the background and overall this film looks quite good on DVD though there are spots where the picture is a little bit on the soft side and the contrast looks a little boosted.

    The Japanese language Dolby Digital Mono soundtracks on these DVD come through with excellent clarity and doesn't suffer from any hiss, distortion, or feedback. There is some of the flatness associated with older mono tracks but that's to be expected and in terms of overall clarity, this mix is top notch. There aren't any issues with understanding the performers and Animeigo once again earns high marks for adding little cultural notes to their subtitles that help Anglo viewers such as myself better understand some of the intricacies of the plot that might get lost during the translation or go unnoticed due to cultural differences. Having these notes available is a definite asset to the presentation and it would be ideal if more companies that release Japanese films, especially those set in feudal times.

    While this is hardly a super deluxe special edition, it isn't completely barebones either. Lurking deep within the confines of its menu system of each disc you'll find a few trailers, some interactive program notes in text format, and a modest still gallery. Nothing to write home about, but it is something and we all know that something is better than nothing.

    The Final Word:

    Violent, gripping, exciting and dramatic, The Mikogami Trilogy should belong on the shelf of anyone with even a passing interest in Samurai or period Yakuza films. Animeigo's boxed set release is light on extras but it presents all three films uncut and nicely restored while the films themselves are uniformly excellent.
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