Review of SHINOBI

First of all, I must say that the storyline is almost non-existent. What is more interesting would be the breathtaking scenery and the elaborate fighting scenes.

Oboro (Nakama Yukie) and Gennosuke (Odagiri Jo) are lovers but they do not dare to come out into the open because they belong to two feuding clans i.e. the Iga and Koga respectively. Although Gennosuke wants to tell his father who's the chief of Koga about them, Oboro is not that optimistic about being able to stay with him. Before Gennosuke can do anything, he finds out from his father that Tokunaga Ieyasu, the lord who has unified the land, calls for a battle between Iga and Koga to select the clan to serve him. This means that Gennosuke has to fight Oboro against his wishes. As his father dies due to a fight with Iga's chief who happens to be Oboro's grandmother, the lovers are then forced to embark on a journey of killing each other's best shinobi once they become the chiefs of their respective clans...

What happens after that is a series of killings where the 5 best warriors from each of the both sides try to eliminate one another. All I can say is that almost everyone died but I won't go into the order of who dies first or last so as to prevent spoiling the story.

For me, the best performers in this movie would be Odagiri Jo, Shiina Kiipei and Sawajiri Erika.

Odagiri is simply too eye-catching to be ignored. This is supposed to be a period movie and yet his style shines through even in that outfit which seems to be made from scraps of cloth and a bright red coat. And the scene where he kills the numerous assasins who come for his life was like, "he didn't really move much and yet everyone died?" You've really got to watch this and check out Odagiri whether you are a fan or not.

Shiina Kiipei's image is outstanding in the sense that his hair is dyed white and he's supposed to be the 300-year-old monster from Iga who doesn't die at all. He simply gives me the creeps whenever he appears. Just standing there is enough to inspire fear in the viewer.

As for Sawajiri Erika, she spoke less than 10 lines and yet she catches my eye so easily. The X-factor, I guess? She plays Hotarubi, the sweet girl beside Oboro who can use fireflies to kill people without moving a single inch. Although Sawajiri's been plagued by rumours about her real personality being a far cry from her swetie-pie image, she really looks so cute and that screen presence will make it hard for you to take your eyes off her. (The Sawajiri Erika now is a far cry from her past.)

As for Nakama Yukie, I guess I've been quite used to her acting in Gokusen and TRICK that when she settles down to become a subdued Oboro, I find it quite hard to accept. No doubt she's very pretty and I like her interaction with Odagiri Jo especially at the beginning when they were hugging at the waterfall, sentimental scenes would still be the biggest issue she has to overcome because of her comedian-actress image these days.

On the whole, I would rate this 6 out of 10 for the aesthetics. If you are prepared to be forgiving about the storyline, I'm sure you will find it quite enjoyable to watch even if your motive is for the eye candy only.