Sakuya: yôkaiden

Much, much better than it sounds. This is not a great, ground-breaking movie, but it is highly enjoyable.

I bought this as an inexpensive VCD format movie, not expecting a great deal. But I was surprised to find it a kind of mangaesque fairytale come to life, in some style. I suppose this must have been made for a young audience, and I am an adult, but I enjoyed the story, visuals, and music.

Something else I also enjoyed--the absence of a smart-mouthed bratty kid, the kind that shows up in Hollywood movies, and is portrayed as a wonderful thing. Asian movies seem not to do that! HUZZAH! Like a lot of other Asian movies, this also emphasizes loyalty and family, something Hollywood seems to have largely forgotten during the last 40 years.

It's the year 1707. Mount Fuji erupts to punish mankind's evil behavior. The eruption causes earthquakes and unleashes ancient monsters and demons to wreak havoc. A young girl named Sakuya Sakaki must fight these demons with the help of her magic sword Vortex and two Ninja warriors. They battle various monsters such as a Kappa demon, the ghost-cat, and dark riders until they face the leader of the demons, a giant spider woman...

This is an entertaining fantasy movie made by Tomô Haraguchi, Japan's Tom Savini and specialist when it comes to make-up and gory special effects. He also worked on such great films as "Capitol Story" and its sequels, the "All Night Long" series, "Otsuyu", Daiei's new "Gamera" trilogy, and did the bloody special effects for Hitoshi Ozawa's "Kunoichi" films. The movie itself is most of the time harmless fun and shows a variety of classic Japanese monsters such as the Kappa demon (river monster), and the ghost-cat, known as "kaibyô" in Japan. And I especially like the cameo scene where a parade of monsters from Daiei studio's classic "Yôkai" trilogy ("Yôkai hyaku monogatari", "Yôkai daisensô" and "Tôkaidô obake dôchû) shows up - those films included all the monsters from Japanese folklore and legend. And there is "Tetsuo" director Shinya Tsukamoto in a supporting role. The special effects, done by "Gamera" effects maker Shinji Higuchi, are top-notch. Both the miniature work and CGI combine very well. Unfortunately, the story is very, very simple, and the movie is a bit too childish. But it's fun to watch anyway.

Credible action flick even if it's obviously a kid's movie. Great special effects are the primary attraction here. The cast treats the material with deadly seriousness, but they're fun to watch anyway. And the fight scenes are above average. But some parts looked like a bad rehash of "H.R. Puffenstuff."

I bought this as a VCD in Hong Kong for $3 (Hong Kong Dollars), which is about 50 American cents. I can easily say that it was very much worth the money! :-) I thought it would be a Chinese film with bad costumes, but found myself watching a special-effects packed Japanese manga-in-motion flick with lots of cool stuff.

It's very nice computer-game-styled story, which is super-simple, but fun to watch. The slow episodes between the action are not at all bad, but instead interesting and even though they don't give the film any depth, they are as well done as the action-scenes since the actors and actresses are very good.

I felt like I was watching an Asian version of WILLOW, or maybe a live-action role playing game, but I guess comparisons just don't give this film enough credit.

There are really only one down-part (which is major, though!) and that's the silly STAR WARS-inspired "good demons"-dance scene. Fast forward that, and the rest is perfect.

I really enjoyed the evil puppet master too, and especially his dolls! 8 of out 10. I was genuinely surprised by the quality!

Featuring a sexy teenage demon slayer and more shonky papier-maché and rubber creatures than you can shake a stick at, Sakuya-The Slayer of Demons is brilliant fun and anyone who enjoys Japanese monster flicks should find this a blast.

In the year 1707, Mount Fuji erupts, releasing the demons within, and it is up to sword-wielding cutie Sakuya (Nozomi Andô) to destroy the evil that has taken over the country. With the help of two ninjas, and a young Kappa demon raised as her brother, Sakuya uses her magical blade to battle the creatures of darkness.

Director Tomoo Haraguchi delivers plenty of inventive action and the results are, for the most part, impressive; the effects range from brilliant (there is some great use of CGI) to the downright awful (a scene with dancing monsters is hilarious), but even the poorest of effects have a certain irresistible charm that actually adds to one's enjoyment of the film.

Nozomi Andô is excellent as the girl who must follow her destiny and become the vanquisher of evil. She certainly is a sight for sore eyes in her above-the knee socks and short skirt (revealing a tempting glimpse of thigh); fans of movies featuring sexy Japanese swords-women (Princess Blade, Azumi etc.) should certainly find this movie to their taste.

The film is heavy on the action, but light on the gore which means that it is ideal for genre fans of all ages. Featuring such delights as a huge cat-demon, a puppeteer who makes marionettes from real girls, and a humongous spider-woman, Sakuya-The Slayer of Demons is highly recommended monster fun and solid entertainment from start to finish.