The Yin-Yang Master

Contrary to some of the more unfavorable comments, this is Japanese movie, has nothing to do with the Chinese genre of wuxia or martial hero movie, and does not prominently feature martial arts. Instead, it is a movie about an Onmyoji or Master or Yin and Yang, an ancient Japanese master of the occult arts, including exorcism, necromancy, foreknowledge, etc. The recreation of these arts is quite authentic and the movie is suitable for use in the classroom to help students understand the jumble of Chinese Daoism and Indian Buddhism that made up Chinese esoteric learning for the early Japanese. The hero, Abe no Seimei, is played by a noted Noh actor. His style is arresting, so mannered that it might seem artificial. But in this performance it gives Seimei an otherworldly, superhuman air that ads mystery to the character. If you rent it on DVD, be sure to choose to hear it in Japanese with subtitles rather than in the dubbed version. Much of the magic depends on chants and spells and I can't imagine how they could have dubbed those. THis movie requires close attention to follow the story, but it is worth it. An engrossing story of a totally different world, where the fate of nations is determined by sorcerers and wrathful spirits, and imperial forces rely as much on exorcists and priests as on generals. Highly recommended.

The movie's main character Seimei Abe was a real 11th century historical figure, but his life is shrouded in mystery. He is known to be the master of Onmyodo, or the way of yin and yang. He appears as the good guy that protects the emperor and other people who he associates with in this movie.

The movie is a period piece, but it's arranged to look modern, and appeals to the young and old alike. Abe no Seimei (Mansai Nomura) must work in a society where supernatural forces were still part of its landscape. He is on call to solve supernatural problems that occurs to the nobilities of the time including the newly born emperor's son.

The movie is beautifully made. There aren't heavy action in this movie, but the entire story is a sequence of intriguing events. Abe no Seimei goes on a competition with another onmyoji, and proves that he's the top in his field. He's then sought after to solve mysterious occurrences around the palace.

Acting by Mansai Nomura is spot on as Abe no Seimei. Other actors are equally good in their supporting roles. Movie is shot beautifully, but lacks realism, and appears more like a fantasy.Seimei is an unusual hero who the closest equivalent might be Marvel's Dr. Strange. If you like mystic adventure, this movie is for you.

This Japanese period piece/fable/fantasy/comic-book adaption hybrid film was the second highest grossing movie of 2001, just behind the superb "Spirited Away". It's not as good as that aforementioned film. A fantasy that long to be epic, yet falls a tad bit short thanks to sub-par special effects. That's not to say it's not enjoyable, as it is. Very much so. Just that, for me, the effects turned a film that could have been great into one that's merely pretty good. That said I still look forward to viewing the sequel.

My Grade: B

Where i saw it: Showtime Beyond

I rented this movie expecting it to be cool in certain ways, which only goes to prove the old adage: never judge a DVD by its cover. Especially not in a dusty, abandoned corner of your local Blockbuster. In any case, Onmyouji was pretty much not-cool at all in any of the ways I had anticipated coolness; its wholly unique brand of cool came from somewhere else, somewhere unexpected, somewhere completely different. In the end, that's what won me over -- Onmyouji is the cool you just don't expect.

Most of that cool stems from the acting and, therefore, from the characters themselves; the former operating on multiple levels of "fantastic" and the latter managing to intrigue, amuse and inspire great fondness by the movie's conclusion. I think the main joy of watching Onmyouji is Nomura Mansai's stellar performance; you get the picture early on that he's the real deal. He moves like some otherworldly spirit gracing his audience with his at once delicate and wry presence; some sort of living embodiment of mono no aware with a smirking edge and quirky eyebrows. I felt instinctively that it was an honor just to be watching him on my living room TV.

Sanada Hiroyuki, while I felt sometimes that he'd stumbled onto the wrong set by accident and then figured "Hey, what the hell, maybe I'll get paid," delivered a wonderful performance as well. I was a fan of his before this movie, and I remain a fan.

The special effects and some of the stages may be a bit on the cheap side but part of me feels that it was an intentional super-awareness of the movie-as-a-stage. The whole film watched and felt like traditional Japanese theatre, and not just because of Nomura Mansai's traditional Japanese theatre aura. As some sort of wild throwback to Murasaki Shikibu's classic and the literary tropes of Heian court culture, this film is a definite winner. Listen not to the people who were expecting a grand and lavish cinematic spectacular; this movie wanted to look like a stage and so it created one, on which its excellent stage actors excelled.

An extraordinary period piece, Onmyoji masquerades as a simple fantasy morality tale, but it has many more layers than are immediately obvious. There's an enigmatic quality to the characters' relationships that actually makes the viewer think about what's taking place between the characters. Not only is it a strikingly beautiful film, but the performances are flawless all around. The story is fresh, the actors are interesting. With a couple of very minor exceptions, the special effects are interesting in a way that they often aren't in the standard American blockbuster. In some ways it's what Star Wars - wished- it were, but isn't. Now that Onmyoji is available on DVD, I hope it becomes more accessible in America. This film easily deserves the level of success attained by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon