This movie is Japanese transformation of buddy movie and oriental fantasy. The entire feeling of this movie is fin-de-siècle.But it’s not a horror movie, just fantasy. It’s not the important problem which genre the movie is. I have an interest on two characters in this movie rather than story or image of it.
I think this movie is similar with Sherlock Holmes(A. C. Doyle). There are two actors like Sherlock Holmes and Watson in movie, named Seimei and Hiromasa. They solve problems together. But there is a decisive difference with Holmes. That’s the point that this movie is dealing with not crime, but ghost.
As many people know this movie is originated from comic book which has a same title. So the movie adopts way of omnibus story. Surely this characteristic gives many episodes, but main story is based on the espionage and conspiracy in Japan royal family. We could know it’ll make a sequel later.
And this movie is dealing with very important issue from the maxim of Buddhism(as you know, Buddhism has been greatly effective to Japan from ancient to now). It’ the concept that everything is decided by own mind. There is Seimei’s word like bellows in the movie.
“People can be Buddha and Oni(it means sinister ghost in Japan) according to their thoughts.”
This Japan film is fixed with Orientalism which suggests new vision about good and evil. Seimei said.
“I don’t concerned whether Kyoto is demolished or not.”
But he saves country and royal family from the Doson, and evil character.
Recently we like a genre of fantasy and blockbuster movies like “the lord of the rings”, “matrix” and “Harry potter”. So far it seems movie-makers believe fantasy movie is lucrative. So this movie is connected with this tide of filmmaking. And this anticipation was fulfilled by driving many people to theater in Japan. But in other countries like Korea, many spectators snub to this movie.
Why does this movie hit only in Japan?
Firstly, as I said at the head of article, the movie is a kind of buddy movie. While it’s very intimate genre to us and would be an entertainment itself in the fact of complementing character’s deficit each other, most spectators are sick and tired of this genre. In other words, we could say the movie has plain plot.
Secondly, the movie has so intensive cultural elements that we can hardly understand an entire story. Maybe most people who see this movie wouldn’t take its messages and dialogues.
Finally, it is focused on oriental fantasy. I surely think fantastic scenes make movie more vivid and entertaining, but excessiveness of fantastic apparatus bewilders spectators.
I hope the sequel of this movie improves international facts and get universality.