the audience applauded

Nice effects though.

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This is the ninth in the series of Zatoichi the Blind Swordsman movies and I am sick of the generic titles. This one could've been titled Zatoichi's New Year instead. However, that wouldn't be right either. The new year is supposed to be promising and a time of celebration. This one is a let down and ends on a down note. It's not a good movie to watch for the new year.Zatoichi himself is upbeat in the beginning and wants to see the sunrise from Mt. Myogi for the new year. The local entertainers and merchants are upbeat about putting on a festival and making money. However, their optimism is soon doused by the local yakuza gang who brings a proclamation of exorbitant taxes by the corrupt tax official. They will barely make enough to survive, so some think of pulling out. Then Zatoichi is fortunate to be put up with three nice women in their room. He meets a lovely maiden who is looking for her father. Another is trying to protect her brother who got involved with the local gang and was set up as the patsy. Zatoichi is his usual self -- drinking sake, eating, gambling, giving massages, being humble and fighting and killing most of the bad guys.He later meets the town drunk who is crafty and tells him a tale to remind him of his own father. Could this old man be Zatoichi's long lost father? This story builds drama with interesting characters and a big cast, and it pulls you in, but I was expecting a much better ending. There's no payoff at the end despite Zatoichi seeing the sunrise as there are just too many unresolved emotions and loose ends.

Kimiyoshi Yasuda, who directed Zatoichi #5 ("On the Road") which is my least favorite of the bunch so far, returns for #9, generically titled/translated as Adventures of Zatoichi, which turned out to be my second least favorite Zatoichi film right after #5. This isn't the last Zatoichi film directed by Yasuda either, so I hope his later efforts will be better.With a title like Adventures of Zatoichi, you can only expect two things. Either the plot is so generic that they couldn't describe it any way else so they went with the most commonplace title possible, or this entry in the series actually has some fresh and imaginative, well, adventures, to offer. Unfortunately, the former approach is the case here. #9 just doesn't offer anything new to the table that already hasn't been explored in the series yet. Yes, we do have a fake-out concerning the where-abouts of Ichi's father, but aside from that, the only characters that make this film stand out are two comedians at the start. I also remember there were two kids in red kimonos in this movie. Yes, it didn't really stick in my memory.The music feels too loud and intrusive in this film, and the color work is, like in #5, pretty bland with endless variations of gray hues and dark spaces. There are some interesting compositions in the final 20 minutes, but aside from that, the film looks the same as it feels, as a cookie-cutter placeholder without much to offer.Highlight of this particular film would have to be the duel between Zatoichi and some villain in a snowy field, I think.

I love the Zatoichi movies, though I have found that because they made so many and the plots tended to blend together so often, it is hard to distinguish them apart. I would give all of them about the same score of a 7 or an 8--with a few exceptions (the return of the original in 1989 was a TERRIBLE and depressing movie, while the new Zatoichi movie starring Beat Takeshi is probably the best of any Zatoichi movies).Of the original Zatoichi films, this is probably my second favorite film. The two women he helps and the interconnectedness of their stories make this a much better than average blind swordsman movie. Give it a watch.

For those of who have viewed and enjoyed the first 8 films in the series, this entry doesn't have many surprises. Yet, I still enjoyed Adventures of Zatoichi thoroughly. The film's strength is in the fine ensemble of characters throughout. I especially enjoyed the two traditional comedians at the beginning of the film. In addition, the boss has two very interesting yojimbos. The newly hired yojimbo has to be one of the smartest in the complete series. After watching Zatoichi fight several times, he calmly informs Zatoichi that he has no desire to fight him because he isn't getting paid enough. He then amicably turns away and walks off into the mountains! The more senior yojimbo is unhappy with his prospects as a third son of a low ranking samurai. He shares this information over a few cups of sake that Zatoichi offers him. In the end, this is the big duel at the end of the film. The duel takes place at night, with swirling snow. It's a great scene.If you have seen a few entries in the series and are looking for something different, keep looking! If you like the formula of the series and haven't seen this entry yet, you should find this film very enjoyable.