Bushido 16

Bushido 16

Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2010 This high school drama, based on a manga of the same name by Tetsuya Honda, is a re-imaging of the old samurai chambara film genre for the Hello Kitty crowd. Sixteen-year-old kendo champion Kaori (the quite cute Riko Narumi) has been trained by her sensei father since childhood, […]

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Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2010

©2010 映画「武士道シックスティーン」製作委員会

This high school drama, based on a manga of the same name by Tetsuya Honda, is a re-imaging of the old samurai chambara film genre for the Hello Kitty crowd. Sixteen-year-old kendo champion Kaori (the quite cute Riko Narumi) has been trained by her sensei father since childhood, but when classmate and neophyte kendo student Sanae (the über-cute Kie Kitano) defeats her in a practice match, she’s mortified. Kaori then commits herself to samurai ways, like lifting weights while reading and sitting seiza during the lunch period. She also becomes obsessed with drawing out the killer instinct of the mild and unassuming Sanae, who is much more interested in being friends. Sanae’s goofiness plays off of Kaori’s intensity, and they bond over their shared single-parent households. While the film’s emotions are fairly clichéd and the plot unsurprising, there is something attractive about this coming-of-age/baton-fighting story. Worth a peek. (108 min)