Kibakichi: Bakko-yokaiden

This movie is awesome. yes the special fx are cheap and the monsters horrid but the movie has a good sense of fun and actually a great premise. Kibakichi is a lone samurai who is also a werewolf and roams the countryside. He stops in a small town ruled by Yokai (monsters). The leader has made a pact with the yakuza with promises of a new beginning for the yokai. As Kibakichi unearths a deadly plot to rid the Yokai, his inner beast is unleashed and the finale is one bloody showdown. With guns, swords, blood and gore, this movie delivers. Yes it's slow but the performances are awesome and at 95 minutes moves quickly. I got this for 5 bucks and it's sequel.

Enjoy the movie for what it is a fun action-horror film before Hollywood remakes it soon.

I bought the DVD of Kibakichi, used from Blockbuster, simply on a whim. My friends and I were sifting through the racks when the unusual title caught my eye. As soon as I read the summary on the backcover I had to get it! Werewolf samurai? Demonic geishas? Come on, this had to be the most unique film ever created!

This film will definitely not appeal to everybody. I'm a hardcore fan of both samurai flicks and anime, so it probably appealed to me more than most people. The atmosphere of this film is perfect for the mysterious setting (the weather is almost always dark, overcast, and windy). Acting is subdued (you won't find William Shatner here), but strong and suitable for the type of characters involved. The special effects are laughably low-budget, which adds a nice, campy feel to the whole production. One can forgive the shoddy sfx, however, because they supply the only real laughs in the movie. The final battle scene alone is worth the money of buying or renting it. I guarantee that it is something that you have never seen before and never will again. Strangely enough, the werewolf samurai only transforms once, and not during a full-moon either. Only when he is unable to keep his emotions under control.

The bottom line is that this is a very cool, very interesting film that very few people on this side of the Pacific will see. If you like samurai flicks, the fantasy genre, Japanese period films, the supernatural, or are just feeling adventurous, check this one out. Even if you normally watch only conventional Hollywood fare you should give this a go. It'll give you something new to think about (or at least some pretty freakish dreams).

Directed by Tomoo Haraguchi "Kibakichi" is an entertaining piece of samurai goodness. Using a traditional Kurosawaesque plot, throwing some fantasy/horror elements, some decent amount of gore and you get 90 minutes of exploitation cinema with a moral. Fun stuff.

Samurai werewolf Kibakichi wonders into an old town populated by Yokai (Japanese demons) and aids them against the treacherous humans trying to destroy them. And there you have it, the plot in one sentence. Of course there's more to it, as first Kibakichi questions the morality of the Yokai(they eat humans). Must deal with some personal issues in a subplot that is left unresolved. Must be moved by the Yokai's peaceful ways (sort of) and the bond they share. Must decide to leave town. Must hear the evil human traitors arrive in town with their samurai and machine guns. Must go slaughter humans in full kill mode.

It's a fun film, a remainder of the 70s and 80s chambara flicks, where gore and fantasy elements mingled together creating some ludicrously fun action scenes. Choreography and sword play are decent enough and Haraguchi shot those scenes well enough. The gore is cheesy, blood fountains are cool, but it's the creature design that really shines. Reminiscent of the old monster movies, they are what sets Kibakichi apart and are really enjoyable in a B-movie kinda way. And did I mention machine guns? Yes I think I did, but for those of you not listening, there are machine guns here, more like mini-guns to be precise and that is so cool.

We can talk about acting, but that's not really a point in these kind of films. Yes you get this kind of in your face melodrama, but it's not all too unbearable plus the film isn't really marketed as an emotional experience. Otherwise the acting was fairly decent meaning it doesn't get all too annoying.

Although in it's core "Kibakichi" is a cheesy samurai/monster film, it does tackle the issue of racism well enough. Specifically racism in Japanese society which, let's face it, even today is obviously present with foreigners and Japanese of mixed blood living in Japan don't get always get equal treatment.

If you're in the mood for a high powered, kick ass, samurai exploitation flick, then Kibakichi is a good recommendation. Tomoo Haraguchi did well with this film, here's hoping the sequel is as good as this one

Kibakichi is a werewolf/samurai who has left his destroyed village and ventured into a dangerous village filled creatures, danger and secrets...

"A long time ago human and monsters named yokai lived in perfect harmony... but as time went by humans forgot their fears.. and in the fourth year...the government assembled a team to exterminate the yokai.. the weakened yokai escaped, deep into the mountains to escape contact with the human world.. some disguised themselves as women and men to hide.."

From the very beginning of this movie you will get a sense of its low budget, and mediocre acting. But for the anime fan, you will almost immediately feel like this is a movie that would be incredible as an anime.. in the first scene you encounter a pretty cheesy fight scene...but the shot of the grass fields and the blood dripping from Kibakichi's sword screamed an anime shot to me!

There are plenty more moments in this movie where you will find yourself wanting to giggle at the cheesy shots... But as the movie goes along, I couldn't help but find myself strangely attracted to it. There are some beautiful shots in this film, and an entertaining plot. I found the storyline very unique, and the characters intriguing. It was a fun ride from beginning to end for anyone with a taste for indy-anime-Japanese film lovers.

If you are going to see this film I highly recommend seeing this movie in the original Japanese with subtitles if at all possible. The movie is an enjoyable experience, almost ruined by one of the most inept dubbing jobs I have ever experienced. Its just that the voices chosen were almost an insult to the original actors. The plot line is intriguing, although I have seen similar before. There is a cheap/campy quality to the special effects, but I rather enjoyed them despite this. The monsters were very creepy but somehow human at the same time, which was one of the more likable qualities of the film. It seems like the crew had a lot of heart and soul invested in the movie but very little budget. Fortunately, the heart and soul won out. I was especially impressed by the lead character's appearance; it's now one of my favorite werewolves(Dog Soldiers being my favorite). The fight scenes were also very over the top, reminiscent of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, but then again I love those films. The entire point of the film is that humans can be more monstrous than the monsters, and it drives the point home well, but a little heavy handed.