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First off you should know that "Kabukicho Shinjuku" is a red light district in Tokyo. And warning, if you haven't been exposed to the bizarre disconnect of Japanese sexual mores you may find the show cringe or ridiculous. But the more time you've spent laughing down the rabbit hole of Japanese TV on Netflix, the funnier this series will be. Lots of inside jokes that had a newbie-to-Japanese-comedy friend of mine going "Huh?! What in the heck does THAT mean?" An example: 5 minutes into Episode 4, I burst out laughing at "The only Japanese person allowed to mix English with the Okayama dialect is Fujii Kaze." (Which as fan of "Shinunoga E-Wa" Kaze, I found hilarious, but my friend just couldn't get it.) The episodes paint a choppy landscape punctuated by noodle slurping morphing into gory ER emergencies, social workers moonlighting as wicked dominatrixes, and ritual bowing concealing bigotry and backstabbing. On the flip side, here's a foodie way to describe "Shinjuku Yasen Byoin": Throw an old episode of "MASH" plus episodes of "Dr. X", "Saitama Host Club" and the entire 2024 season of "Completely Inappropriate" into an AI blender. Then press Pulse. Add a hit of wasabi powder and "Shinjuku Field Hospital" is the smoothie your bot-blender has whipped up for you. As some have mentioned, it makes no sense that the American surgeon's English is worse than Shohei Ohtani's, but OK, whatever. Details, details! LOL. Note: This is an adult comedy with some dark unfunny scenes and themes.

From the first episode it seemed to me that our "dear Sa-Chan" was getting set up by a pair of grifters. I assumed what he immediately gets himself involved in is a honey trap extortion scheme. Maybe I was wrong but maybe I was actually "half" right? I'll never really know. Maybe I'm dumb, but It's all so unclear, and the dialogue is so formal and stilted that I found the whole business inscrutable. But I kept watching for the wtf? Factor and to see if there'd be some shocking plot twist. Whether there is, I won't say. (No spoiler zone.) I've watched a lot of Japanese TV series on Netflix (at least 25 or so) but never have I encountered one with such a clueless and unlikeable protagonist. And with the finale implying that something extremely disturbing is about to go down, he just goes from bad to worse. But then maybe this series represents some kind of Japanese neo-existentialism, and I'm just not intellectual enough to appreciate how "deep" it is. Whatever. Not gonna lie, the only "deepness" I ever sensed is the overwrought opening sequence with the hapless Sa-Chan submerged in dark water and struggling for air. (btw, that underwater scene is jarring and over-used for its cheap shock effect.) Any stars I'm giving all go to the actress who plays the alluring Shino. It's too bad her character's arc has nowhere to go. What a waste.

Loved the first 4 episodes for sure. There's a lot of tension and pent up resentment tinged with an ocean of emotional denialism going on all over the map here, especially between the 2 leads. (lots of parallel sub plot characters) But I just watched episode 6 and the "will they or won't they" Jane Austen vibe at the end of almost each episode is kind of getting milked to death. Suddenly there's less light humour, and the female character is acting like such a narcissist. Sure she's self-centered and prone to outbursts of semi-violence (like throwing shoes and punches at friends and sibling) but her general sincerity and charm had outweighed that stuff. But by ep. 6, it's tipping the other way. She's morphed into annoying with perpetual overbaked tantrums and demanding the kind of attention an 8 yr.old child would. Anyway, by episode 7 you may be like me: hoping for the male character to tell her to ***** off. Maybe if he does, she'll get a grip and the story between them can go somewhere. I'm a k-drama optimist so I have my fingers crossed and will keep watching.

It's hard for me to invest myself emotionally into "realistic" films and characters where the only 2 people that matter to me are fated to die. But I watched this anyway because the acting was virtually flawless- very poignant and mesmerizing. Especially from the shy "Akito" played by Ren Nagase, who manages to speak volumes with his bangs-fringed/ hooded eyes in every scene. Culturally speaking, as an American growing up with friends' soapy emotions left and right, it's hard to fathom the intense existential stoicism of these two young kids. It reminded me of a Shogun episode, "The Eight-Fold Fence", where Mariko explains to Blackthorne how the Japanese hide their feelings and build an impenetrable wall around their emotions from childhood. But OK, The ending was a bit jarring for me. I didn't vibe with how the pair's friend Aya suddenly took the reigns in the story telling. But 9 stars for being a dremlike tale about a pure love that could silence even a love skeptic like myself. But warning it's so SAD, I mean SO SAD, that there were scenes near the end that I just couldn't even watch.

I thought this series was one of the best Asian drama series I've seen on Netflix since Squid Game. It features some amazing actors. Not a dud among the entire very large cast. The ever impressive Go Ayano stars as Takumi, a cat loving swindler with PTSD who acts as an inscrutable foil to a psychopath mentor mastermind (who could be the devil himself he's so evil). How this series is not higher rated may have to do with its raw treatment of some very dirty business and a continual flow of of violent repugnant weirdoes with sick execution fetishes. Bottom line is this series is SO not for the squeamish and/or those who watch crime shows to root for one heroic protagonist who miraculously dodges every bullet. Special props to the theme music composer Takkyu Ishino. His claustrophic techno-pop is perfect for biting your nails to while you watch each adrenaline-laced scam unfurl. (And if you get hooked on Ishino's theme music like I did, watch the credits at the end of every episode for 4 full minutes of its trance-inducing vibe.)

The big themes here are healthy competition vs. Back-stabbing opportunism, medical truth vs. Medical hype, and the mind-blowing chasm between competence and genius. I'm just now watching this 2018 series in 2024 because it recently hit Netflix as "Black Forceps". Although the medical surgery themed tales are mostly as seen through the eyes of a young intern, his assigned mentor "Tokai" is the shadow star of the entire series. Like American TV's iconic Dr. Greg House, he's a brilliant misanthrope who is surly and checked out until there's some insane surgical challenge thrown at him. And then he takes control like he's some legendary GOAT surgeon. I recognized the actor who plays Tokai as the scene-stealing young soldier in Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima". Like in that film, he's a mesmerizing force; you can't take your eyes off his eyes. And then suddenly when he's thrown into a surgery scene, his surgeon's hands become equally hypnotic. (Some amazing camera work in the numerous surgery scenes.) It's clear from his colleague's expressions that everyone wonders if his astonishing gifts are the hand of god or of the devil. It's the question that kept me watching. But meanwhile behind these intense surgery scenes, the series is rather passion-free, so not going to be everyone's cup of Kombucha tea. Episode one had a very tender scene between the intern and an elderly patient that could have been expanded upon but got dead ended; Not too deep in the human relationship department. Instead the director prefers to add drama by filming people running up and down stairs searching for MIA emergency surgeons. (yawn.) All in all, I'd call this series a bit above average but flawed. Still I gave it 9 stars based on Kazunari Ninomiya's performance as the inscrutable genius Tokai .

I hadn't come across a cool supernatural vibed/action K-drama in months, until I stumbled upon the first season of "The Uncanny Encounter" a couple days ago. I'm at episode 5 and haven't found a thing not to like about this series yet. Violent content-wise, there are some harrowing scenes of past violent deaths, but also lots of very satisfying scenes of high school bullies getting whomped "Bruce Lee style" by a kid you'll totally root for. He goes through an amazing transformation and becomes part of a ragtag band of noodle shop superheroes. All the actors are really well cast and they keep my interest. Give it a shot. Seems like new Studio Dragon shows get a lot of bad reviews lately, but they sure were getting things right back in 2020 with this series. I just hope season 2 doesn't fall flat. Update: Season one was 10 star for sure. I am half way thru season 2 and finding a lot of the fight scenes repetitive and sometimes ridiculous. And that new Counter a lot of people aren't so keen on? He's all cattle and no hat. But "countering" the new Counter's dullness is the fascinating villain Hwang (Kang Ki-Young), the Chinese mayhem artist. He's all jet-black hair slick-backed and loungin' in black silk robes or rockin' $8000 suits. He's got a sexy gal pal, a punky psychotic henchman who shaves his eyebrows, and he takes every opportunity to show off his 6 pack torso. The pure evil this guy can exude with his chiseled "I'm mildly amused" smile is impressive. And the director milks it. I'm enjoying the season 2 ride so far. I fast forward through the cringier brawling and bawling scenes, but all the big Mun and Hwang scenes are keepers.

Why in the heck did I watch all 7 episodes in this (thankfully) short series? It started off really interesting but it lost me somewhere around episode 3 1/2. I guess I kept watching because I thought that at least some of the monstrously entitled characters: Jae-Ri, Kim Ri-An and their coterie of sycophants would somehow CONVINCINGLY tranform into better human beings. But that never happened. And the one decent character, Kang Ha just got less interesting because of his joke of a dumb crush on a girl with the allure of a designer doormat. The finale/Episode 7 was the worst episode of all. A coda of inconsequential duhhh-like-we-didn't-know-all-this-already moments, hollow mea culpas and the obligatory throwing of a posse of nobodies under the bus. Our series' unloved hero, Kang Ha just fades into the background while the 2 characters (who I couldn't stand) take over the series' final scenes. Side notes: Jae-Ri is disturbingly weak both physically and mentally, yet still manages to be consistently imperious around her sassy so-called best friend. How Kang Ha fell in love with her at first sight was unfathomable-unless maybe in Korea it's normal to worship ice queens with blank stares. And why did the drama feature most of the rich kid's parents but scholarship student KangHa is presented like some parentless possibly homeless nobody from nowhere? I sort of wondered if it would turn out that this was a clue that Kang Ha wasn't real- that he was a revenging ghost figure. (Think Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider.) Now that would have been a worth sticking around for twist. And Yo Netflix! Don't order another season of Hierarchy unless you can fire the Season 1 writers. They totally dropped the ball.

Never got to see this until today when it hit Netflix. I had seen the cool trailers and read a lot of rave reviews but was still a tad skeptical I'd be able to sit through a 2 hr low budget monster movie. But talk about blindsided. I got so engrossed in the powerful emotions unleashed by this film, I almost forgot where I was watching it. Like an out of body experience or something. People who are mocking the actors must assume all people need to express their feelings in ways Americans can relate to, or they're bad actors. They don't get that after we dropped nukes on Hiroshigi-Nagasaki the Japanese people were battling severe PTSD. Symptoms of a PTSD semi-psychosis are well documented. So characters' odd facial expressions, etc. Seemed like symptoms of trauma to me. The acting, especially that of the kamikaze pilot hero played by Ryunosuke Kamiki was superb. The emotional arc of the film was deeply moving. Intense love and heartache without even one chaste kiss. Really, this film is a miracle of modern film making. Nothing made in Hollywood can compare. Update: 24 days later and I've watched Godzilla Minus One at least 4 times. On my 3rd viewing with a friend, I saw the English dub and that version had a poorly cast voice actor for Noriko. Her oddly cadenced American accent was really annoying and amateur sounding. Final verdict: The Japanese version with subtitles is the way to go.

The series takes its time. But somewhere along the way it pulled me in hard with its meandering time-bending strangeness. Definitely there's an undertow thing happening with every black & white shot glimpse into characters' recurring dreamscapes and nightmares. I'm at episode 8 now, and I'm guessing that those who are reviewing this drama as "Boring" probably swam to shore very early. Honestly, it took about 4 episodes before the dramatic undertow broke down my "you've got to be kidding me" barriers.

Bottom line is it's not a show for a k-drama beginner.: It would tigger too much crazy-making culture shock. But once you've seen a lot of k-dramas, you get used to a lot of really strange stuff. Like how a tiny 12 yr. Old girl, who seems to be legally blind without her glasses, is allowed to walk to school (and all over the whole darn city) ALONE.

But if you can get past the clueless child neglect, "Atypical Family" might just pull you in like it did me. Btw, This is maybe a 7 star series, but I gave a full extra star for the top-notch performance of Jang Ki-yong, who plays time travelling Gwi-joo. His character slowly sheds his comatose stone-coldness, frays and unravels, then unleashes a range of nuanced and cagey emotions. Jang's 4D acting definitely unveils itself as a cut above his costars, whose emotive capacities are either borderline passive, over-the-top, comic-bookish or just blah. (The actress who plays Grace deserves a small shout-out too. She's a cool combo of sly and fierce.) Anyway since the whole super-power thing was slow getting started, maybe we get a cliff hanger and a Season 2? I Hope so.

I can't believe I lost 2 hours of my life watching a movie that ends in triumph for the character I most despised. This confounding tumultuous tale of a carnival-like Vietnamese subculture awash in masseuses, evil neighbors, street thugs and perverts might be exciting to some viewers but it's one rabbit hole I wish I never ventured down. While the fact that many Vietnamese kids will dutifully worship at the feet of judgemental, controlling and selfish parents is something I've seen firsthand, it doesn't make it any easier to witness or accept. From the get-go, the film's protagonists all seem to suffer from a culturally pervasive sort of Stockholm Syndrome. Despite an ephemeral moment or two of promising romantic charm, overall I found the story relentlessly disturbing.

Anna M. As portrayed by Sasha Luss is gorgeous, IQ brilliant and incorrigibly bad a**. I haven't been so invested in the fate of a female action heroine since Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill franchise. Maybe because there's something undeniably Thurman-esque about Luss-the lean nordic sparrow physicality and the ice cool that permeates the screen in every frame she inhabits. Her female co-star is the indomitable Helen Mirren, as the cynically callous KGB puppetmaster Olga. Mirren is almost terrifying here, owning the chain smoking Olga role with a wry subtlety. Cillian Murphy shows up as a CIA agent with aloof bluster and an achilles heel. Lots of sparks fly between him and Luss, and the attraction he feels toward Anna is written all over him at first encounter. The Russian speaking cast isn't too shabby, but without Mirren and Murphy this flick would be less than. I liked the chess themes woven throughout the film, even if at times a tad clumsy. They included Anna's quick ID of a quote of Garry Kasparov's, about advantages gained by an attack. Anna is indeed a merciless KGB assassin, a feminine ninja in furs, with the raw preternatural death-agent skills of a John Wick. She's "KGB baby" and then some. If you relish a bit of high speed mortal combat and appreciate fight scene choreo this film will not disappoint. But without a doubt, the dialogue is the weakest aspect of this movie. It's often too dumbed down and forced. The early in the film dialogues are borderline cringe in fact. But it improves. And it's never sus with Mirren or Murphy's lines, which sizzle with sophistication and authenticity. In summary, this 2019 film stuck the landing and I wish there was a sequel.

OK, I confess. I had soured on K-drama Romances big time. Over the years I've stupidly watched at least 20 of them hoping against hope that the next one would be better, "cathartic" even, but to no avail. (Luckily I had found Japanese TV romances, and they are a lot less "tame" and formulaic. ) To be blunt, the K-drama romance factor is generally all smoke and little flame. They rarely include any kisses that last for longer than 5 1/2 seconds in slo-mo. But a friend told me this series might "evolve" my keenly critical observations. And it sure did. In "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim", increasingly intimate scenes don't immediately fade to black if you know what I'm saying. The lead actress here is pretty, charming and not cloyingly sweet. She's relatable, chic and down-to earth. The male lead is well cast too. He has that oddball style of comedic timing, and with classic handsomeness in spades, his character is believably written as the ultimate Chaebol narcissist. But he's in love with himself in such an over-the-top hilarious way that it's not annoying, Plus he's not a cad, just totally clueless, so you can fall for him from the start, like "Kim Mi So" has, but won't admit to herself. I liked how the couple chemistry went from tepid to hot at a believable and not so frustratingly slow pace. This show represents a new improved breed of K-drama Romance series. A lot less with the weird obsession over food, the getting ludicrously drunk with friends and those minor characters who hog the spotlight with "filler" trivial antics. I really loved every episode. Very addictive and binge-worthy.

This series CGI is definitely a stunner. But the series as a whole could have been easier to like with actually sympathetic lead characters in the mix. If you watch episode 5, you will have watched perhaps the only full episode worth the hype this show is getting btw. (Although I also liked the sub-titled historical intro (set in China, circa 1977), that featured an excellent actress who portrays the tortured young Dr. Ye. Meanwhile in contrast to this poignant and serious portrayal of an enslaved physicist who betrays humanity, are the two irritating "western" female scientists, Jin and Auggie, who seem to have been cast for their ability to maintain sex appeal even while grimacing or in a state of shock. (Question: Does how good female physicists look in tight jeans impress particle accelerators?) And one other question: how does Dr. Salazar, who is nearly going blind/ being driven insane by flashing numbers scrawled across her vision, manage to apply mascara and eyeliner so perfectly? I got used to this distracting supermodel Einstein schtick after a while, but sheesh, It's just so ludicrous. Btw, I've now watched half of the "unflashy" Chinese 30 episode version called "3 body" and it's dramatically superior. At least it never reeks of glammed-up sci-fi soap opera like this Neflix version does. Although admiitedly, the final scene was pretty OK.

But OK. Tiler Peck is a very talented dancer who can do 27 pirouettes on a dime. But she's no Gelsey Kirkland or Suzanne Farrell or a Sylvie Guillem. Lots of big smile bravado, sure, but I don't feel any emotional depth or passion emanating from her. Anyway, I enjoyed some of the rehearsal scenes, but I found 2/3 of this movie meh. Too much "The Tiler Peck Show"/ "Tiler did you eat your sandwich?" fawning mom and grandma stuff for me. The clown skit might have been better if Ms. Peck had dropped the ballerina goofy and went full whacky Carol Burnett mode goofy. The final mash-up finale piece was lively chaos, but with no real vision, drama or edginess. I was expecting Ms. Peck to get into some actual hip-hop herself; She didn't. But maybe that was a good thing. Even without the tutu and pink tights business, Ms. Peck is a precision ballerina-ist to her core. (Attention Hollywood: Tiler Peck would make for a stylin' android in a sci-fi movie.)

If you are a fan of both goth horror and pornography this is your movie of the year. The old porno-trope of a woman who finds ultimate freedom by debasing herself as a "free spirited" prostitute/ sex vessel. This film is a throwback to 80's arthouse "soft" porn like The Story of O and the Emmanuelle saga but with a "goth victorian-belle époque mash-up" twist. I found it to be a weird combination salacious and nauseating. As an mature woman, I can attest to the fact that in its early hay-days, the porn industry tried its best to brainwash me and my female generation into believing that living the life of a sex object was the ultimate form of female liberation. And they're at it again it folks! This time with a throng of tuxedoed Hollywooders unabashedly playing henchman (and pimp nouveau). I had to fast forward through the most salacious and grotesque scenes, of which there were many. Great art direction, hilarious "Chimera" type creatures, and a riveting star acting turn by William Defoe however, so 3 stars.

Like the original Kobasyashi version, this film aspires to and ascends to being actual art. I see it as an homage to that film, but with a more complex slow-burn undertow. Takashi Miike's "Samurai" sort of unfolds more darkly, lugubriously, and reverently. (And because most of my friends dismissed this movie as way too slow, I took 1 star off.) But if you can get past the glacier pacing, long before its stunning climax the director hypnotises you with a slow reveal of the dance between karmic justice and human revenge. There's just a lot to admire about this movie: From the sublime acting to its multi-layered feng shui sets and haunting dialogue. The cinematography is visually laconic, and we are often jolted from the pervasive gnawing bleakness to a blindingly bright nature scene that shimmers like a verse of haiku poetry: It's a masterfully Japanese way to express Nature's indifference to evil and human suffering. But OK, now I'll cut to the quick: I'll call this classic film under-rated, understated and maybe even profound. Plus it has some borderline iconic action scenes that are totally worth the wait.

I had 9 stars worth of interest in Dr. Slump until this weekend, when episodes 7 & 8 were aired by Netflix USA. Ouch. The Romance vector is implausibly slow in that the female lead had already confessed to "quasi-romantically liking" "Dr. Rooftop" (they've held hands on a windswept beach and had a multitude of emotional confessions) yet in episode 8 she is suddenly bizarrely retro-ambivalent. Seriously, she's pushing 30, yet she seems to equate handholding to sexual intimacy. (Like she's spent the last 20 years ain a convent.) Also whenever any of the female actors get drunk, which happens way too often in eps. 7 and 8, they often become outrageously physically abusive to male characters. I find those drunken party scenes downright strange, and the level of acting in them falls between unconvincing and atrocious.

This series will be one-starred as boring by hard-core action lovers. And by anyone who detests painfully corny music, which almost ruined the whole series for me. (It might even have been a 10 star for me but its theme song "My House" is so nauseating that I wore out my mute button. But I did find the story unique and absorbing and all the veteran actors were superb. Episode 5 was the game changer that got me hooked, culminating in a scene that had a Jesus-wandering-in-the-desert vibe. Really striking scenery. Btw, If you are a Japanese drama fan, you will recognize the Shinobi ninja hero father from Rurouni Kenshin movies. Meanwhile the the evil cult leader of the Fuma Clan was the protagonist of the cool Japanese series "The Naked Director". He is menacingly terrific here. I can't place the Shinobi mom, but her acting was intense but subtle/spot-on perfect. Like Michelle Yeoh, she may be an aging Asian beauty but she's a total scene stealer.

It makes absolutely no sense to me why after having literally seen 100's of movies/TV series from world over on Netflix, The Saitama Host Club is my #1 favorite to re-watch whenever I'm feeling stressed or down. It's so nutty and over the top. With it's offbeat improbable cast of characters and peculiar plotlines nothing I've ever seen resembles it. Once I realized I had ventured down a proverbial rabbit hole featuring a quasi-mad queen trying to "reform" a band of misfit "hosts" at Club Eichi, an obscure host club in Saitama Japan, I figured that I had 2 options. 1. roll my eyes and quit watching it or 2. Abandon all disbelief and enjoy the show. I picked door #2, and by episode four I was hooked. I Love all the players: bossy Ms. Yurika, diamond -in-the-rough Kiseki, Mr. Kobata, wicked Genji, punky Sen, sour Mamoru...wow I even remember all their names now. And I don't know much Japanese. Actually the simple dialogue of this show (the characters are never verbose) helped me learn a lot of Japanese words and expressions, which was a bonus. I'd love to visit Japan someday.

I was really enjoying "My Demon" in an 8 out of 10 stars way, and then it kept geyting better and better. Episodes 9 & 10: Wherein "My Demon" takes on the mesmerizing glow of TV series genius. A visually explosive scene between a confused Demon (Song Kang) and the mysterious snaggle-toothed baglady blew me away. There is a big dose of cosmic philosophy entering the picture and it quite unnerved me. This is no ordinary Korean rom-com, that's for sure. I stayed for all the lingering doe-eyed "will they or won't they" gazes, the rockstar Demon's high stylin' wardrobe, the gleaming CGI frozen-in-time moments, and the unmasking of a human monster obssessed with a schmaltzy-eerie k-pop lovesong. But now I am suddenly pondering the meaning of life and contemplating the essence of Universe's Supreme creator. I've fallen 10 stars hard for this series now, but whether the final 6 episodes will remain mysteriously profound, or devolve into superficial cheesiness is "to be continued"...

A "Night in Paradise"? What night in paradise? That's one joke of an ironic movie title. This was probably one of the most depressing films I've ever seen. And certainly the most depressing Korean film I've ever seen. Some reviewers (obviously with a higher tolerance for torture and/or psychological sadism than I have) may view this movie as a masterwork in gangster-noir. But this particular gangster-noir of a film projects an unmitigated nihilism, not a Tarrantino or "Donnie Brasco" style of semi-redemptive nihilism. So way too dark for me. I mean despite the vivid cinematography and some flashes of directorial brilliance, the film's protagonists never resonate with any interconnecting emotional depth except in one fifteen-second long interlude. That's all the director could spare us? IMHO that's just being miserly. This is a slickly crafted film that ultimately sticks its landing on the astral plane of an ambivalent Nowheresville.

This 2021 Japanese series seems to have been re-titled "Story of My Family" by Netflix. It features the veteran actor Tomoya Nagase, who starred in the hilarious My Boss My Hero and the cult youth drama, IWGP / Ikaburo West Gate Park. (He deservedly won top acting honors in Japan for his starring role here btw.) Tomoya plays the eldest sibling of a clan of revered Noh performers whose "National Treasure" father is coming to terms with Alzheimers. In the very first scenes we learn that he had abandoned serious Noh traditions for an "escapist" style life in pro-wrestling, but has returned as a prodigal son. He clearly has a lot of "catching up" to do and fences to mend. His role oscillates between comedic and tragic and often careens toward the mythic. Although he is is the "narrator" throughout the series, his emotions (like the emotions of many of the other characters) somehow remain inscrutable. Like the family in the story, the series' flow is quite a puzzle: a puzzle with many pieces that never quite fit together. But I enjoyed trying to figure it all out anyway and I'm still scratching my head over episode #10.

This is a bizarre allegory of colonialism, presented in the form of a gleaming blood soaked ballet. I'm sure it's also a morality tale that speaks to our plunder of our beautiful planet and nature as well. In the end, man's insatiable greed renders him unable to avoid self destruction. It's a tale told over and over again, but not quite like this. And not in just 17 minutes. It's a wild ride, that's for sure. I thought the female gilded bodhisattva character was perfection/ equally alluring and terrifying. Her violent tragic story was a sickening glimpse of a terrifying future enlightenment. The CGI is otherworldly and the episode deservedly won many awards. The director sought out highly trained classical dancers and a superb choreographer and it shows. What an apex way to end a solid season of Love, Death and Robots. Pure genius and a truly iconic masterpiece.

If you are a fan of Japanese cinema and/or the actor Takeru Satoh, this film will not disappoint. "The Beginning" is no ordinary action film. It eclipses all the other Rurouni Kenshin films because of its devastatingly mythic themes: the human experience as forged by the flames of passion and redemption. And at its heart of hearts is a love story so exquisitely tragic that it's like something out of Shakespeare. (Who can resist a story about star-crossed lovers?) Naoki Sato's soundtrack for this film also floored me, especially the track "Tokinoma", which soars above a scene that will haunt you for a very very long time.

But not gonna lie, "The Beginning" might not be fast paced enough for action film lovers. Or sexy enough for R-rated-jaded "adults". Instead it's a shimmering and restrained cinematic diamond that's best viewed though a film-as-art lens. It kind of channels Kurosawa and other great mid-20th century Samurai film classics. But while the "raining blood" violence often permeates the medieval Shogunate atmosphere, the heart of this film is actually an epic love story: a tale of refusal and surrender, betrayal and loyalty, sacrifice, transformation and transcendence. Takeru Satoh gives his most dynamic, relatable and nuanced interpretation of "Battosai the Killer" yet. (Warning: watching his signature "High Heaven" reverse blade katana swordsmanship can be addictive.) Kasumi Arimura as the beautiful Tomoe is more ghostlike than human, yet the chemistry between Tomoe and her equally ethereal assassin lover undeniably pulsates. If you have just now stumbled upon this Rurouni saga, try to resist watching "The Beginning" first. In terms of emotional impact and artistic achievement, it's the Kenshin crown jewel. So save the best for last.