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| great movie, loved the fight scenes and the story. nanashi kinda reminds me of kenshin from samurai sword x with his red hair and how he disappeared after thier "victory". i give it a 10/10 |
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| Just finished this. Great movie. Best I've seen in a long time. Bones never fails to disappoint. The fight scenes were excellent. Like someone pointed out above, the overall plot may have been "generic" but the story was hardly that. Loved this movie. 10/10. |
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| Well, I rather enjoyed the movie. While the story and characterisation weren't the best, the fight scenes (especially that last one, my god.) were nothing short of amazing, and during the entire last third or so, I was almost cheering for anime characters. (however, it didn't measure up to Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, where I actually did cheer for them.) It got a 8/10 from me, one of the few things I've given a high rating based on pure enjoyment and/or coolness factor. Actually, I randomly compared it to Fullmetal Alchemist (actually, it's not really random since they're both Bones) and thought to myself that FMA at least gave an attempt at being thoughtful and deep, whereas Stranger did not. While I enjoyed Stranger's fights much more than Fullmetal Alchemist's, it at least had a unique plot. Oh well, 7/10 still isn't bad. |
qtipMay 22, 2008 12:16 AM
| 5/5 haven't seen one of these masterpieces for a while ^__^ reminds me of Princess Mononoke |
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| I just finished it. The animation/sound was amazing. It's been a while since I've seen a movie like this. The plot was pretty generic and cliche but the animation/sound made up for it. 9/10. |
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| Awesome movie as far as the animation/art/music are concerned. The characters were pretty interesting too even if a bit too cliché, but what really hurts it is the lack of a credible script and interesting themes. A great movie if you're looking only at the technical side but that obviously lacks depth (reminds me of Blood The Last Vampire some years ago, but a bit better). 8/10 KamiTe said: Yeah it's Naoki Sato, he's a genius. He was also responsible for the X-TV Soundtrack (Sadame is his best track). Can't agree more, Sadame must be the best main theme I have ever heard. Still his score for Stranger was not as wonderful as the Eureka or X ones imo. |
JacutMay 25, 2008 2:09 PM
 In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same. |
| It has a lot of historic references to "barbarian" (i.e. foreigners). During the Ming dynasty, a lot of foreigners came to China while Japan remained very remote and closed to foreigners. That is why Luo Lang has that weird foreigner accent that makes me lol when he speaks Chinese.... In China during Ming dynasty, the power and government is more centralized, resulting in the importance of order and loyalty. However, at that time, it was Sengoku in Japan (literally warring countries). Provinces appears and falls like flies. That explains the remark made by the Chinese regarding how the soldiers betrayed their regional lord so easily (because the whole country is in turmoil, there are no laws and no everyone is left to themselves) It's only after that Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and finally Ieyasu came....Similar period of history also happened many times in Chinese history as well, with unification/peaceful/civilized periods intertwined in between chaotic/barbaric/warring periods.... Of course, the foreigners don't give a **** about this. That is why, IRONICALLY, the foreigner are called "barbarians" simply because they do not embrace the east-asian culture of that time. ***************** Sidenote: By the way, this movie is only PG12 in Japan, which makes me wonder.... |
wakka9caJun 1, 2008 2:52 PM
bla bla bla The endless debate between fans and haters. At one point, after spending a lot of time on MAL, you just realize it's totally pointless.Niko-kun said: On MAL, everyone who has used the lame rating system becomes a critic and an intellectual by default, haven't you heard? |
| i like the way the action scenes were done in this movie, the details to different moves were splendid. especially so for the last fight, together with the music, it sent chills down my spine. |
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| It was pretty original to put some mandarin in the movie. |
| As others have said, I did find the plot generic, with an anti-hero becoming a hero, in this case a wandering ex-samurai who has forsworn violence (reminiscent of Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai Deeper Kyo, etc.) coming across this kid in need. Even Kotaro's surliness and mistrust were typical, lol. However, the execution of these common concepts was perfected in this anime with important little details such as the detailed fight scenes, the Mings and the genuine Chinese in the film. As Chinese warfare was really varied and very lethal at the time, the fight scenes are more credible, and as someone else mentioned, rulers chasing after immortality in one form or another is well-known throughout history. I thought the creators were trying to gear this toward a broader audience, young and adult, hence the rating and the somewhat cartoonish art vs. the subdued colors. There weren't really any controversial points because of this fact as well, but as an all-around good action movie with likeable protagonists (go Nanashi!) and excellent fight scenes, it accomplishes its goal. That's a credit to Bones. When they set out to do something, they put forth a supreme effort. I'd like to see those kinds of fight scenes in action series. I found the music all right except it was somewhat below the music director's ability. When I saw Naoki Sato's name, I expected more. I liked his work in X better. I give this an 8/10. |
| damn i shouldnt have read these comments, too much critisism, it ruined the great mood i was in after watching this movie I loved it to pieces.so im not gonna bother discussing various aspects 10/10 |
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| Not even critisism could ruin this movie for me. I came in wanting to see a action packed movie and thats what i got. It was actually much better than i was expecting and the battle coriagraphy was exeptional. I especially liked the end where Kotarou was riding the hores with Nameless on the back. Although there wasn't enough character development as there could have been from this type of movie the characters still developed nicely. 9/10 |
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Ketuekigami said: Not even critisism could ruin this movie for me. I came in wanting to see a action packed movie and thats what i got. Same here. A friend turned me on to Sword of the Stranger and billed it as a classic samurai movie very well made. And it delivered. 9/10 for me as well. |
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| That was awesome. The plot... well, eh. I'm guessing the Chinese are Sengoku's version of "terrorists" (inherently evil, crazy, and only vaguely reminiscent of reality), but at least it was a plot that could be followed. But the action... oh baby. I wanted to see a samurai flick, and I think that more than qualified. 9/10 |
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| yeah the plot was a bit cliche but great movie nonetheless @_@ and the fight scenes were AWESOME. something keeps bothering me about the chinese warriors though...they seemed like they were ripped straight of of dynasty warriors(yeah the game). in dynasty warriors, the characters were heroes that could topple whole armies and that's what was shown here. |
corrodedJul 4, 2008 1:40 AM
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Brian333 said: mui said: it was a really good movie in my opinion the movie was slightly boring at parts but the animation was pretty sexy XP, the action scenes left me in awe and it was interesting to see the chinese interpretation in this (the chinese that they spoke was pretty good) so all in all: two thumbs up XP The chinese was horrible... LOL yeah I could barely tell it was Chinese. D: Depiction of Ming-era Chinese also was pretty fail. |
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| 9/10 My only complaint is that the story wasn't all that great and the characters weren't terribly original. My biggest plus is the dog. The fighting was great, the art was great but the dog was the best. I don't think I've ever seen such a smart and useful, more or less, normal animal in an anime before. Lasie aint got nothing Tobimaru. |
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| Awesome movie 10/10 The final battle ranks as one of the greatest ever. Can't wait for the DVD. |
| I loved it, I would 10/10 right after seeing it because I saw it in HD on a 30 foot screen at a convention with like 600 people in the room. So I went down to 9/10 so I don't feel funny. The crowd cheered twice, at the end of the last fight and when Tobimaru ripped that guy's throat out. Epic. The dub is painful. I'm going to buy the DVD, but never listen to the dub, ever again. The characters sounded like Disney voice actors or something and it felt like a gory Disney movie. I couldn't stand to hear the kid say Tobimaru with his straight English, it sounded so stupid. |
| 10/10 might drop to a 9/10 over time however, as this should be more around 9.4/10. I wanna know if he dies or not in the end T_T |
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| I really liked it... maybe because I have never seen other movie with samurais or around this time [samurai]... But... |
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| great movie 8/10 |
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| One of the best anime movies I have ever seen... 10/10 |
| 9.5 / 10 best action movie for me yet. |
| Enjoyed it! Great story, great music, great action... GREAT MOVIE! |
AlastarNov 16, 2008 3:02 PM
| I enjoyed it, but it wasn't a particularly great film. The action scenes were nice (minus the first scene which had the camera shaking around so ferociously that I thought I was going to be in for a well animated film ruined by amateur directing), but outside of that there wasn't anything I'll actually remember it for. The soundtrack was good, but that track used during the final battle went from being awesome to annoying in a hurry, the entire plot progression was predictable with the story itself mattering so little that you could've changed any number of details and had the same result, and the characters, while not bad, also didn't have anything particularly endearing about them (although Tobimaru was a badass). So in the end I would say it was worth the watch, but I wouldn't care to watch it ever again. |
| Loved it, 10/10 without a doubt. One of the best movies I have ever seen in my opinion. The animation was godly, and they actually paid attention to where they placed the camera which is what I find really lacks in anime. The angles used throughout were amazing, especially in the last fight scene (which, by the way, couldn't have been better), and the shakey camera at the beginning worked extremely well. The plot was quite typical for a samurai movie, but enjoyable nethertheless. It took something we've seen before, but made it 100 times better. There weren't a whole load of characters, but there was as much as there needed to be, and the character development satisfied me. The music was absolutely amazing, and I have to disagree with Absolutely_Steve. The song played during the final fight scene was a perfect choice. It fit the atmosphere and moment perfectly, and went well with the other tracks before and after it. I really don't think Sword of the Stranger could have been any better, and I can't wait until it's released on DVD. I want to see it in the cinema more than ever, however. Hoping for a UK cinema release! |
ToukaFeb 8, 2009 3:05 PM
| Indeed the sword fight scenes were incredible, although occasionally some not so exciting parts would appear overall it was a great experience, I'm glad I watched it the music also was very fitting as was the animation for me it was a 9/10 a very well done movie. |
Faust721 said: Finally had time to watch this. Not a bad movie. I liked some of the fights and the music. Same here. Quite a bit from perfect though so it gets a 7 from me. |
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Westlo said: The last fight was the best sword fight I've seen in anime period. I agree, that fight was truly epic! I hope it gets nominated this year...10/10 |
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| If the story were better it would have gotten a 10 from me, because it shined in every other department, especially the direction and of course the animation. Indeed the best sword fights in anime, visually kinetic and almost exhausting to watch because the fight scenes are consistently creative and generally kick your arse each and every time. The whole immortal storyline was blandy bland, such a waste, as was nearly every other character featured in the story save for the kid and the Mr nameless. I really hate this predictable anime convention of having a side-story populated by boring people who not only are boring but are utterly pointless because they all die in the end, so it makes all of their actions moot, there's absolutely no consequences, no aftermath, no chain of reaction or character arc. Its just a wiped slate because the writers are too inept to handle tying up characters and plotlines in the climax and resolution; so infuriating to endure. |
"I'm starting to think mal is run by Xinil generating electricity on a bicycle." - idklol |
| 10/10 for me. awesome sword fights. what can say? it was GREAT!!! |
p r o f i l e 👀 |
KholdStare88 said: That was actually one thing that I found really unique - most of the time you have a wildly different group of people, each of which can only be killed by the main character... but here the 'reds' were stronger than 4-5 people but would be taken down by anything larger. That was great and unexpectedly 'realistic' (in comparison to others of the genre)Most of the story was focused on these people in red but did not develop them. They're obviously powerful, but aside from the different weapons they use, they're the same people. I loved the ending |
| That was... not as good as I was led to believe. You have a ronin who is highly skilled, has a tragic past, and refuses to use his sword. You have a street-smart orphan who learns to ride a horse and use a sword from the ronin. You have a ridiculously intelligent dog who provides comic relief. You have an honorable enemy who is interested in nothing but finding a stronger enemy to test his skills. Seen it all a thousand times before. The whole thing felt like your average hollywood samurai movie, but the fight scenes were animated rather than live-action, and so not as awesome. The soundtrack was also very hollywood-esque, and not particularly memorable. The animation did provide some good eye-candy, but that's about the limit of the movie. It would have been better as a live-action film, but compared with other live-action films, it would have been mediocre and extremely cliche. |
| Saw it in the Movie theater.... I was Epic |
| Go Watch Sumomo momo Its epic. It has not gotten much attention... Episode 1 http://www.veoh.com/videos/v83597095dreGdW#comments  |
| ... *speechless* 10/10 |
| Personally I felt the plot, premise, and atmosphere were all very generic... but hey, it's a movie about ronins - everything concerning them nowadays screams of unoriginality. That's not necessarily a bad thing; however, especially since the movie presented these aspects in an enjoyable manner - without derailing from the meat of the film. The hectic and ridiculously gory (in a good way) action was absolutely enthralling; easily eclipsing every other factor the title had to offer. I literally got the biggest grin on my face whenever a flurry of stray limbs flung into the distance. The sequences were also very well animated and quite fluid, which is something most other anime tend to lag on (read: almost every shonen out there). I believe the movie did what it was intended to do: entertain the viewer. It certainly kept me interested. |
| People my differ, but this is my idea of a Samurai Action packed movie. The whole thing with great skilled warriors vs other great skilled warriors (That are portrayed as travellers) is just what gets me into it. I also love the whole Chinese & Japanese spark lol. You just gotta love the Chinese language in a Samurai fight. Especially those two girls at the ending fight xD. 9.5/10 for me. I'll round it up to 10! ~Abs |
| Spectacular i thought, no other action anime comes close. I enjoyed it from begining to the end, nothing else probably compares interms of pure realism, action and it had that great race against time feeling at the end. The final battle was over 30 minutes long!!! Which is exciting for someone like me no other movie ive seen has scenes of blood baths that long maybe outside of lord of the rings(a 3 hour movie) I thought that maybe the star cast was a bit to small Dog, kid and warrior they should have had atleast one female on the team to make it more complete. . .SPOILER . . . . Does the main samurai dude die at the end? |
| Great animation and fight scenes but the story is very poor and nothing new that you saw before. Good movie. 8/10 |
psygolFeb 8, 2009 2:12 PM
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| I really wish I hadn't had a prior commitment when this showed at a local theater. Now that I've seen it, there's no way I'd pass up an opportunity like that again. I thought this film was phenomenal. 9/10 |
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| Awesome movie. The OST was awesome and so is the action. The plot was cliche though. |
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