Tôkaidô obake dôchû

'100 monsters' was an enjoyable, well made horror film that struggled somewhat with a lumbering pace. 'Spook warfare,' or 'The great yokai war,' was a surprisingly entertaining blend of dark fantasy and horror with a more playful levity. With the same folks behind these returning for the third entry in the series we are assured of the same level of quality, and the only question is what tone the tale will strike. As the title begins I think it becomes evident fairly quickly that it leans more toward the plainly serious side of things, like the first film, albeit while bearing remnants of the lighter edge seen in the second. 'Along with ghosts' sees the somber side borne out through a more substantial plot that carries harsh undertones, while the gentler side is seen in the sense of adventure characterizing the narrative as Miyo and Hyakasuro travel the countryside, and in the role of the titular spirits in serving as protectors of the land after a fashion. There's definitely a broad mix of flavors here, but I don't think there's much arguing that the picture's worth speaks for itself. Like its predecessors this may not demand viewership, but it's well deserving on its own merits.

It's very noteworthy that in this case the focus on plot and adventure translates to a little more of a straightforward period piece, with more action centering human characters and less emphasis on the yokai. The supernatural element doesn't even meaningfully crop up until a little less than halfway through, and still only arises only in fragments. Be that as it may the overall thrust of the proceedings remains, and the result is highly enjoyable. The sets are gorgeous and filled with outstanding detail; the filming locations are beautiful as we get select eyefuls. The stunts, effects, and action-oriented moments all look terrific - and once the fantasy rolls around, the imaginative puppetry and costume design are a delight. Meanwhile, Tetsuro Yoshida penned a compelling story of criminals roaming the countryside and a young girl seeking her father, and there's some especial small brilliance in the scene writing to consistently provide bursts of invigoration, including delicious tinges of horror. The direction and cinematography both reflect keen intelligence in capitalizing on all the minutiae in a given moment and making each as meaningful as they could be, and the cast likewise give admirable performances to bring the saga to vibrant life.

I do think there's an argument to be made that 'Along with ghosts' is marginally more scattered than its antecedents simply owing to the variety of aspects there are to the narrative. Effectively produced alongside the previous two films in Daiei's 'Yokai monsters' trilogy, there's no mistaking that the entities are reduced to supporting characters this time around, and mostly quite minor ones for that matter until the climax. Even setting that aside, there's a marked variability in tone here, with major facets of drama, action, horror, adventure, and humor cropping up in turn. Still, a complete narrative is imparted, and it's absorbing and satisfying when all is said and done. To whatever extent there are imperfections here, they are outweighed much more than not by the earnest skill, care, and intelligence that was poured into every corner. The end result may have benefited from more focus, but even as it stands this 1969 movie is really fun, and its strengths - including even the less prominent horror - outshine its weaknesses. It's not a feature one needs to go out of their way to see, but if you do have the chance to watch Along with ghosts' is a good time all on its own and earns a solid recommendation.

The first yokai movie, 100 Monsters, didn't have enough monsters for my liking, and the second film, The Great Yokai War, featured a pair of irritating kids and was aimed at a much younger audience. The final film, Yokai Monsters: Along with Ghosts, doesn't feature many monsters AND it features a cute little kid, but I actually found it to be the best in the trilogy, with a much stronger story, better fight scenes and a creepier atmosphere.

When members of the Higuruma crime syndicate ambush men carrying an incriminating document, they also kill Jinbei (Bokuzen Hidari), the elderly guardian of the Onizuka shrine, ignoring his warning that they will be cursed for spilling blood on sacred ground. Witness to the murders is seven year old Miyo (Masami Furukido), granddaughter of Jinbei, who runs into the woods with the document, pursued by the killers. With his dying breath, Jinbei tells Miyo to go to Yui to find her father. Meanwhile, ronin Hyakutaro (Kôjirô Hongô) is out to avenge his master's murder by the Higuruma thugs.

Most of the film revolves around Miyo trying to avoid capture, her search for her father, and Hyakutaro's vendetta, with very little time dedicated to silly spook shenanigans, and to be honest, the film is all the better for it: there's no puerile comedy and the monsters, when they do appear, are far more menacing than before. I still wouldn't go so far as to say that this is an unmissable classic of Japanese cinema, but it is a far more satisfying film than the others in the trilogy, delivering excitement, danger, pathos and a cute child character that isn't annoying.

Unlike Daiei Film's previous two 'yôkai' films (Yôkai hyaku monogatari (1968) and Yôkai daisensô (1968)), the monsters/ghosts/apparitions are not the central characters in this tale. Instead, we get a reasonably interesting samurai/gangster story about a crime boss trying to recover an incriminating document that was found by a little girl who is trying to find the father who abandoned her when she was born. The boss' henchmen kill an old man at prayer (the girl's grandfather), a desecration that arouses anger in the spirit world. The cursed gang-members are tormented by the yôkai as well as pursued by a rival gangster whose boss was murdered at the shrine. The entire supernatural subtext seems to be an afterthought and certainly is not necessary to the actual story. Lacking the permeating hallucinatory imagery of the first two 'yôkai' films, "Along with Ghosts" (Tôkaidô obake dôchû), while watchable, is not nearly as original or entertaining.

This is a movie about his an old caretaker of a shrine that gets killed during a gang ambush. His granddaughter that is 7 years old is the witness and may possess something the gang wants. So a hunt for the little girl starts while she travels to another town to try to find her father....

I found this to be an eerie combination of moody hauntings and dark forests, some quite okay fighting scenes, and a quite cute small girl. I found this movie closer to scary than the first two movies, even though you did not see the monsters so much. Camera work and story I found clearly upgraded from the two first movies. Acting was also quite good.

If you wants to see lots of monsters/spirits I would say the 2 first movies are more for you.

Who would I recommend it to? People that like supernatural things combined with some fighting. Though if you do not like 7 years old girls that is sweeter than sugar then it is possible you will hate it. The monsters are for me more scary and better than in the two first, but for our time expecting it to be true horror is maybe expecting too much. But I am happy I saw this movie as I found it much better than expected.

I found this to be the weakest in the trilogy because I found this to be pretty plain. The story isn't that impressive with criminals trying to track down a little girl who has some kind of documents that want while she is trying to find her missing father. It gets pretty repetitive with them catching up with her and her getting away from them. I didn't find the plot all that interesting and is predictable on who the girl real father is. As for the yokai, they barely appear in the movie at all, and their actions happen pretty quickly to leave an impact. Also, a lot of the actions aren't suspenseful or intense.

The movie also isn't bizarre or interesting compared to the previous movies because the yokai barely appears, and most of the weird stuff isn't that memorable.

Along with Ghosts is the weakest in the trilogy that I didn't enjoy at all, and the first two movies are more enjoyable than this one.