A while back, I posted my 5 Movies That Should Be Made Into An Anime which turned out to be a huge hit. Now, with Akira Kurosawa month all but over, I’m going back in for another edition of movies that should be made into an anime. And while Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai has already recieved the anime treatment, there are plenty of other Kurosawa films that could make for an excellent animated watch. So whether I’m flirting with success (or disaster), I give you 5 Kurosawa Films That Should Be Made Into An Anime. More »

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Akira Kurosawa takes us on a journey through a gloriously reconstructed feudal Japan for an introspection on the reality of power and identity in his 1980 return to the samurai genre, Kagemusha.

As an aging ruler named Shingen passes on, his dying wish is for his death to be concealed for three more years until the army can overtake a strategic city. The estate’s principal retainers bring in a ragged petty thief to pose as a double for the late ruler, with only those closest to him aware of the hoax. The kagemusha (double), after being rescued from a death sentence, is reluctant to lose his identity for a warlord. After a change of heart, and learning that he really has no other options, the kagemusha is taught the finest details of the late ruler’s mannerisms, speech, and relationships. He must fool everyone, even a long-time doctor and Shingen’s mistresses and grandson, or the enemies will learn the truth and take down the estate. Through the kagemusha’s experiences of pretending to be powerful, being treated as a king and master of war, he learns what it is like to be the ruler but yet it is all false, and all the decisions are being made by the generals. It must have been a rather bizarre feeling for the kagemusha, but he knew he had a role to fulfill and everything was depending on him to be convincing enough. More »

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