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JLBadgley
Iki no Kami
Forum Kanrei
Joined: 09 Apr 2007
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Location: Washington, DC, USA
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 Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 1:53 am Post subject: Baian: the assassin |
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Just picked up the series "Baian: the Assassin" at Best Buy for about $15--one of the better buys we've made. Ken Watanabe plays the (in?)famous "Baian", an acupuncturist who moonlights as an assassin.
I'm very interested in some of the details of the assassination work--whether that is drawn from historical sources or if it is completely fictional to make the stories work. That said, I love the way they portray Baian, and there is wonderful food porn littered throughout. As a matter of fact, there are tons of little historical details that are nice, like the temporary kabuki theater that was raised for the kabuki troupe.
Anyone else catch these, either here or when they were on in Japan? Thoughts and comments? I haven't taken too serious a look at them from an historical point of view--just let myself get carried away in the story.
-Josh |
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Lycaena
Togishi
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Joined: 09 May 2007
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| Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:30 am Post subject: |
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Aye, Bug and I bought it when it first came out at Best Buy because it was only $15 for all those DVDs. We were afraid that it was mispriced and would go up. It didn't hurt that it had Watanabe Ken. *swoon*
I watched the first episode and found it entertaining, but haven't watched the rest. It made me want some old episodes of Hissatsu Shigotonin though...
I've never taken any of the Hissatsu type shows seriously. It seems like it would take a lot of strength and calluses  to kill someone with a hair ornament or awl without a handle, shamisen string, etc. |
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maikeruart
Gunshi
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Location: Southbridge
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| Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 8:04 am Post subject: |
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| I bought it too, I liked it. |
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JLBadgley
Iki no Kami
Forum Kanrei
Joined: 09 Apr 2007
Posts: 1569
Location: Washington, DC, USA
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| Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Lycaena wrote: |
| I've never taken any of the Hissatsu type shows seriously. It seems like it would take a lot of strength and calluses to kill someone with a hair ornament or awl without a handle, shamisen string, etc. |
I never figured there was much to that, one way or the other. I was thinking about some of the organization and people mentioned. There's this complex web of the employer, go-between, and assassin that I'm wondering if it was made up whole-cloth or derived from something (such as modern organized crime). It sounds both fanciful and just plausible enough to keep you in the mood of the story.
Talking to Tony, he figured it was just fanciful, but I wasn't sure if there was some real world structure they were imposing on the world.
Regardless, the series is a lot of fun.
-Josh |
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Brick McBurly
外人タレントスーパースター
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Joined: 02 Jun 2007
Posts: 287
Location: 東映太秦映画村
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| Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 3:43 am Post subject: |
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They've also resurrected the Baian series. Ken ain't in it this time, though. They had episodes of the new one playin' on Japanese TV last November and December.
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Shisendo
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Location: Canada
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| Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 1:15 pm Post subject: |
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This TV series is based on some books written by Shotaro Ikenami. At least one has been translated into English and it is quite good despite its unfortunate title, Ninja Justice: Six Tales of Murder and Revenge.
I've seen the DVDs and particularly enjoyed the opening TV movie on the first disc. |
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leakbrewergator
Ronin
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Joined: 29 Jun 2008
Posts: 236
Location: Tampa
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 3:49 am Post subject: |
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Is it English subtitled? Watanabe is one of my favorite actors so I will definitely pick it up if it is.
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Shisendo
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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| leakbrewergator wrote: |
| Is it English subtitled? Watanabe is one of my favorite actors so I will definitely pick it up if it is. |
The version I rented was sub-titled. Watanabe's acting lifts it above typical TV fare too. |
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leakbrewergator
Ronin
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Location: Tampa
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| Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2008 4:06 am Post subject: |
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^^ Thanks for the info. I'm ordering my copy today. Watanabe could make paint drying interesting!
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A person who knows but a little will put on an air of knowledge. This is a matter of inexperience. When someone knows something well, it will not be seen in his manner. This person is genteel.
- Yamamoto Tsunetomo |
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