DVD Review: Zatoichi TV Series Volume 5 [R1]

Episode 18 – The Rush Trip – Seitaro has racked up a gambling debt at the Yasugaro house. He agrees to assassinate the rival of the yakuza boss in less than two days or else the boss gets to keep his girlfriend. Seitaro completes his task but Yakuza, being those silly bastards that they are, are complicating the issue and refusing to release his girlfriend. Enter Zatoichi masquerading as the other boss’s underling and justice is swift and deadly.

You remember the cover to Volume 4 with Ichi sitting in a hot spring tainted with blood? Yeah. That happens in this episode and it is wicked!

Episode 19 – A Rainbow Over My Homeland – Soukichi, a very good and popular chef in his home town, took the blame for a murder committed by his half-brother Seiji three years ago. Soukichi left on a journey returning at the time of a local festival only to find out that Seiji has lost the family restaurant, Fubuke, in a gambling match. Eager to still find his place Seiji makes a deal with the local Yakuza boss to have Soukichi killed so he can become a partner in the restaurant. Seiji hands over his sister, Oshizu, to the family and heads out to see Soukichi killed. Zatoichi in turn leads Oshizu out of the Yakuza home in a brilliant climactic battle to meet up with Seiji and Soukichi at their final confrontation.

Episode 20 – Female Boss and her Wolves – The Lady of the Hunting Ground is eager to retire from her Yakuza life but is frightened of what will happen to the town should it fall into the hands of Matsugoro, the boss of the Matsubaya family, a rival clan. What makes things more complicated is that the Lady of the Hunting Ground raised Matsugoro and his sister, Otae, in a mutual exchange between the two Yakuza families many years earlier. Her son, Kosuke was raised by the Matsubaya family and then sent to Edo to learn an honest profession and return to lead the family to reform, and marry Otae. Kosuke returns but he too has chosen the path of the Yakuza, which makes departure from the Yakuza life more difficult for The Lady, and Otae’s feelings for Kosuke more complicated. A power struggle emerges between Kosuke and Matsugoro and a tragic end is inevitable.

Episode 21 – The Little Flower by the Lake –Zatoichi comes across a prostitution ring. Sentaro fools women into becoming prostitutes with false stories of debt and little money. Little do they know that he works for the Yakuza gang to whom they are now employed. He promises to return in three years to pay off his ‘loan’ and then take them away to live together. Zatoichi breaks up the prostitution ring and deals out his own folded metal justice to the Narukami family and Sentaro.

The final melee between Zatoichi and the Narukami family shifts between slapstick comedy and severed limb justice. It is definitely one of the best climactic battles in the series yet.

You can buy your own copy of volume 5 from the Twitch store or from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Format: Color, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: Japanese with English Subtitles
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 2
Studio: Tokyo Shock/Media Blasters
DVD Release Date: August 29, 2006
Run Time: 225 minutes