Movies
Japan's answer to the Detective Dee films, even more so than its more recent Chinese namesakes. The Ying Yang Master is a mystery embellished with fantasy elements, set in ancient Japan. It's a fun and competent blockbuster, but it's not as consistently good as its Chinese counterpart. The mystery isn't that interesting and the introduction is quite slow, with a lot of info on who the onmyoji are and what role they fulfilled. Once the plot gets going more fantasy elements are added and the film gets a bit more intense, but it never pulls out all the stops. Still, I had a lot of fun with it, I'd just hoped for that little extra.Read all
I wasn't really familiar with this franchise, but apparently there are quite a few Eko Eko Azarak films, next to a TV series and a manga. The latter should be no surprise, as it really feels more like a live action manga adaptation, rather than a Ringu-like horror flick, which was becoming the norm at that time. For that reason alone, Wizard of Darkness is an interesting title worth seeking out. The high school setting and demonic resurrection themes offer some nice variation for those who have tired of tragic ghosts and vengeful curses. Performances are somewhat mediocre, but the visual effects are decent enough and there are some pretty cool kills here. Eko Eko Azarak isn't a genre classic, but solid filler with a slightly atypical vibe.Read all
The Fiend with Twenty Faces
