4 Star

Supernatural Ninja High jinx.

Based on Futaro Yamada‘s novel of the same title. This 1982 action adventure is directed by Kôsei Saitô (Death of a Ninja, G.I. Samurai) who brings us the strange tale of love and deception in the world of a sorcerer who can revive the dead, and foresee the new ruler of the land. Magical stuff.

Why do men fight? Why do men continue to fight?

While calling for peace.

Eiroku Era, and the year 1558 puts you right in the heart of Japan’s turbulent Sengoku Jidai (Warring States Period). This was an era of near-constant civil war, social upheaval, and shifting alliances as rival warlords (daimyo) fought for control of the country. There is an all powerful sorcerer Kashin Koji (Mikio Narita, Roaring Fire, MESSAGE FROM SPACE) who wields the power over death, and he can transform into a bird, it is said.

Matsunaga Danjo (Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, Godzilla: Final Wars) a Japanese Samurai, the head of the Yamato Matsunaga clan, is entertaining Samurai Yagyū Shinzaemon (Sonny Chiba, The Street Fighter Trilogy, The Executioner), who is enamoured with Lady Ukyo (Noriko Watanabe, His Motorbike, Her Island, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.). She is offered tea by Tea-master Sen Soeki, he uses the legendary Tea-kettle “Hiragumo” this kettle has some hidden properties, which will become apparent later.

Shinzaemon is a perceptive Samurai, and when a mysterious storm blows in, he feels something is wrong, his sword finds Kashin Koji behind a screen, but it is what he has to say that is important.

 

Whoever gets Lady Ukyo to fall in love with them, they shall rule the land.

The challenge is on as our two powerful men vie for supremacy.

Now the spanner in the works, as elsewhere, ninja Fuefuki Jotaro (Hiroyuki Sanada, Royal Warriors [Wong ga jin si], LEGEND OF THE EIGHT SAMURAI) is seeing the fruits of his labour, as his trainee  Kagaribi (Noriko Watanabe) has just mastered her training, and qualified as a female ninja, and she is the spitting image of Lady Ukyo.

Now it’s a fight between Samurai, Ninja’s, Immortals, A Sorcerer, and strange magics. It’s all crazy, and it is full-on entertainment.

Ninja Wars is available on Blu-ray

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SPECIAL FEATURES:

NEW Audio Commentary by Jonathan Clements
NEW A Japanese Ninja, author Matt Alt on NINJA WARS
NEW The Way of the Ninja, author and academic Daisuke Miyao on the ninja in Japanese Cinema
Theatrical Trailers
VHS version (in standard definition)