Kanashimi no Belladonna

The beautiful Jeanne marries a man named Jean, and the happy newlyweds make their way to the Lord's castle with a cow's worth of money for his blessings. However, the demonic Lord is unmoved by their offering, ignoring their desperate, impoverished pleas. The Lord's wife offers an alternative: Jeanne must become the Lord's conquest for the night in a ritual deflowering.

Scarred by the experience, the shaken Jeanne receives no sympathy from her husband. Instead, she is neglected. But as Jeanne drifts off to sleep, she is met by a strange spirit that encourages her to deliver retribution to those who wronged her. And with a mysterious surge of pleasure and an unquenching libido, Jeanne agrees.

Kanashimi no Belladonna is a captivating, psychosexual adventure that tells a story of cunning witchcraft and deceitful superstition in a poor, rural village of medieval France.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Jeanne Main

Nagayama, Aiko Japanese

Devil Main

Nakadai, Tatsuya Japanese

Jean Main

Itou, Takao Japanese

Clown Supporting

Akino, Taisaku Japanese

Priest Supporting

Yonekura, Masakane Japanese

Narrator Supporting

Nakayama, Chinatsu Japanese

Lady Supporting

Shimegi, Shigako Japanese

Lord Supporting

Takahashi, Masaya Japanese

Yamamoto, Eiichi Director, Script

Tashiro, Atsumi Sound Director

Fukuda, Yoshiyuki Script

Nakayama, Chinatsu Theme Song Lyrics, Theme Song Performance

Reviews

May 10, 2024

Biisoo

Recommended

Based on the Novel, La Sorciere by Jules Michelet.

Also a disclaimer, This is an X-rated film that children should steer clear from.

Let me preface by saying that this is The most unique and weird movie I've ever seen. Why that is you ask? Simply because it's filled with trippy acid visuals, A very novel and psychedelic approach to storytelling that I've never seen and it actually has minimal animation too. What I mean by that is most of the movie is just pictures that convey stuff. Yet I still think this movie managed to engage me as a viewer and I was not bored ... at any moment. It has a very Avante Garde vibe (If you're not familiar with this term, It basically means that it shows events and depicts them in a very unorthodox manner, different from conventional means). This type of storytelling may not appeal to everyone but it certainly has it's charm.

Keep in mind, This movie is a very adult oriented movie. It's basically a feature length sexual innuendo of a movie, while on paper that sounds very bad no? But the execution here is nothing short of amazing. I seriously think this is a marvel of animation and everyone should watch this atleast once.

It follows the Tragic story of young woman named Jeanne, What follows in her life is nothing short of earth shattering. A very gruesome movie that does not hold back in showing what will happen, A very bold approach by the director. I was left disgusted, happy yet satisfied by the end of it. To make me feel all of that, within a span of 86 minutes is a sign of a good movie.

Watch this if you want a unique one of a kind experience, A very thought provoking movie that seems filled with sexual stuff but is more than meets the eye.

What shocked me the most is that there was an empowering message for Women at the end of it.

Seriously a good watch, Would recommend if you can stomach the gore and sexual imagery. Definitely not a kiddie friendly movie.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Nov 27, 2023

Szanowna_Herbata

Mixed Feelings

Bro, I hate making long reviews.

Anyway, Belladonna of Sadness is quite a masterpiece when it comes to symbolics and artstyle, but overall - not so much.
Sure it is about a woman who explores depths of her own mind and body, but I wouldn't say it's really that interesting.

Symbolics such as the devil, the whole belladonna thing and colour symbolics are really good, they actually made me interested in this whole film.
I also can't complain about the animation, it's a anime from 1973, we can't expect Studio Bones like quality. Artstyle - absolutely gorgeous, it truly made the movie stand out from ... others.

I think my whole mixed feelings are because of the plot itself, because I couldn't help but stop the movie to see how long does it take to end.
Music is also not likeable, well atleast for me, but I'm aware that it's only because of preferences.

Overall? It's not that bad, really. I'd even say it's actually worth watching, but subjectively, It's a 4/10 from me, adios.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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Jan 4, 2025

desmaraisp

Not Recommended

Genuine shite, skip this one. If you thought this movie had anything meaningful to say about its themes (rape, sexual abuse, etc.), you'll be disappointed, it's just torture porn the whole way through. Good music, but that's about it. The art is nice, but relies way too much on stills. Hated it so much everyone who worked on this is on my shitlist now, and I will personally judge anyone who recommends this to me

This might be the single worst movie in human existence, no joke. Is your fun in life watching someone get raped, then sexualized in the same breath? If so, then you'll ... love this. At least this will be a good litmus test to quickly spot the people you should stay away from.

If I have to summarize the movie in one sentence, it would be to describe it as a glorified rape fantasy made by disgusting people that should probably be put on a list somewhere

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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In this thread, you'll find a comprehensive list of anime and manga licensed in the fourth quarter (Oct-Dec) of 2023. Fall 2023 anime which were licensed before...read more

Sep 29, 2023 8:05 AM by Snow | Discuss (7 comments)

	Poll: Kanashimi no Belladonna Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Alicia3000 - Oct 11, 2009	60 replies	by Rei_III »» May 8, 12:15 PM
	Her Hell shegoblin - Sep 7, 2008	1 replies	by mydaddy »» Nov 21, 2024 8:40 PM
	Belladonna of Sadness original artwork restoration project announced St0rmblade - Sep 9, 2024	2 replies	by Zarutaku »» Sep 9, 2024 1:26 PM
	Is the remaster available for purchase or anything? BasedCereal - Aug 15, 2016	3 replies	by Etherious_123 »» Apr 20, 2021 8:16 AM

Belladonna of Sadness: It's Not Hentai, It's Art!

This summer, American arthouse theaters screen one of the craziest anime films ever made, an erotic pseudo-historical musical acid trip produced by Osamu Tezuka in 1973. Learn about what makes Belladonna of Sadness a one-of-a-kind experience. Content Warning: discussion of sexual violence

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