GyatsoLa

There have been a lot of films made about the mighty and brutal warrior Oda Nobunaga, but certainly not one like this, which seems to take its cue from some early legends about his wife Nohime, that she herself was a trained assassin.

The first thing to say is not to come to this film for real life history - the film makers have very much put action and romance and drama above any kind of historical verisimilitude. But the result is very watchable, mostly thanks to some great acting, especially from the two leads, although sometimes Kimura struggles with the widely differing sides of Oda portrayed in the film, from idiotic young man to vicious killer to romantic warrior leader. Jaruka Ayase is terrific as Nohime, the real power behind Odas throne.

The action and drama is often a little over the top, but is always watchable so long as you don't think too much about the likelihood of the plot. The ending will very much be love it or hate it, but I enjoyed it. Like a lot of modern Japanese productions, they seem very good at making a low budget go a long way - some of the settings are quite spectacular.

So overall, while not quite up to the standard of the best recent Japanese historical dramas, this is still very much worth your time.

Yuri is a troubled teenaged girl in modern Japan. She is ashamed over her poverty but refuses to go to college. After an argument with her mother she faints and finds herself in 1945 wartime Japan, and meets a sensitive young man named Akira, who she discovers has volunteered as a kamikaze pilot.

The plot is far fetched, but convincingly acted by an excellent cast and is surprisingly gripping and quite moving. The overall production quality and direction are very good for a low budget drama. The contrast between the beauty of old Japan and the grimness of much modern Japan is well captured by the setting and cinematography.

Overall, well worth seeking out of you are looking for a romantic drama with a twist.

A lot of Japanese film makers make their 'Ozu' film, and thematically this certainly fits the Ozu mould, although perhaps wisely the film maker here doesn't try to copy the Ozu style.

The film is quite simple - it follows a young woman as she finds meaning through her weekly saturday classes on the tea ceremony. Over the years she gradually comes to appreciate the deeper meaning behind the ceremony. And that really is it. But what could be a somewhat boring film is anything but - the lovely performances and nice pacing brings us into the lives of the women who love the ceremony and it becomes all very moving, and not a little enlightening.

It is also, sadly, the last film by the great actress Kirin Kiki, but what a lovely last performance she gave us.