Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance (1974) User Reviews

The vengeance? Where's the vengeance?

[AwesomeWolf · 7/10 · 1 May 2005]

Version: Eastern Eye's R4 DVD release. Japanese / English subtitles.

I thought the ending of 'Lady Snowblood' was rather definite. It didn't exactly set itself up for a sequel, but, here we are. Sequel time - 'Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance'. I must admit, it is a cool title.

After avenging her mother in 'Lady Snowblood', Yuki (Meiko Kaji) is arrested by the new Japanese police. Sentenced to death, Yuki is granted a reprieve by Kikui (Shin Kishida), an agent of the secret police. Kikui will let Yuki live if she spies on Ransui Tokunaga (Juzo Itami), an active socialist. Yuki accepts Kikui's offer, but making that offer may not have been the smartest thing Kikui ever did...

The first thing you may notice about 'Lady Snowblood 2' is that there is a lack of vengeance. It seems to have been substituted for politics. Naturally, there is some vengeance, and the requisite amount of Yuki killing people, but 'Lady Snowblood 2' seems to grounded in the political and social climate of Japan in the early 1900s. I've studied a bit of Japanese history from this period at university, so the tie-in managed to maintain my interest. However, characters make references to the Hibiya Riots and the Russo-Japanese war, events that happened in 1905. This is supposedly set right after 'Lady Snowblood', which I believe was set in the 23rd Year of Meiji. By my reckoning, that would make 'Lady Snowblood' set around 1891. I think I've missed something, or gotten the Meiji years wrong. If someone doesn't correct me, I'm going to assume time-travel was involved. Time-travel? Cool!

Meiko Kaji turns into something of an acting robot in this outing. Yuki seems devoid of any emotion, and while that was a theme in the first, it was established that she was capable of human feeling. However, she still makes a good assassin. Although we have more politics and less action, the action we do get is still pretty good, if dated.

'Lady Snowblood 2' stands in the shadow of its prequel. The first movie outshines this movie in every way, but the second is still entertaining. Worth a look for fans of the first - 7/10

Political intrigue, Snowblood style.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 7/10 · 8 June 2020]

'Lady Snowblood: Love Song Of Vengeance (1974)' is, by all rights, a sequel that needn't exist. It links into its predecessor in a natural yet superficial way and is clearly just a response to positive audience feedback. Having said that, the movie manages to deliver both a solid stand-alone story and an inoffensive follow-up. It isn't as good as its predecessor but it isn't trying to do the same things, either. Instead of focusing on vengeance, the flick focuses on political intrigue. Indeed, its near espionage elements are far more engaging than you'd expect. The protagonist is hired by the secret police to assassinate an apparent anarchist; she soon comes to question her allegiances and might just prove a problem for those who initially sought to take advantage of her. The picture is slick, stylist and splattered with blood. Its action is exciting, its plot is intriguing and its characters are empathetic. It isn't all that predictable in the moment, either. It's an entertaining time throughout. 7/10

Politically-minded sequel

[Falconeer · 7/10 · 17 October 2012]

Well-made, but unpleasant sequel to one of the greatest cult Japanese films of the 70's, "Lady Snowblood II: Love Song of Vengeance." This installment focuses less on classic blood spray sword fight scenes and more on the corrupt politics of the time. Fascinating history lesson, but of course the more serious subject matter does mean less fun. The film itself looks beautiful, with extravagant sets and costumes, and an excellent music score, and Meiko Kaji gets to show a more human side of her persona here. One thing that must be mentioned is that the violence factor in this sequel is more extreme; although there is less of the theatrical arterial blood sprays here, we get instead some thoroughly unpleasant and grisly scenes of human torture, including stabbings, burnings, eye gougings, savage beatings, as well as one man being injected with plague, which causes his skin to break out in nasty sores. A few scenes are kind of sickening, and i wasn't really expecting such serious subject matter. The film does tend to drag a bit in the middle segment, but comes back strong for the final third, when Yuki gets her revenge on the corrupt officials who have looted and burned an entire village for their own financial gain. Peopled with some truly slimy villains, and a heroic finale, this is a worthy sequel to a classic.

Another sequel that fails to live up to the predecessor.

[xhari_nairx · 17 May 2001]

The first film had a solid story, good acting, and some nice stylistic flourishes. This film has a rambling story that doesn't carry any of the emotional weight of the first one. Kaji Meiko was spell binding in the original, but here she isn't given much to do. The sword fighting scenes are far less bloody than the original which is a good or bad thing depending on your taste. To me it's bad. The straight choreography of both films was lacking compared to Hong Kong films and some of the better Samurai films, but the exaggerated gruesomeness of the original's scenes gave it a kick. Here it seems as though they were trying to shoot the scenes as quickly as possible (lots of long takes). The second film didn't have the humor either. Just stick with the first one.

It's not at all as good as the first one...

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 9 August 2010]

At the end of the first Lady Snowblood film, it sure didn't look like there could be a sequel. First, all the bad guys who needed killing were dead and her need for revenge was complete. Second, she sure looked like she was dead or soon would be. Yet here we have Ykui showing up yet again. This time, however, instead of just killing off a few evil vermin, she's apparently been quite busy--with something like 37 killings to her credit. However, when you see her fighting at the beginning of this film you wonder how she could have done this, as the choreography and her skills were not especially impressive. The illusion of her great power was better in the first film--here the sword play looks a bit rough at times--but it's still worth seeing.

This film finds her a wanted woman throughout Japan--and oddly the film is set about a decade or more ahead of the last film, though she looks exactly the same. Tired of fighting, she eventually allows herself to be arrested. She's soon convicted of murder and sent to execution. However, on the way, she's rescued by some unscrupulous officials who want her to do their bidding in exchange for her release. It seems they want her to bring them a certain important document and then kill the man who is hiding it. However, when she hears the intended victim's story, she realizes that the government officials are much like the scum she killed in the last film and she refuses to act. What's next? Will they kill the man, get the document or get Lady Snowblood to work for them or kill her? Tune in and see.

Like the first film, this one has a lot of blood--though not the squirting and spurting geyser-like variety this time (at least not until the very end). Unlike the first one, this one also has some nudity. However, whether either has nudity or not isn't that important in regard to whether or not you let the kids see them--the violence, to me, is much more of a deciding factor.

As for an older audience, the film is worth seeing--just don't expect it to be nearly as original or interesting as the first film. This one just isn't as good in every single way--though for fans of Japanese films, it's still worth seeing. Very adequate.

By the way, in one scene, Yuki throws a knife up into the ceiling--impaling a man's hand in the process. Yet, despite this, moments later you see a close up of the bloody hand and there clearly is no hole or wound of any kind. Now I am NOT suggesting they should have mutilated the guy in order to provide better continuity---just not shown a close up of the hand itself.

"It's your fate to live in a hell of murder and demonic savagery."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 24 October 2016]

The ending of the original "Lady Snowblood" left the fate of Yuki Kashima (Meiko Kaji) somewhat ambiguous. She was shot and severely gut stabbed, and the movie closed with her lying motionless on the ground. Perhaps with an eye toward a sequel, the film makers brought her back in another tale in which she embarks on a journey of vengeance. This time though, the story is set amidst the political turmoil of 1906 Meiji Japan, with Yuki captured and arrested for the murder of thirty seven of her countrymen. The reason for these killings wasn't adequately established except in a mention of murder for hire in the narrative; in the first film she was on a personal mission of revenge for the death of her imprisoned mother.

Something I noticed in the first film but didn't mention in my review of it, was the point that Yuki didn't seem particularly skillful in the demonstration of her swordsmanship. She simply slashed and stabbed her way against opponents in a manner that didn't require any type of exceptional choreography. At any time when she was surrounded by authorities, it seemed to me she should have been overtaken by sheer force of numbers, even if Yuki did manage to wound or kill a couple. Considering that sometimes one of the authorities had a gun made it seem even more incredible, so one has to wonder about the thought process put into the story.

Be that as it may, fans of Japanese martial films will probably accept most of these inconsistencies for the sake of a decently staged action thriller. The political subtext involved was an interesting departure from the first film, with elements of ransom demands and threat of a plague infection thrown in for good measure. The bloodletting is toned down from the original, though fans of such are treated to a requisite amount of the red stuff. As before, Yuki suffers some bullet wounds in closing out the story, but still having the presence of mind to put her benefactor Shusuke (Yoshio Harada) out of his misery upon request. Not to mention the bad guys, only fitting as they had it coming.

The Lady Snowblood series:Part 2: Love Song of Vengeance.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 7/10 · 29 September 2019]

After Stray Cat Rock and the Female Prisoner Scorpion trilogy (all reviewed) I was happy to find that the first Lady Snowblood (also reviewed) matched all the thrills from the other two Meiko Kaji franchises. Finding her eye-catching the first time,I stepped in the snow again for a second meeting with Snowblood.

View on the film:

Continuing the standard set with the first, Arrow present a wonderful transfer,featuring a picture quality pure as the driven snowblood and a clean soundtrack.

Having the easy option presented to them of just doing a re-run of the original, the screenplay by Kiyohide Ohara/ Norio Osada and the returning Kazuo Kamimura take the welcomed option of drawing swords from a different direction in their adaptation of Kazuo Koike's Manga, this time clashing to political skulduggery.

Out for her own revenge the first time, the writers build tension on this return by placing Snowblood in the middle of the battle between head of secret police Kikuib and enemy of the state rebel Tokunaga,who brings out a great alteration in the mind-set of Snowblood, thanks to her initial mission to spy on Tokunaga, becoming laced with doubt as she learns who Tokunaga (and the ruthless Kikuib really are.)

Displaying some signs of having been over-ambitious on a limited budget, returning director Toshiya Fujita reunites with cinematographer Tatsuo Suzuki, and fills in on the political battles of the era with drawings and a narration, both of which feel misplaced within the sparkling visuals the rest of the movie is filled with.

Building upon the action in part 1,Fujita & Suzuki true showmanship in the thrilling Pinky Violence Action set-pieces,expanded here to graceful wide tracking shots catching each move from Snowblood, and landing into hyper-stylised first person sword fights (!) jabbed with the spray of red mist scattered across the screen. Entering undercover as a spy, Fujita brings Snowblood onto Tokunaga's side with excellent long panning shots into the hidden surroundings of Tokunaga's life.

Coming back in a blaze of glory,Meiko Kaji gives a exciting performance as Snowblood, whose shoulders Kaji has this time weighed down with the desire of wanting to help the needs of others for the love song of vengeance.

Less Vengeance, More Heroism - Lady Snowblood Is Back!

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 7/10 · 20 September 2008]

Toshiya Fujita's "Shura-yuki-hime: Urami Renga" aka. "Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song Of Vengeance" of 1974 is a quite different, but more than decent sequel to Fujita's blood-soaked and beautiful 1973 gem "Shurayukihime" (aka. "Lady Snowblood"). While the film does not nearly reach the greatness of its superb predecessor, "Love Song Of Vengeance" is yet another original and highly entertaining film that no lover of Japanese Cinema in general, and Chambara and Japanese Exploitation in particular should consider missing. The film sadly cannot compete with its predecessor's unique style and beauty, but it is still stylish, and furthermore delivers a good story, and, most memorably, the wonderful Meiko Kaji, who comes back with greatness as the eponymous (anti-)heroine.

As it was the case with several other sequels to popular Japanese 70s exploitation flicks, the sequel adds some political/social commentary to the mainly vengeance-based plot of its predecessor. Obviously, the film is set several years after the events in the original "Lady Snowblood". Yuki/Lady Snowblood (Meiko Kaji) is captured, and sentenced to death for the thirty-seven killings committed by her in the predecessor. She is then offered to carry out an assassination in order to escape her execution... I don't want to give away more, but I can assure that the plot gets quite interesting for my fellow Chambara-fanatics. Japanese Exploitation-Goddess Meiko Kaji (one of my personal favorite actresses ever) is once again stunningly beautiful and brilliant in her role. My personal favorite Kaji role will always be that of female prison escapee Nami Matsushima in the brilliant "Joshuu Sasori" (aka. "Female Prisoner Scorpion") films, but the role of Lady Snowblood is also essential, and no lover of Cult-cinema could afford to miss her in the role (especially in the original, but also in the sequel). Meiko's presence alone would make any film worthwhile, in my opinion, and the film has a lot more to offer. The film's is, once again, filled with quite a bit of stylish bloodshed, which is not quite as aesthetic, but at some points even bloodier than in the predecessor. Unfortunately, the score in this one is not as memorable as that in the original (for which Meiko Kaji sang the theme song), and yet it is more than decent. Nowadays, the "Lady Snowblood" films are probably best known for being the main inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" films, but they sure deserve more attention for their own sake. The first film, "Lady Snowblood", is brilliant, and while "Love Song Of Vengeance" is not the masterpiece its predecessor was, it is still a highly entertaining, stylish and memorable film that I highly recommend to every lover of Chambara and Cult Cinema. My rating: 7.5/10

She's back for more hack 'n' slash action.

[BA_Harrison · 8/10 · 22 October 2013]

The general consensus here on IMDb seems to be that Love Song of Vengeance isn't quite as good as its predecessor, Blizzard from the Netherworld. Not one to toe the line, I would say that it is easily as entertaining—a little more complex and bit less bloody perhaps, but still a very worthy addition to the 70s Japanese exploitation genre.

Having somehow survived being shot and stabbed in the first film, Yuki (Meiko Kaji) is trapped by the police and found guilty of killing 37 people. On the way to the gallows, she is rescued by the Japanese secret police, who want her to go undercover as a maid to spy on anarchist Ransui Tokunaga (Jûzô Itami) who is in possession of a letter that could be used to incite riots and topple the government.

But when Yuki learns that the letter contains evidence of a conspiracy to frame innocent anarchists for an act of unrelated terrorism, she decides that the corrupt officials involved need to be taught a lesson.

It's easy to understand how this more serious, politically themed plot might not sit well with those who enjoyed the simplistic revenge tale of the original, but I found the story engrossing. As far as the violence is concerned, there may not be quite the volume of bloodletting as first time around, but when it happens, it is suitably nasty, with brutal scenes of torture, graphic eye trauma, and an over-the-top finalé which involves hacked-off limbs and arterial spray.

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Better than the first part

[bur_007 · 7/10 · 15 January 2008]

Supposingly I missed out on something and in some way I hope I did. Unlike nearly all the comments made on this film I like this part best. I didn't really like the first part since it got a bit dull and it didn't meet my expectations in the sense of violence. The second part however was far better. The violence was far more spectacular (especially for the 70's), I liked the music a lot and even though the story was not as good as the first one I prefer the second part. I buy these kind of films because I want some sheer entertainment not because I want a perfect story. If I want to see a great vengeance story I'll watch Park Chan-Wook's trilogy or something. But like I said before; I hope I'm wrong, because now I'm going to watch the first part again and if I'm wrong I'll have another good evening.

Lady Snow Bore 2

[osloj · 5/10 · 21 July 2016]

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

*Plot and ending analyzed*

I guess if you have the brain of a gerbil and chew sugar candy all day, this film should fit your bill just fine. Others might want a little more in the way of a coherent story. There are parts of Lady Snowblood that are atmospheric and colorful, but the idea is not handled with enough competency, or even concern.

Lady Snowblood is some dull, waif of a woman, who has a feeble umbrella sword, whom she uses to chop in half corpulent bodies, hands, limbs and heads. Okay. The enemies are as imbecilic as the premise, even unable to fight such a woman. They just sit by and wait to be "chopped up". I must admit that the high reviews made me think these films would rate as high as Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman or Lone Wolf and Cub, but they are nowhere near as great.

Lady Snowblood - Love Song of Vengeance has her doing the same great sweeps of her little, feeble umbrella sword and they added some political rubbish to the play as well.

Still, they are worth a look for the time.

A lesser plot but still good for entertainment

[wierzbowskisteedman · 8/10 · 10 June 2005]

As a die hard fan of the original from the first time I saw it, it was only natural for me to hunt down this follow up. While the original had a more simplistic, vengeance orientated plot, this sequel unfortunately bites off a bit more than it can chew as it weaves Yuki in with the politics of early 20 Century Japan and the events of the Russo-Japanese war. Overall it feels like the film is just cashing in on the popularity of Kaji Meiko generated by the first film.

That said, it still manages to entertain from the very start, with a wonderful sequence of Yuki hacking her way through a load of bad guys. Meiko lost none of her charisma from the original, which is really essential here as the film itself starts to trip of it's own plot after a while. The fact that politics is the theme here rather than vengeance doesn't give her quite as much to work with, but her ability to convey almost all of her emotions through her eyes is still a joy to watch.

Ultimately it is worth watching if you liked the original and find Kaji Meiko's presence to be enough to hold your attention. If you value a gripping plot over tremendous acting you'd be better of skipping this. The fact that the first film had both these elements and the sequel only has one makes it an inferior but still highly entertaining follow up.

first one's a classic, this one's just OK

[dburton2 · 6/10 · 31 January 2021]

John Lennon once complained that in "Help!" the Beatles were reduced to being "extras in our own movie." That was my reaction to this sequel, in which our heroine Lady Snowblood takes a back seat to a tedious plot about a stolen official document and to political criticism of the Japanese government of the early 1900s, which is portrayed as corrupt, tyrannical, and imperialistic. There's some good action sequences, but not as crisp as in the first film, and fairly pointless, as Snowblood is not fighting for clear goals of her own, but rather serves as a pawn, or, if you like, a queen, in the political game between a radical writer and the authorities. Plenty of blood, too little Snowblood, in other words. The first movie is also self-contained, and comes to a clear conclusion -- this one is not only unnecessary but it also undermines the lesson learned at the end of the first. It's not un-entertaining, but it is skippable.

Less Of The Same.

[net_orders · 3/10 · 8 January 2017]

Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance. Viewed on DVD. Cinematography = six (6) stars; choreography = four (4) stars; sound effects = four (4) stars; makeup = four (4) stars. Director Toshiya Fujita's rush-job, cheap-production sequel comes up short in practically all departments starting with a nonsense title and a overly contrived scenario (the latter involves Meiji secret police who usually can't shoot straight!). Fujita and his film-making colleagues would seem to have strained hard to dream up further adventures of a fashion-model assassin-for-hire (now with a price on her head) who is a walking, flamboyant self-advertisement (and not particularly choosy whom she works for at any moment). The Director provides little more than a photo shoot of poses in exotic/unusual settings for lead actress Meiko Kaji with and without eye bags (from too many all-night drinking parties?). Kaji's acting chores are pretty much limited to delivering about 10-12 lines of dialog (she does widen her eyes now and then), but Kaji's character makes up for this with a magic sword that only has to brush against her opponents (or just be in their general vicinity) to kill off countless stunt actors. Inter-scene continuity of successive close ups repeatedly demonstrates the lack of make-up artistic skills, as Kaji's eye bags come and go. The sound track offers a selection of 3-4 standard cries of pain for slashed/stabbed combatants. Alas, sandal walking only gets one, as the sound of foot steps is independent of the surface actors are walking on (unless walking in the ocean). Cinematography (wide screen, color) is fine. There is a spectacular scene early on of ocean waves breaking on a beach followed by a crab's eye view of same! Scene lighting is occasionally on the dark side. Theatrical blood (of which a fair amount is on display) looks like, well, dyed liquid dish-washing soap. Subtitles are okay. The appeal of this Toho Film studio programmer would seem to be limited to die-hard fans of Meiko Kaji. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

Different from the original but good

[gkbazalo · 31 July 2004]

Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance was quite different from the first Lady Snowblood. That one concentrated on the story of her revenge for deeds against her mother 20 years in the past. This one uses the framework of the clash between the rising authoritarian nationalist movement under the first Meiji emperor and the rising class of urban poor led by intellectual nihilists. It's pretty funny seeing kids skipping down the city streets singing songs about Japan being victorious over Russia in the 1905 war. Our Lady is swept along by these events rather than controlling them. After being sentenced to death for her deeds in the first film, she is "rescued" on the way to the gallows by the emperor's secret police and recruited to infiltrate the nihilists who have documents that could bring down the government. Lady Snowblood switches sides and we progress through torture, bubonic plague as a weapon of mass destruction, and class warfare. The film is carried more by the characters around Snowblood than by her, especially the two anti-government brothers that Snowblood befriends, as well as the police chief, who can't get a break in this movie. He's the bad guy but reminds me of Inspector Clouseau, whether falling off his horse or getting his eye poked out. However, she does what she needs to do and provides the action we expect. Altogether, I enjoyed this one better than the first. 7 of 10.

Startling carnage once again, but the sequel gets bogged down in a convoluted political plot

[tomgillespie2002 · 6/10 · 4 August 2017]

Based on the manga comic by Kazuo Koike, 1973's Lady Snowblood is a simplistic rape-revenge thriller, pitting one woman with a mastery of swordsmanship against a hoard of faceless and disposable foes standing in her way. Opening with snow falling on darkness, Toshiya Fujita's film is also incredibly beautiful, offering a variety of strikingly colourful images, more often than not spattered with blood red. Stills from the movie could be framed and hung on your wall, but the main joy to be had is with its narrative simplicity and thrilling swordplay. The sight of Meiko Kaji slicing down one baddie after the next combined with her thirst for revenge propelled Lady Snowblood to exploitation royalty.

The sequel came the very next year, and like most successes in which the hero achieves their goal and nicely wraps up the story, the only option going forward is to broaden the scope and give the protagonist a new mission. This approach is rarely successful, and Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance struggles to recapture the magic of its predecessor. With Snowblood a wanted woman, she is mercilessly pursued by the police until she eventually throws down her sword to prevent further bloodshed. Sentence to death, she is saved from the noose by Seishiro Kikui (Shin Kishida), the head of the Secret Police, and given the task of infiltrating anarchist Ransui (Juzo Itami) to locate a document that will convince the people to rise up against the government. When her allegiances change, the deadly assassin finds herself on the run again, and soon out for further revenge.

The fight choreography is once again startling, with buckets of blood spurting from the unlikeliest of places. If anything, it improves on the first and certainly delivers more of it, with an early beach massacre and a climactic battle on a row of steps being the standout set-pieces. It moves at a fast pace, and offers historical context in snippets of black-and-white news footage (although some, if not all, were made for the film) and narration. Yet this also means that we're hit with a rather convoluted plot involving many characters, each with their own personal turmoil and ambitions. This takes away the sense of personal fury of the first film, with Kaji given few lines and little to do other than fight when called upon. She does shine when given the chance however, and hardcore fans of the genre will no doubt lap the balletic carnage.

A Good Movie with a Rather Disappointing Ending

[Uriah43 · 6/10 · 20 August 2017]

This movie begins with several samurai attempting to ambush "Kashima Yoki" (Meiko Kaji) but abruptly getting slain for their efforts. Even so, her activities don't go unnoticed and soon she becomes one of the most wanted outlaws in Japan and is hunted mercilessly. Then one day the odds become too much to overcome and she is captured and subsequently tried and convicted by a court of law. However, on the day of her scheduled execution she is rescued by a small group of men led by a man named "Kikui Seishiro" (Shin Kishida) who has great need of her extraordinary skills as an assassin. But first she has to ingratiate herself with her target who goes by the name of "Ransui Tokunaga" (Jûzô Itami) in order to steal a document in his possession that has great value to Kikui. What she doesn't know, however, is that Kikui isn't who he appears to be and that there is much more to Ransui than she realizes. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film was a bit more realistic than the previous film which helped it to some extent. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed in the ending and for that reason I have had to lower my rating accordingly. Slightly above average.

Not as good as the first but it is still a very entertaining move

[LoneWolfAndCub · 7/10 · 14 January 2007]

Let's get this straight, this one is nowhere near as good the first. The first had a lot going for it. A great (but very simple) plot, excellent fight scenes, great effects, a brilliant score and Lady Snowblood was a sympathetic character. The second outing for Lady Snowblood is a little different. The plot is very political based, being based around 19th century Japan when a war was going on. This time around Yuki is captured by the police and sentenced to death for her crimes in the first film. While travelling to the gallows the Secret Police rescue her and offer her a deal, if she becomes an assassin for the government her sentence will be dropped.

It's not just the plot that makes this movie lesser than the first. There aren't as much fight scenes in this one and some are less bloody. We don't get as much blood gushing and severed limbs as we did before. The score in this one isn't as moving as it was in the first one and the character of Yuki is just a killing machine in this one.

But all that doesn't really matter as this movie is still very entertaining. There are still some great scenes of fighting and blood gushing, the best being a fat policeman getting both his eyes gouged out! Not great but still a very fun movie.

3½/5.

Not as good as the first

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 23 March 2019]

When we'd last seen Meiko Kaji's Lady Snowblood, she was passed out face down in the snow at the end of a climactic battle. Any worries or reports of her demise have been greatly exaggerated, as this film starts off with her already in the midst of a battle, as she walks toward the camera cooly dispatching one enemy after another.

It turns out that she's in a pitched battle with the police, who soon prove to be too much for her. She's arrested, tried and sentenced to hang. However, she's rescued by the head of the Secret Police, Seishiro Kikui (Shin Kishida, who is kind of like the Japanese Christopher Lee, as he appeared in the Hammer-inspired Chi o Suu vampire movies).

He wants her to spy on the anarchist Ransui Tokunaga, who owns a document. that is crucial to the government's stability. If Lady Snowblood can deliver that document, she'll be given full immunity and allowed to disappear.

Snowblood acts as a maid, infiltrating the home of Ransui and looking for that document. However, she begins to question why she's there. It also turns out that her target knows who she is and still trusts her, asking if she will deliver that crucial document to his brother Shusuke (Yoshio Harada, Stray Cat Rock: Beat '71).

Despite being shot numerous times by the police and falling off a bridge, Snowblood survives to bring that document - which details how the Secret Police and the government rose to power based on lies - to Shusuke.

Ransui is captured and tortured by the police as Snowblood heals from her wounds in the slums of Samegabashi, a lawless land where the police refuse to venture. She asks Shusuke why he doesn't save her brother, just as his wife comes and begs for help. Yet he still refuses.

Even healing from her wounds, Snowblood remains deadly. With one throw of a knife, she chases off a spy that had been watching her every move. Meanwhile, Shusuke explains how he is different from his brother. While Ransui wanted to change the world with the document, he'll only use it to gain wealth and power.

While the spy soon escapes, despite being tortured, Ransui isn't so lucky. He barely makes it back to Samegabashi, more dead than alive. That's because the Secret Police injected him with the plague, using him as a weapon against the slum and anyone in it. Shusuke nails his brother into a building to die, warning Snowblood to not try to save him.

The police and Ransui's wife takes one of their eyes before being killed. Her body is set ablaze and sent out to see as we see the need for revenge growing within Snowblood all over again.

The Japanese dialogue refers to Lady Snowblood as an asura, a Buddhist demigod who becomes obsessed with its desires, whether that be for wealth, knowledge or - in the case of our heroine - bloody violence. Its thirst for whatever it craves can only be slaked by death. As Snowblood stands on the gallows earlier in this film, she's already accepted death: after all, the only reason she was only born was to serve as the instrument that would finally gain her mother's revenge.

Seeing as how the original film really was to end with her death, this second film feels superfluous. It's less about the action and more about political intrigue, though there are some great battles at the start and end of the film. And I love the visual of the man Lady Snowblood kills at the beginning, as he falls into the water and stains it with his neon blood as she kneels and drinks.

Back to the plot - it's revealed that Shusuke once dated Ransui's wife and she was the only thing that kept him alive in the midst of war. When he made it home, his brother had married her, so he cut himself off.

Snowblood goes directly into the lair of the Secret Police and tries to make a deal, which they laugh at. However, she uses her only iron will and the threat of the plague to turn the tables. But they still intend to burn the slums to erase their enemies and the document.

The police make their move on Snowblood, who quickly rises back to her deadly promise, wiping them out one by one. She finds Shusuke, who tells her that everyone in the village has been burned to ashes.

The remaining Secret Police, mostly just Seishiro Kikui, are confronted by a half-dead Shusuke and Snowblood, who appears to rise like a vengeful demon behind him. She quickly slices the arm off the first person who attacks them and as the rest of the police battle up the steps, she descends, tearing them to pieces, just as she did the men at the start of the film.

The battle through the Shinto shrine is exactly what I wanted to see from the very start of this movie. Despite Kikui shooting them numerous times, he's impaled and a bloody Snowblood soon slices him, sending arcing sprays of blood everywhere.

Somehow, she can shrug off being shot, but Shusuke isn't as lucky. He begs for her to kill him, which she does with little show of emotion. Water flows from the cut of her sword as he dies. Snowblood is framed by the flags of Japan and the bodies of her enemies as the film closes.

While this isn't anywhere near the delirious violence of the original, it's not a bad film. It just will never compare, but that's an impossible task.

A beautiful lurid splash of a movie.

[freakus · 8/10 · 17 February 1999]

The stunning Meiko Kaji reprises her role as Shurayuki-hime (roughly translated "Princess Snow-Hell"), the beautiful agent of death. This time she is not out for personal vengeance, but is caught up in the political intrigue of the Meiji era of 19th century Japan. Caught between revolutionaries and secret policemen, Yuki makes sure the bad guys meet a particularly nasty end. It's great to see a samurai film featuring a female in the lead role. It was co-written by Kazuo Koike of "Lone Wolf and Cub" fame and features a role by Juzo Itami who later went on to direct "Tampopo" and "A Taxing Woman" among other films. Director Toshiya Fujita has a wonderful sense of color and this movie is a vibrant and violent classic.

A little less sympathy for Lady Vengeance

[Coventry · 6/10 · 19 December 2006]

The main reason why the original "Lady Snowblood" was such a big exploitation hit (and one of my personal favorites of all time) was because it brought a simplistic and undemanding story in such a fresh and imaginative way! It was the tale of young Yuki, born and raised with the mission to avenge the death of her parents after 20 years of intense sword-fighting trainings, and she fulfilled this mission without keeping anyone alive. So, obviously there was no real reason to come up with a sequel, but since the original became such a success director Toshiya Fujita and leading lady Meiko Kaji were recruited for a follow up film. "Lady Snowblood 2" is a lot less impressive and powerful than the original, likely because the plot is MORE ambitious and the violence is LESS explicit. On the way to her execution for the various murders in her first adventure (37!), Yuki is saved from the hangman's rope by the head of Japan's secret service and forced to serve as a "secret weapon" in the ongoing war with Russia. She's send undercover as the maid of public enemy n° 1 – Ransui Tokunaga – but she teams up with him against the malicious nationalist forces. The script offers a nice and educational slice of Asian history, but it's a lot less exhilarating. You could admire this film for not further milking out the success of the first, but it lacks a proper story itself. Yuki's character clearly cares less about patriotic issues than she did about her own personal vendetta, and this sadly shows in her fights. There are less ingenious killings and bloodshed to admire and the performances aren't as passionate. Still this film contains several memorable moments as well, most notably the scene where a fat, evil bastard loses both of his eyes after a confrontation with one of Yuki's friends. This scene was unquestionably the inspiration for Elle Driver's cruel fate in Tarantino's "Kill Bill Volume 2". It's a very well made and entertaining film, but don't except another outrageous masterpiece.

Skip this Terrible Sequel

[SpaaceMonkee · 3/10 · 23 January 2021]

The first Lady Snowblood film was original and interesting. I enjoyed it a good deal even though I didn't like everything about it. This sequel is bad. You shouldn't waste your time on it.

Without giving away any of the (frequently implausible) plot, this second Lady Snowblood movie features Yuki who, having completed her personal arc of vengeance in the first film, rapidly acquires what only can be termed political sensibilities a short while into this sequel as she interacts with free-thinking anarchists and a cartoonishly evil secret police bent on suppressing dissent, no matter the cost or body count of poor villagers.

As the move wore on, I found myself both bored and wondering what ridiculous plot development would occur next. I also felt my anticipated star rating slip steadily from a five to a three as I watched the final thirty minutes.

A sequel with historic, political and social components

[kluseba · 8/10 · 14 January 2018]

Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance is the very good and often underestimated sequel to the first Lady Snowblood movie released one year prior to this feature. Lady Snowblood turns out to have survived the events of the first film but is hunted down by police forces for her numerous murders. She gets tired of living on the run, stops fighting, gets arrested, tried and sentenced to death. On the day of her execution, the secret police force frees her and offers her to work as spy and assassin for them. Lady Snowblood is supposed to work as maid for an anarchist who has a document that could lead to a turmoil in the fragile country. She is supposed to steal the document, kill the anarchist and prevent a revolution. However, the more time she spends at his house, the more she questions whether she should complete her mission or switch sides. Lady Snowblood soon becomes a key character in the clash between ruthless government officials and desperate anarchists in the beginning of the twentieth century.

Just as the first movie, this sequel convinces with a solid dose of realism and social criticism as it shows the rift between rich and poor during Meiji period. Due to its plot, historic setting and characters, this sequel isn't a tale of revenge but rather a political drama with martial arts elements. On one side, this change is quite interesting as this film offers something different from the first film but it also takes away from the first movie's gloomy atmosphere and more personal connection to the main character. The rest is business as usual on a very high level. The film-making is detailed, precise and visually stunning, the fight sequences once again find the right balance between elegance and violence and the acting performances are all excellent. If you liked the first film, it's very likely that you will also appreciate the sequel because it kept most elements that made the first film particularly outstanding and added more historic, political and social components to it.

I can highly recommend the recently updated Criterion Collection including both the original Lady Snowblood and this surprisingly solid sequel as well as additional interviews and trailers. It's a shame that there weren't more Lady Snowblood movies because the feminist character is particularly unique and perfectly portrayed by a stunning Kaji Meiko. Martial arts fans and those interested in Japanese culture should be familiar with Lady Snowblood.

Different in tone from the original

[mevmijaumau · 8 November 2014]

Shurayuki-hime is a word-play on Shirayuki-hime (the Japanese name for Snow White) and comes straight from the manga the first film was based on. I don't have anything to add to that. It's just a fun bit of trivia.

Anyway, Meiko Kaji returns to her signature role of Lady Snowblood for this sequel (even though the first movie implies she doesn't survive its events), but her character is unfortunately pushed to the side as there are various other characters and sub-plots taking up the runtime. Also, the trademark umbrella sword doesn't appear in the sequel. Lady Snowblood doesn't act fueled by vengeance in this movie, despite its title, but instead gets tangled in a web of Meiji era politics, anarchism, police brutality, and the main villain politician's strange HQ with bright red walls, an aquarium with koi fish, and a stuffed tiger which demonically flashes its eyes in one scene.

Unfortunately, the sequel doesn't have Lady Snowblood's awesome title tune from the first movie, but it does offer some neat instrumental music. The tone of the film is much darker and there are fewer violent scenes, but they are more graphic and some of them are just plain unsettling, like the scenes of torture of political prisoners. The story isn't divided into chapters this time around, but the recognizable narration is still there, not to mention the stock footage combined with scenes from the manga. Juzo Itami, director of Tampopo and A Taxing Woman appears as anarchist Ransui Tokunaga.

The cinematography is once again, fantastic, and Toshiya Fujita proves himself as a director who knows how to work with colors and framing. The opening sequence taking place on the beach is especially well done.

Lady Snowblood 2 isn't as good as the original; mostly because the plot is messier and Meiko Kaji's role isn't as significant and somewhat downplayed. The sequel is also more serious in tone and has more nudity. It's a moderately entertaining movie (outside of the gory scenes) and it's technically well done, if you can overlook stuff like Lady Snowblood being wounded by two gunshots at the end and looking like it isn't even a big deal.

Lackadaisical return for the female assassin

[The_Void · 6/10 · 28 December 2008]

The original Lady Snowblood has its place secured in history as one of the very best Pinky Violence/Female Samurai movies out there. This sequel, however, is not likely to be so fondly remembered; and the reason for that is mainly that it just isn't good enough. It just seems like the scriptwriters couldn't really think of an interesting idea to follow the original up with and so decided to just dump the title character into a largely unrelated plot and just hope for the best. The film has basically made the same mistake that befell the excellent Female Convict Series a year earlier in 1973; that being putting the character into a plot involving rebelling against the Government. The film picks up sometime after the events of the first film and Lady Snowblood is a wanted criminal. After giving the police the slip a couple of times; she is eventually captured. However, she is later rescued by the secret police; who offer the assassin a chance for redemption by helping them get rid of some rebels.

The film gets off to a good start. We are treated to a couple of well done action sequences that see Lady Snowblood chop up some enemies; but once the plot kicks into action properly, things slow down a lot and it gets very boring at times; a very unwelcome change from the original which remained engrossing for the duration. Toshiya Fujita, the director of the original film, takes the reins again and does another very good job in terms of the visuals. The film looks delicious and the fight scenes are all very well choreographed. Unfortunately there are not as many nice visuals as in the first film. The bulk of the film really lacks action and the fight scenes only really take place at the beginning and end of the film, which is a shame. Still, the scenes we do get are very good and there's some memorable gore; which includes limbs being lopped and a very well done eye gouging sequence. Still, this is not nearly as great as the original film and while it is least worth a look; I think many fans of the original will be disappointed.