Takashi's Castle

     This week Japanuary comes to a close with three films by the prolific master Takashi Miike.

     Leo is a boxer climbing in the middle of a great win streak. When his doctor tells him he has an inoperable brain tumor and only a short time left. Kase, an ambitious yakuza, and Ōtomo, a corrupt cop, plan to steal drugs and frame Yuri, a trafficked young woman. When Leo hears Yuri call for help, he figures he has nothing to lose and intervenes. Things spiral from there. A thrill ride through alleys and sporting good store massacres, First Love.
     Manji, an ageless immortal drifting through under a traumatic loss, is hired to be the bodyguard for Rin, an orphan on a quest for revenge. Rin's father was murdered by the Itto-ryu, a group of samurai assassins seeking to bring all schools of combat together under them, and their leader Kagehisa Anotsu. This live action adaption of a successful manga and anime series is also Miike's 100th directorial effort, Blade of the Immortal.
     It has been a decade since Iwao sacrificed his eldest son to settle a dispute with a rival gang. Now younger son, Riki, is getting revenge. Riki also happens to be the head of a gang of startlingly young assassins, who have the leaders of his father's gang squarely in their sights.  Buckets of blood flow, killer darts are fired from undergarments, preteen gunmen, games with unusual balls, and a biker who like a good scrap- Fudoh: The New Generation. 
     Join us, won't we?
   Episode 345- Takashi's Castle