[Toru-chan]

From the Secret History of Star Wars ( http://secrethistoryofstarwars.com/ ) many Chef Elves would know that Star Wars was loosely based on an old Japanese samurai drama. Here's another thing I recently learned: the name for "Japanese samurai drama" in Japanese is "jidaigeki" (sounds sort of like Jedi-geki). Interesting...

Anyway, one of this has recently been re-released: "Musashi" is based on the story of Miyamoto Musashi, a real-life legendary samurai swordsman as told in the 17th century text "The Book of Five Rings".

This is a 50 part (!!!!) series made by NHK: Japan's public broadcaster. It was filmed on video (which is a shame - it would have been gorgeous on film or DV) but the stories are surprisingly well-told, the characterizations good and there is plenty of action. I'm amused when in the middle of a fight someone dies, the fighting stops so they can say something profound and moving... and then it continues. The series also stars Beat Takeshi who is a very talented actor/director/author/comedian.

You can watch the series here. Get the most recent version (by nanashi). It has English subtitles:
http://d-addicts.com...e...w+all&sort=

This post has been edited by Toru-chan: 24 January 2009 - 09:25 PM

[ion eon]

there was an old Playstation game named "Brave Fencer Musashi" i loved it
they came out with a sequel for the PS2 with that cel-shaded style animation
it was neat too

[Vesuvius]

I admire Miyamoto Musashi a lot, and I know there is money to be made on someone of his caliber as a swordsman. However, I honestly find it ludicrous to commercialize on his talents and such when Musashi himself denounced commercialization of the martial arts.

He hated displays of showmanship that had nothing to do with taking lives.

Ah well, I'm not knocking on anyone that finds entertainment in such things, I just dislike the industries that show swordsmanship to be some over dramatized or over stylized display of such FRIGGIN' AWESOMENESS!!1!!!1oneone!!! when Musashi wasn't at all about it.

Even Star Wars films, especially the PT are horribly guilty of over stylized lightsaber scenes. Sure, a number of us like seeing the battles and such, but seriously, and according to Musashi, do you really think Maul would have lasted five minutes in a duel with a REAL swordsman? Hell no! As soon as he made his first flip, twirl, or any other nonsensicle stance, he would have been cut down.

I'm able to suspend belief for SW to a point, but now that Musashi and SW have been brought up in the same thread, I gotta rip SW apart now.

Sorry Lucas. Thanks Toru-chan.

[Toru-chan]

It is funny. "Wars for a killing." Yet every damned Hollywood sword movie we've seen has two prancing dandies impressing us with their fine swordsmanship and witty reparte. This silliness reached a pinnacle in the appalling "Die Another Day".

But read a sword book (like David Gemmell) and the swordsmanship is peripheral; what matters only is who is left standing, and how quickly they could bring their opponent down.

We don't see dandy executions of marksmanship from the blaster crowd. And really, how exciting were the duels in Star Wars? Mildly in the OT; they were just fighting and there wasn't room for any dandy there. But in the PT it became silly and the that deflected laser bolt thing was taken too far. I wonder if those movies would have been better if the Jedi had blasters like everyone else?

[Vesuvius]

Hmmm, something that I liked about LotR and that was fencing wasn't as stylized as they could have made it. Although Gimli's "one axe strike" to Orc nuts isn't going to constitute an instant kill, but at least it wasn't overdone. Braveheart for example didn't focus on flashy sword techniques, but rather gritty close combat killing.

The Last Samurai only had one realistic scene and that was when Tom Cruise got a serious beating with a bokuto by the austere Japanese man. However, as the minutes passed, the director couldn't wait to show how FRIGGIN' AWESOME!!! Japanese fencing REALLY IS! This is the scene where Tom Cruise and the austere man go at in an "even" match up where both of them do the same twirly move ending in a splendid draw... please.

After reading "The Book of Five Rings" and actually getting in serious matches with others with the bokken/bokuto, fights don't last anywhere near as long as what television and Hollywood keep lying to everyone about.

Bleah, and even now, at the bottom of the page, there is an advertisement about buying Samurai swords. Please... simply buying a sword or having someone just give you a sword does not make one Samurai on any account. Simply owning a sword does not make one a swordsman. Pathetic commercialization.

This post has been edited by Vesuvius: 27 January 2009 - 09:39 PM

[Toru-chan]

Just a note for fans of The Book of Five Rings. Here's a "new" subbed drama is about the later years in Miyamoto Musashi's life:

http://d-addicts.com...sorekara+subbed

This post has been edited by Toru-chan: 08 May 2009 - 09:59 PM