Sakuya: The Slayer of Demons (2000)
The eruption of Mt. Fuji in 1707 released hordes of demons from deep inside the earth. Sakuya, the young daughter of a samurai killed fighting these demons, accepts a mission to travel to Mt. Fuji and defeat the evil spirits. Accompanying her on her journey are two veteran warriors who served her father, and Tarō, a young kappa, or river spirit, whom she has adopted as her little brother. Along the way, the two warriors have doubts about Tarō’s loyalties, and the young kappa himself must decide if he will stand with his own species or with the humans who have cared for him.
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As Good As It Gets
A different way of telling a story
I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Featuring a sexy teenage demon slayer and more shonky papier-maché and rubber creatures than you can shake a stick at, Sakuya-The Slayer of Demons is brilliant fun and anyone who enjoys Japanese monster flicks should find this a blast.In the year 1707, Mount Fuji erupts, releasing the demons within, and it is up to sword-wielding cutie Sakuya (Nozomi Andô) to destroy the evil that has taken over the country. With the help of two ninjas, and a young Kappa demon raised as her brother, Sakuya uses her magical blade to battle the creatures of darkness.Director Tomoo Haraguchi delivers plenty of inventive action and the results are, for the most part, impressive; the effects range from brilliant (there is some great use of CGI) to the downright awful (a scene with dancing monsters is hilarious), but even the poorest of effects have a certain irresistible charm that actually adds to one's enjoyment of the film.Nozomi Andô is excellent as the girl who must follow her destiny and become the vanquisher of evil. She certainly is a sight for sore eyes in her above-the knee socks and short skirt (revealing a tempting glimpse of thigh); fans of movies featuring sexy Japanese swords-women (Princess Blade, Azumi etc.) should certainly find this movie to their taste.The film is heavy on the action, but light on the gore which means that it is ideal for genre fans of all ages. Featuring such delights as a huge cat-demon, a puppeteer who makes marionettes from real girls, and a humongous spider-woman, Sakuya-The Slayer of Demons is highly recommended monster fun and solid entertainment from start to finish.
OK, that was rather vague, but this movie really has the feeling of the "floating world" of ukiyoe paintings. It was the most unusual and striking thing about Sakuya, Slayer of Demons - that a simple fairy tale story would be portrayed in such a beautiful, classy, stylized atmosphere. Despite being a story fit for children, the movie is easily watchable by all ages - the effects are cool, the monsters are very interesting (being from a non-western mythological tradition), and the heroine is tough, stoic, fair and honorable.
It's the year 1707. Mount Fuji erupts to punish mankind's evil behavior. The eruption causes earthquakes and unleashes ancient monsters and demons to wreak havoc. A young girl named Sakuya Sakaki must fight these demons with the help of her magic sword Vortex and two Ninja warriors. They battle various monsters such as a Kappa demon, the ghost-cat, and dark riders until they face the leader of the demons, a giant spider woman...This is an entertaining fantasy movie made by Tomô Haraguchi, Japan's Tom Savini and specialist when it comes to make-up and gory special effects. He also worked on such great films as "Capitol Story" and its sequels, the "All Night Long" series, "Otsuyu", Daiei's new "Gamera" trilogy, and did the bloody special effects for Hitoshi Ozawa's "Kunoichi" films. The movie itself is most of the time harmless fun and shows a variety of classic Japanese monsters such as the Kappa demon (river monster), and the ghost-cat, known as "kaibyô" in Japan. And I especially like the cameo scene where a parade of monsters from Daiei studio's classic "Yôkai" trilogy ("Yôkai hyaku monogatari", "Yôkai daisensô" and "Tôkaidô obake dôchû) shows up - those films included all the monsters from Japanese folklore and legend. And there is "Tetsuo" director Shinya Tsukamoto in a supporting role. The special effects, done by "Gamera" effects maker Shinji Higuchi, are top-notch. Both the miniature work and CGI combine very well. Unfortunately, the story is very, very simple, and the movie is a bit too childish. But it's fun to watch anyway.
Credible action flick even if it's obviously a kid's movie. Great special effects are the primary attraction here. The cast treats the material with deadly seriousness, but they're fun to watch anyway. And the fight scenes are above average. But some parts looked like a bad rehash of "H.R. Puffenstuff."