 BCI Eclipse // Buy from Amazon.comIn 1651 during the Edo Period, the 11 year old Ietsuna becomes the fourth Shogun, leading his influential chief retainers to plot against each other to take the reins of power. The Hattori family, a clan of Iga Ninjas who were former vassals and protectors of the previous Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu have since fallen from grace. Their third generation ancestor, Hattori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba) is now working as the master at public bathhouse in Edo City. Fearing further political upheaval and instability, the Shogun's right hand man, Masayuki Hoshina once again calls upon the unique skills and services of Hattori Hanzo's Ninja Clan. During the day, they masquerade as ordinary citizens, but at night they ride forth as the "Kage No Gundan," the secret "Shadow Army" who opposes all those who dare to threaten the authority of the reigning Shogun. Any self-respecting fanboy who grew up in the 80s will fondly remember such names as Sho Kosugi or "American Ninja" - man, the concept of the ninja was the epitome of ultimate cool back in the days of red leather jackets with 400 zippers and "The Superbowl Shuffle." Well, little did I know at the time that there was an ass-kicker by the name of Sonny Chiba who had made a slew of films in the 70s before throwing his hat (or throwing star, as it were) into the television world with his ninja-focused show "Shadow Warriors. Thankfully, BCI seems to have licensed the complete Chiba archive, as they've recently released 2 different box sets of movies, and now release the entire First Series of this fine tv show in a great collector's set to enjoy. I knew Chiba would kick some ass in every episode, and I naturally assumed that we'd get some shades of "A-Team" or "Knight Rider" int his 80s action-packed TV series, but what I didn't expect was to enjoy it as much as I did. Sure, there's the weak character development, the paper-thin plot devices that serve only to unleash the fury of Chiba's ninjitsu... but that's what's so great about this series: it is what it is, and doesn't try to be anything else. Fun stuff, and another great collection from BCI -- enjoy! Video Given that this is a ninja TV show from the 80s, one can not complain about the fullscreen picture that definitely shows it age, but ultimately is more than sufficient for squealing fan boys to delight in the on-screen hijinx! Audio Mono Japanese soundtrack sounded fine, but I was reading (subtitles) as opposed to listening, so.. Extras Closing Thoughts Surprisingly entertaining romp thru ninjitsu + a decent extras = well worth checking out if you nod with respect when hearing the name "Sonny Chiba" Labels: review |
