Musashi (2003– )

Stars:

Hiroshi Abe, Tôru Emori, Takaaki Enoki

Cast

Credited cast:
Hiroshi Abe	...	Gion Touji
Tôru Emori	...	Akaneya Genzo
Takaaki Enoki	...	Seijuro
Makoto Fujita	...	Yagyu Sekishusai
Ebizô Ichikawa	...	Miyamoto Musashi
Rino Katase	...	Okou
Kazuo Kitamura	...	Tokugawa Ieyasu
Takeshi Kitano	...	Shinmen Munisai
Masahiro Matsuoka	...	Sasaki Kojiro
Rie Miyazawa	...	Oshino
Kiichi Nakai	...	Yagyu Munenori
Yukie Nakama	...	Yae
Kanzaburô Nakamura	...	Terumasa Ikeda (as Kankuro Nakamura)
Isao Natsuyagi	...	Hosokawa Tadaoki
Baku Numata	...	Gaiki Ishimoda

Storyline

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

5 February 2003 (Japan)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Otsu: You have never killed anyone out of hate. And I hope you never do.

User Reviews

An exceptional samurai miniseries

NHK's miniseries' are a guilty pleasure of mine - usually they are formulaic: a spunky hero or heroine overcomes obstacles; but they provide a peek inside daily Japanese life (or show business) that is hard to see even here at the Eastern nexus of the Pacific Rim. Medieval samurai epics are part of the repertoire - again, usually, a spunky hero overcomes obstacles, amid historical spectacle and medieval politics.

However, "Musashi" takes it to the next level. What's exceptional is Shinosuke Ichikawa's charismatic performance in the lead, recreating the body language and speech of the great samurai movie legends of the 50s and 60s, but with a modern love interest to give the series its necessary sentimental focus and an emotionally modern feel. There is a great supporting cast, and Ennio Morricone's dramatic music helps too.

This is 50-plus hours of television - if it airs in your town, tune in and get hooked. I missed the first few episodes, so I'm looking forward to finding this available on DVD somewhere.