This movie was produced in 2001, and one of the biggest complaints about it that most people have is that the special effects aren't great - more on par with what you might expect to see on TV. This is pretty true. As for the rest of the movie, though, it's really quite fun.
Mansai Nomura does a fantastic job of portraying one of Japan's more enigmatic historical figures, Abe no Seimei, who ...
This movie was produced in 2001, and one of the biggest complaints about it that most people have is that the special effects aren't great - more on par with what you might expect to see on TV. This is pretty true. As for the rest of the movie, though, it's really quite fun.
Mansai Nomura does a fantastic job of portraying one of Japan's more enigmatic historical figures, Abe no Seimei, who official records show lived to be over 90 (in 8th century Japan, practically ancient) but who was rumored to have lived for more than 400 years. The movie at the start even makes note of part of his legend when Hiromasa comments that Seimei is said to be half fox spirit. Mansai is not normally a movie actor, he is much more famous for his stage acting in traditional Japanese theater as well as some Shakespeare, but his abilities transfer fantastically well to the screen. He is, by far, the strongest aspect of the movie, from a fantastic range of facial and vocal expressions to being the only main actor on the screen who makes the formal court clothing look natural (much less something that could be fought in, which he does). The character Seimei is meant to be a little off-beat, and some of his jokes and expressions are deliberate references to the legend that his mother was a fox spirit. Similarly, his attachment to Hiromasa once they become friends is also partially a reference to this, since kitsune were said to form long lasting friendships. We don't know how old he is in the movie, though Lady Aone mentions that it's been 30 years since they last met. He'll probably annoy some people, because Seimei doesn't really care what is happening in the capital, and if the city is taken over by spirits it wouldn't really bother him. He doesn't much care for the other court officials, and only does things when someone goes out of their way to ask him if it happens interests him somehow. He is powerful and basically apathetic to what is going on in the world around him.
Hideaki Ito plays the singularly rare honest court official of Minamoto no Hiromasa. In this particular movie, he comes across almost as overly innocent and somewhat bumbling, which may be a reference to the historical person's dislike of actually attending to court duties. Hideaki's performance will probably leave the average American viewer wondering why the heck Seimei is willing to jump into a fight he doesn't much care about only after Hiromasa asks him to help. The character in the movie will draw you only in that he seems to be almost childlike, and incredibly honest. There are a few good references to the actual person's legend, including the second meeting between Seimei and Hiromasa where Seimei offers Hiromasa alcohol and Hiromasa is temporarily side tracked, as well as a prominent use of Hiromasa's legendary musical talent. For reference, Hiromasa was in line to succeed the throne, but became a court official. The Japanese viewer would understand that this movie takes place after Hiromasa was no longer in the succession, because in the movie he has the surname Minamoto, which was given to him when he was taken out of the line of succession. This also explains some of the character's concern in the movie over names.
The bad guy, the head Onmyoji Doson played by Hiroyuki Sanada, doesn't strike us at first as overly evil, but the movie quickly begins showing us his evil side when he points out that he like the enraged face of one of the court officials. Sanada's performance is subtle in the right places and everywhere else gloriously, loudly obsessed evil as we only see in Asian cinema. He doesn't come off as over the top, which is surprising since the character is very much over the top. Instead, the viewer can see his obsession with power and his reaction to obtaining power is completely believable. Sanada doesn't get to have much of the subtle actions that Nomura's character does, and his performance is unfortunately hampered for the audience by the less than fantastic evil bird familiar and some of the other weak special effects mentioned earlier.
The rest of the supporting cast is varied, from the Mikado (king/emperor) to the various palace ladies and other court officials. If you are interested in seeing what traditional court looked like, then this movie does give you a good look at court fashion and how the people interacted. The butterfly character is played by Eriko Imai, who for reference is a J-pop artist of some fame. She doesn't actually do much, but she's there to be pretty. I don't remember who played Lady Aone, a woman turned immortal by eating the flesh of a merman who guards the tomb where the main evil spirit is held, but she also gives a good performance as the quiet, withdrawn woman who in many ways is trapped by her immortality.
Overall, the special effects hurt the movie, but the movie is otherwise interesting and well acted. The movie does not have the raging action of American flicks, but on the other hand it is not the artistic slowness that can be found in some Japanese movies. The movie focuses more on the friendship of Seimei and Hiromasa than on the conflict at hand, which will be offsetting to some viewers who might have expected more action sequences. It is none-the-less an engaging movie, though, and well worth seeing.
As an FYI to those curious - when Seimei does his spell towards the end of the movie, the first four points are named after the familiar four quarters of the sky (Seiryuu, Suzaku, Gembu, Byakko) and the fifth point is Goryuu (Goryu? He says it like an elongated u, but I'm not sure), which is I think another name for a kirin, one of the heavenly deities of protection and nobility.
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