This is such a dark Zatoichi film all without feeling needlessly cruel like other Zatoichi films that do go for absolutely dismal stories. The title “Zatoichi In Desperation” is quite apt here as the tone of the entire film feels practically hopeless, with Zatoichi even looking the bloodiest he has ever looked in one of these films during one of the fights. The stylization of the blood splatter here somehow doesn’t make the film feel too pulpy either, and that’s even on top of a lot of the visual flourishes and how they use colour and the flashing image if only because of how brief those moments are and how colour is used in a way that signifies a sort of unnatural quality to the morality present at parts. That’s not to say that colour isn’t used for qualities such as beauty, but when it is used for that purpose there’s still such a distinct sadness to it all. There’s even a subplot that barely interacts with Zatoichi’s story in the film and you don’t really notice that until that subplot’s conclusion. 

Just amazing stuff here

This is such a dark Zatoichi film all without feeling needlessly cruel like other Zatoichi films that do go for absolutely dismal stories. The title “Zatoichi In Desperation” is quite apt here as the tone of the entire film feels practically hopeless, with Zatoichi even looking the bloodiest he has ever looked in one of these films during one of the fights. The stylization of the blood splatter here somehow doesn’t make the film feel too pulpy either, and that’s even on top of a lot of the visual flourishes and how they use colour and the flashing image if only because of how brief those moments are and how colour is used in a way that signifies a sort of unnatural quality to the morality present at parts. That’s not to say that colour isn’t used for qualities such as beauty, but when it is used for that purpose there’s still such a distinct sadness to it all. There’s even a subplot that barely interacts with Zatoichi’s story in the film and you don’t really notice that until that subplot’s conclusion. 

Just amazing stuff here

Ummmmmmmmmmmm

Torn really torn 
On the one hand, this had a top 5 final duel that was on par with some of the best sort of reveals and revolutionary moments in any film I’ve seen 
Buttttt on the other hand this was by far the least fun I’ve had watching on of these

It was full of shit
Like it just had some much rubbish stuff in it for that first hour 
So many different lines of consequence that were not strung together well at all 
Other entries have survived this with a charismatic Zatoichi, or even some good enough writing to save it in the third act, but this just didn’t 

I didn’t enjoy Ichi’s company, and so rolling that in with by far the darkest (not in a good way I’d say) entry yet with some proper evil yakuza, and you just don’t have a good time at all

Last 10 minutes tho were just hell yeah

A shame bc I can see some of this dark stuff really hitting but not like this

Ummmmmmmmmmmm

Torn really torn 
On the one hand, this had a top 5 final duel that was on par with some of the best sort of reveals and revolutionary moments in any film I’ve seen 
Buttttt on the other hand this was by far the least fun I’ve had watching on of these

It was full of shit
Like it just had some much rubbish stuff in it for that first hour 
So many different lines of consequence that were not strung together well at all 
Other entries have survived this with a charismatic Zatoichi, or even some good enough writing to save it in the third act, but this just didn’t 

I didn’t enjoy Ichi’s company, and so rolling that in with by far the darkest (not in a good way I’d say) entry yet with some proper evil yakuza, and you just don’t have a good time at all

Last 10 minutes tho were just hell yeah

A shame bc I can see some of this dark stuff really hitting but not like this