I picked up this title solely due to my interest in the historical character of Toyotomi Hideyori, and for the first 20 minutes I was very impressed. The fall of Osaka castle and the rescue of Princess Sen by the character of Naomori was well shot, and set my hopes high for the rest of the movie.
Unfortunately, things drop off considerably after that.
Even excusing the pretty dramatic departures from historical fact that most people won't care about or even notice, the main problem with the film is the lack of any likable character. Once Princess Sen starts her killing spree to defame the Tokugawa house, Hideyori and Naomori become the only two characters worth caring about, and both characters are killed off by about the 40 minute mark.
You are supposed to sympathise with Princess Sen's situation, but I think both Misora Hibari and the script she had to work with did a little *too* good a job at turning the character in to a monster.
Not really worth the price of admission I'm afraid, even with the impressive opening sequence.
Unfortunately, things drop off considerably after that.
Even excusing the pretty dramatic departures from historical fact that most people won't care about or even notice, the main problem with the film is the lack of any likable character. Once Princess Sen starts her killing spree to defame the Tokugawa house, Hideyori and Naomori become the only two characters worth caring about, and both characters are killed off by about the 40 minute mark.
You are supposed to sympathise with Princess Sen's situation, but I think both Misora Hibari and the script she had to work with did a little *too* good a job at turning the character in to a monster.
Not really worth the price of admission I'm afraid, even with the impressive opening sequence.
