kris7

Once a month I will be updating my journal with an Item of the Month. It could be anything: a website, a book, a dvd, a CD, etc. Whatever it maybe be, it's something I think some of you might be interested in checking out.

The Item of the Month for February is

Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma



What would you do if you found out that your best friend was the Antichrist?

Dispense with all wise-ass remarks of "OMFG! THAT WULD BE SO KEWL!11111" and actually think about that question for a moment.

Your best friend ever, someone youve known since you were a little kid, turns out to be the one whose purpose in life is to open the gates of hell and unleash an evil that will destroy the whole world. Yes, this includes you and all your friends, family, and loved ones.

In the violent days of feudal Japan, a young Ninja named Hikage (pronounced HEH-KAH-GAY), is faced with this very question. He and his best friend Marou (MAH-ROO) have seen more than their fair share of battles fighting for their clan, the Takeda. After a victorious but costly battle, Marou starts acting very strangely. Suddenly he tries to kill Hikage and then vanishes into the night without a word.

Earlier that night the leader of the Takeda clan is murdered by one of the Yoma, The Yoma are demons empowered by all the hate, fear, greed, and bloodshed that humans have been inflicting on one another for ages. Their numbers and strength continue to grow as the battles between Japanese warlords rage on.

Hikage is then given a mission: find Marou and kill him before he spreads word about the death of their leader, which would cause the Takeda to lose face. Hikage seeks out Marou and finds out that he is really Kikuga no Miko, a demon whose purpose is to lead the Yoma to their goal of global domination.

+

To start with, Blood Reign is a very entertaining action/horror story about a lone warrior up against incredible odds. Though Hikage is certainly not the best dressed Ninja ever to grace the screen in anime ( somebody get that brotha some pants! ) he is definitely one of the most resourceful ones. This guy has more tricks up his sleeve than the Bush administration. Hes got enough swords, shurikens, daggers, and explosives to hack and slash his way through haunted villages, forests, temples, and beaches to find out why his best friend tried to kill him. For every oh shit! moment, Hikage has a weapon or maneuver to turn it into a whos the man now? situation. If this movie was to be made into a video game it would be something like Ninja Gaiden meets Castlevania.


However, there is more to Blood Reign than just the bloodsplattered action. This a story about a very close friendship suddenly shattered beyond repair. Blood Reign could be seen as a sort of allegory for losing a best friend to any number of circumstances: substance abuse, falling in with a shady crowd, or the emergence of irreconcilable differences.

Imagine youve just lost your best friend. This friend whom youve known ever since you were a little kid is not the person you thought they were. Anyone whose had this happen to them can relate to what Hikage must be feeling, but for him its much worse. While its hard enough to deal with the fact that your best friend wasnt the person you thought they were, Hikage has to deal with the fact that his best friend wasnt really a person at all. Furthermore he has to kill his best friend, not just for himself or the Takeda Clan, but for the world as well.

Another theme in this movie is the exhaustion, suffering, loss, and disgust that is felt after seemingly endless war. If you know at least a little bit about Asian history, youll know that the Japanese know a thing or three about this. As much as Westerners like myself are fascinated by the architecture, clothing, food, martial arts, and culture of feudal Japan, it should be kept in mind that despite the beauty and intrigue, it was a very hostile and dangerous time and place to be alive. Few Ninja or Samurai movies are brave enough to acknowledge this fact. While this movie certainly doesnt make a point of it as much as say, Kurosawas The Seven Samurai , Blood Reign confronts the viewer with a line of dialogue that strips away all the macho glamour about the life of a warrior:

I am a Ninja...when ordered to kill..I kill.when ordered to die..I die

Ill admit that a line like that would sound ill between songs on a Wu-Tang Clan album but when you hear it come from the mouth one of Hikages dying comrades its genuinely disturbing. While the Ninja and the Samurai are two entirely different kinds of warrior, they both generally live by a code that is spelled out in that one sentence. When you really think about it, being either one doesnt as alluring as it used to, does it?

Throughout the first half of the movie a counting song is heard now and then. A counting song is basically a nursery rhyme used to teach children how to count. Much in the same way as some European ones are sinister in content such as Ring Around The Rosies or London Bridge Is Falling Down, the counting song can be pretty disturbing. Few of them are as gruesome as the one featured in this movie. Here are the lyrics and translation taken from the DVD booklet:

Hitotsu, Hitoyo no kai naraba
One, its a love in a generation

Futatsu, Futari de jigoku e to
Two, the two of us go to hell

Mittsu, Mina o koroshitemo
Three, even though we kill everybody

Yattsu, Yomi e no michi-shirube
Four, signpost for the land of the dead

Yattsu, Yomi e no michi-shirube
Four, signpost for the land of the dead

Itsutsu, Ikusa no chi no ame no
Five, the rain of blood because of the war

Muttsu, Mukara to kawarya senu
Six, just like a dead body

Nanatsu, Namida mo kare hate te
Seven, my tears run out

Yattsu, Yamiyo ga tokete yuku
Eight, a dark night starts to melt

Yattsu, Yamiyo ga tokete yuku
Eight, a dark night starts to melt


This song has been on my mind a lot ever since we got tangled in that clusterfuck out in the Middle East. Especially the line the rain of blood because of the war.


-
As much as I enjoy this movie, it has its faults as well. First off, the movie is divided into two parts which Im guessing was for broadcast on TV. Hikage meets a ninja named Aya, who is the stereotypical tough but not tough enough girl that needs to be saved by the male now and then. Shes also (yawn) in love with Hikage and he (bigger yawn) has no need for her cuz hes tough ninja guy. It wouldve been better if Aya was tougher and more confident. It also wouldve been far more interesting if Hikage rejected her advances with the reluctance of a man who could really use someone, but has an enormous task ahead of him that must be taken care of first, resulting in hesitation to get into any kind of relationship for the time being.

I also wish the idea of the Yoma gaining their powers from all the bloodshed, mayhem, and general bad vibes of war and violence was stressed a lot more. Considering the war we have going on now along with the general violence that takes place across the globe everday, the idea of demons feeding on and being strengthened by those actions and the thoughts and feelings that motivate them is deeply unsettling. If the Yoma existed in real life, wed be scrambling the find as many Hikages as we could find.


As much as I love Blood Reign I have to admit that it is extremely fertile ground for a re-make. It would be great if someone were to make a live-action version and expand on the themes and make Ayas character less stereotypical. In the right hands, it would further enhance the story and result in a movie with enough action to keep the adrenaline pumping, enough horror to give you the chills, and more than enough drama an anti-war messages to tug on your heartstrings something fierce. In short: SOMEBODY GET ME PETER JACKSON ON THE PHONE!!!!!