Dec 25, 20 spectacular goofiness should be expected of 47 ronin, an american film loosely based on the true story of 47 reallife masterless samurai who avenged their disgraced masters death. This minidocumentary is edited and narrated by japanquickies. This influential book was published in 1871, after his tenure as attache from 18661870, and it was the first time the story of the fortyseven ronin appeared in print in the west. The story s arranger john allyn does a very good job balancing entertainment and translational, historical, accuracy. During the tokugawa era in japan, the country was ruled by the shogun, or highest military official, in the name of the emperor. Listeners will be captivated by 47 ronin, a novelization by joan d. In the film, keanu reeves portrays kai, a halfbritish halfjapanese outcast who is called upon by oishi, the leader of the 47. The story of the 47 ronin is part of the culture of japan, thousands visit the shrine dedicated to them, as told in the end of the film. Keanu reeves leads the cast as kai, an outcast who joins oishi hiroyuki sanada, the leader of the 47 ronin.
At first i wasnt really that into the story then about about half way into the first book something just clicked and boom i was hooked. I was inexplicably moved by the visit, and found a copy of john allyns book. For such an epic story, 47 ronin has a deceptively modest twohour running time. Jun 20, 2014 okay well 47 ronin seem to work okay i bought the set for a mortal and that and ripd ive never seen i was looking forward to watching something i hadnt seen before in 3d at home its skips terribly when it does play for a minute or two the sound in the mouth do not go together so i popped in 47 ronin loaded right up seemed to work fine i give it about 10 minutes i put this one back in and. Keanu reeves has described kai role in 47 ronin as an outsider, a kind of half breed with a mysterious past. Keanu reeves new movie has 47 problems, but the ronin ain. Things go horribly wrong when shifty lord kira tadanobu asano and his witch concubine. For those looking for the real story behind the fictionalized movie account of the 47 ronin story, this is the definitive, fascinating account of this unforgettable tale of a band of samurai who defied the emperor to avenge the disgrace and death of their master, and faced certain death as a result. Exiled, the warriors recruit kai keanu reevesa halfbreed they once rejectedto aid them in their quest as they fight their way across a savage world of mythic beasts, shapeshifting witchcraft and wondrous. It led to one of the bloodiest episodes in japanese history, and in the process, created a new. After a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind, 47 leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and restore honor to their people. Nov 18, 20 from ancient japans most enduring tale, the epic 3d fantasyadventure 47 ronin is born. Theres a real sense of scale and the beautiful and richlycoloured costumes, architecturesets and landscapes look great. The story tells of a group of samurai who were left.
To be ronin is to be banished from every city, to be despised by japanese society, to know humiliation without end. Akos fortyseven samurai web site produced by students at ako high school. The storys arranger john allyn does a very good job balancing entertainment and translational, historical, accuracy. In his hand is a scroll with the list of the 47 ronin. They, of course, are samurai out to get revenge for the death of their master. But if you were too busy being dazzled by the colorful, fantastical cg effects to pay attention. In the film, keanu reeves portrays kai, a half british half japanese outcast who is called upon by oishi, the leader of the 47. A story of 47 masterless samurai who carried out revenge on their lords tormentor. The film is a very loose adaptation of the reallife story a touchstone of.
The samurai codes seem to be authentic and in keeping with their historical counterparts. Keanu reeves as halfbreed samurai in trailer 47 ronin. Yesterday, we got four characters posters for 47 ronin, and now we can offer the first trailer to boot. Dec 25, 20 kaian outcastjoins oishi, the leader of 47 outcast samurai. So during that time was there really a half breed living among them and is there some witch craft back then as well. Sep 18, 2014 one of the most famous samurai stories in japan is the 47 ronin, and it took place in edo tokyo. As for why nobody believed keanu, historically, for a halfbreed to be taken in by a daimyo was more than a halfbreed could expect in the first place. Sep 10, 2012 i first went to sengakuji temple the burial site of the 47 ronin about 20 years ago, just as a tourist thing and not knowing the background of the temple or the story of the 47 ronin. The 47 ronin story has to be one of the best stories i have ever read. There also was not a love story or the addition of a witch, but that is beside the point. In a shocking clash between the warriors and the merchant class of seventeenth century japan, there emerged the most unlikely set of heroes. In an era where a book of less than 300 pages can be turned into three movies of three hours each, the.
The new trailer highlights the keanu reeves character and the fantastical creatures that inhabit the films setting. Turning the story of the 47 ronin into a whitemansavestheday spectacle is cultural imperialism and in this day and age, that might have been a bad judgment call. Theres a sadness about him and i admire the grace he shows in response to other peoples feelings. Under him were a number of regional lords, the daimyo, each of whom employed a contingent of samurai warriors. Which was the name of the half angelhalf demon beings in keanus 2005 comic book adaption constantine. Dec 23, 20 for such an epic story, 47 ronin has a deceptively modest twohour running time. On 47 ronin, samurai hair and other cultural confusions. The film itself is full of action and fantasy, and shows the true nature of bushido, the code of the samurai, and what it meant to lose that status and become ronin, a samurai who has no shogun to protect. Mass market paperback, first tor book edition, 448 pages.
A fantastical take on an epic true story, 47 ronin follows 47 leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and restore honor to their people after a warlord kills their master. The standout film for me was 47 ronin, which really makes the most of its japanese setting in visual terms. In a shocking clash between the warriors and the merchant class of seventeenth century japan, there emerged the most unlikely set of heroesthe fortyseven ronin, or exsamurai, of ako. Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. When you first enter temple area, on the right is a bronze statue of oishi kuranosuke leader of the raid. So i just finished watching the 47 ronin and found out that the background story of it is true. It puts you right into 16th, 17th, and 18th century japan capturing the very essence of traditional japanese culture meeting todays modern japanese. Keanu reeves leads the cast as kai, an outcast who joins. Or did hollywood over exaggerated most of the story. The need to insert keanu reeves as a half breed reminds me of raymond burr in the 1956 godzilla, king of the monsters. The need to insert keanu reeves as a halfbreed reminds me of raymond burr in the 1956 godzilla, king of the monsters. Scripted by chris morgan and hossein amini from a story by morgan and walter hamada, the film is a work of chushingura the treasury of loyal retainers serving as a fictionalized account of the fortyseven ronin, a reallife group of masterless samurai under daimyo asano naganori in 18thcentury japan who avenged. In ako, lord asano and his samurai oishi are hunting in the forest and they find a halfbreed boy.
This was perhaps all the more so because it occurred at a time when the samurai class was struggling to maintain a sense of itself warriors with no war, a social class without a function. It is the first version in english of a story retold so often in all japanese dramatic forms that theres an entire genre, chushingura, that refers only to telling the story of the 47 ronin, and that word is the title of a great many movies on exactly the same subject. The revenge of the fortyseven ronin also known as the ako incident. To restore honour to their homeland, the warriors embark upon a quest that challenges them with a series of trials that would destroy ordinary warriors. Kai keanu reeves asks for weapons from a tengu master togo igawa, while oishi hiroyuki sanada has to resist the tengu masters mind games. Nobody was expecting the new 47 ronin movie to be good its long. Animated prequel for 47 ronin explains how the 47 ronin.
The new trailer highlights the keanu reeves character and the. Keanu reeves new movie has 47 problems, but the ronin aint one. Yet the samurais will cannot be broken by the most evil plots of supernatural foes and human greed, desire and madness. Later, when the 47 ronin decide to avenge their master, they realize they need kais help because of his half breed demon spawn asskicking abilities.
I first went to sengakuji temple the burial site of the 47 ronin about 20 years ago, just as a tourist thing and not knowing the background of the temple or the story of the 47 ronin. Dec 25, 20 after a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind, 47 leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and restore honor to their people. I was inexplicably moved by the visit, and found a copy of john allyns book at an englishlanguage bookstore in tokyo. Outcast from society and enslaved due to being half japanese, half british, a man named kai keanu reeves encounters the eponymous ronin, led by oishi hiroyuki sanada. Reeves character kai is an addition to the original myth of the 47 ronin. A small memorial museum about the 47 ronin, the akogishi kinenkan, can also be found at sengakuji. Mar 22, 2014 so i just finished watching the 47 ronin and found out that the background story of it is true. The story of their revenge spread through town quickly, and crowds gathered to cheer them along the way. Or you can wait until february, when dark horse will publish a hardback version by dh publisher mike richardson and artist stan sakai. In this variation, the ronin are joined by a halfbreed named kai keanu.
Kaian outcastjoins oishi, the leader of 47 outcast samurai. For that reason, samurai, the subordinates of lord asano began their long plan for. The head of the ronin forgot his name states that their death will be imminent whether they succeed or fail due to the emperor forbidding revenge, therefore i can only. Today kids can see the story unfold with a visit lord kira s residence and the sengakuji temple. Fictionalized accounts of the tale of the fortyseven ronin are known as. From ancient japans most enduring tale, the epic 3d fantasyadventure 47 ronin is born. When lord asano min tanaka welcomes shogun tsunayoshi caryhiroyuki tagawa to his home, it should be a joyous occasion. Fortyseven ronin is a history action story written by jennifer bassett. Oct 28, 20 universal has moved the release date twice for 47 ronin, the 3d actionadventure pic set in mythical japan about a half breed slave keanu reeves who joins a band of 47 masterless samurai in a. Okay well 47 ronin seem to work okay i bought the set for a mortal and that and ripd ive never seen i was looking forward to watching something i hadnt seen before in 3d at home its skips terribly when it does play for a minute or two the sound in the mouth do not go together so i popped in 47 ronin loaded right up seemed to work fine i give it about 10 minutes i put this one back in and. The temple is famous for its graveyard where the 47 ronin also known as akoroshi, the masterless samurai from ako are buried the story of the 47 loyal ronin became highly popular as a kabuki play during the edo period, and remains very popular today. Driven from their homes and dispersed across the land, this band of ronin must seek the help of kai reevesa halfbreed they once rejectedas they fight their way across a savage world of. The story, like the setting, benefits from being relatively unfamiliar to a western audience. Dec 23, 20 47 ronin is a serviceable action movie that fails to either capture the emotional essence of the titular tale or bring anything genuinely fresh, invigorating, or memorable to its rendition.
A fantastic tale of a half humanhalf demon boy, who helps save a relentless samurai who has lost everything. Realizing that it was a lord kiras evil plot, the samurais and the halfbreed sets out for revenge against the shoguns order. Apr 22, 2014 keanu and i havent seen each other since the lake houseand maybe it was better that way. Many people visit the temple in order to pay respect to the. This was the classic tale of the 47 ronin with a half breed, a witch, and demons added to the conflict. The fortyseventh ronin and the chushingura imagination by henry d. He doesnt have anger about the way he is viewed, but there is sadness and ive found that an interesting thing to work with. If you want to read the story for yourself, the 47 ronin. Reeves plays an outcast halfbreed brought to join the ronin on a dangerous quest to avenge their fallen master. The story of the 47 ronin is one of the most celebrated in the history of the samurai.
Exiled, the warriors recruit kai keanu reevesa halfbreed they once rejectedto aid them in their quest as they fight their way across a savage world of mythic beasts. I read the hobbit back in january, then read fire and blood, and then started the series. Inside the singleroom museum, visitors can view artifacts related to the 47 samurai, such as letters and armor, and watch videos in english, mandarin or japanese explaining the history of the temple and the story of the loyal retainers. Very loosely outcast from society and enslaved due to being halfjapanese, halfbritish, a man named kai keanu reeves encounters the eponymous ronin, led by oishi hiroyuki sanada. The 47 ronin, known as chushingura the league of loyal hearts, were buried near their lord asano in a temple in tokyo where their graves exist today. Later, when the 47 ronin decide to avenge their master, they realize they need kais help because of his halfbreed demon spawn asskicking abilities. Jan 08, 2014 if you want to read the story for yourself, the 47 ronin. But the 47 ronin refers to a story known throughout japan. The trailers for cark rinschs samurai epic 47 ronin have not been short on action or spectacle. Sengakuji is a small temple near shinagawa station in tokyo. Dec 25, 20 while 47 ronin does indeed contain a fair amount of action, the pacing of the story is off and doesnt create the most thrilling narrative to follow. For that reason, samurai, the subordinates of lord asano began their long plan for revenge on lord kira. Universal has moved the release date twice for 47 ronin, the 3d actionadventure pic set in mythical japan about a halfbreed slave keanu reeves who joins a.
At least one, a twopart 1941 epic made by mizoguchi kenji, is among the. Lord asano and his wife, along with the 47 ronin, are buried at the sengakuji temple in the takanawa neighborhood. The tale of the 47 ronin is one of the most famous in japanese history, and it is a true story. Keanu reeves leads the cast as kai, an outcast who joins oishi hiroyuki sanada.
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