Shadow Warriors (for adults only)on dvd!

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Dear Readers,
I love Sonny Chiba as Hattori Hanzo in the 27 episode tv series released on dvd as "Shadow Warriors".
These are for adults only, sorry kids.
If you are interested in ninja this is it!
Originally broadcast in 1980 by Toei Ltd at 10 at night, more adult themes and blood shed could be explored.
Sonny Chiba has his Japan Action Club on full speed in this one.
The 1980's music becomes disco sometimes in the fight scenes ....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MT ... d_i=507846

I hope you will enjoy this as much as I did.
Best wishes to all!
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[Stan Sakai]

I think I got it for much cheaper at Best Buys.

I really liked Kage no Gundan. I think there were 4 series aired. The second season was my favorite. It featured Etsuko Shiomi in a role on which I modeled Tomoe.

Each series or season told the story of a group of Iga ninja. Most of them die at the end, but the actors come back in the next series with different names and during a different time.

A fun movie featuring Chiba's Action Club is Time Slip (English name). A group of modern soldiers on maneuvers go back to Japan's Warring Period. You have samurai in full armor against modern weapons, even a tank, helicopter, and PT boat. Very cool visuals.

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Dear Readers,
Thank you Sensei for your words on Kage no Gundan.
This week was an excellent week for me and Japanese Chambara:
I read Path of the Assassin books about the Iga ninjas, watched Sonny Chiba as Iga Ninja, watched the fourth Shinobi movie and read the conclusion of an excellent story arc in Usagi Yojimbo 109,
The death of many major characters by the end of the Kage no Gundan series really made it great.
I am happy to hear the other seasons are good and the second season is the best.
Does anyone know the least expensive and best quality source for the second series of Kage no Gundan?
I have only seen poor incomplete 10th generation copies of Time Slip aka GI Samurai. Very surreal! Time-Slip-Samurai-Two-Disc-Special Edition is due for proper release April 8!. http://www.amazon.com/Time-Slip-Samurai ... 333&sr=1-2
Thank you all for the fun!
Best wishes.
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[Jet_Jaguar]

G.I. Samurai/Time Slip is also available as part of a box set with Kinji Fukasaku's Legend of the Eight Samurai and Ninja Wars. You can get it from Amazon for about $13:

http://www.amazon.com/Samurai-Collectio ... 461&sr=1-1

I've never seen Timeslip, but the other two movies are fun. Legend of the Eight Samurai is sort of a fantasy remake of his 1978 film Message from Space, which really should be on DVD too. It will probably be a bit of a surprise for people who know Fukasaku mainly from his 70s Yakuza movies or from Battle Royale, but I consider anything directed by Fukasaku to be worth seeing. The main things I remember about Ninja Wars are the scene with the weird projectile-vomiting ninja and the silly English dubbing on the copy
I found on VHS at Blockbuster video years ago ("This man...Kashin Koji...is as evil as the devil."). Putting it in a Sonny Chiba box set is a bit deceptive since he only appears pretty briefly, but I would say that it's worth a look.

Here's another box set with some good movies that can be had pretty cheaply:

http://www.amazon.com/Shogun-Collection ... 104&sr=1-1

It includes two Kinji Fukasaku movies, one of them an adaptation of the frequently-filmed story of the Forty-seven ronin:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty-seven_Ronin

[Stan Sakai]

Legend of the Eight Samurai is sort of a fantasy remake of his 1978 film Message from Space, which really should be on DVD too.

The Legend of the Eight Samurai is very loosely based on Satomi Hakkenden, a 19 century novel of (I think) 47 volumes. It was adapted for the screen 3 times--twice in the 1950's, and Chiba's version in the 80's. It is also available as a 13 part anime. My favorite is the 3 part 1957 version that I've mention numerous times.

The Chiba version is pretty good. It also stars Etsuko Shiomi, the inspiration for the visuals of my Tomoe Ame. Hiroyuki Sanada is also in there. He was one of the stars in Kage no Gundan, particularly the second series, and Ringu, which was remade in the US as The Ring. There are a few sloppy moments in LotES such as it looks ridiculous when the film is speeded up for a scene, also the "stone" walls of a cave shakes obviously when someone slams against it.

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Dear Readers,

"My favorite is the 3 part 1957 version that I've mention numerous times."

Where is Satomi Hakkenden, the 3 part 1957 version available on dvd?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Best wishes to all!
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[Stan Sakai]

Dear Readers,

"My favorite is the 3 part 1957 version that I've mention numerous times."

Where is Satomi Hakkenden, the 3 part 1957 version available on dvd?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Best wishes to all!
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It is not available on DVD. It is not even out on VHS. I used it see it every year when it made the rounds of the Japanese-language theaters in Honolulu. I've seen it about a dozen times. It is pretty cheesy by todays standards. Even as a kid, the strings holding up the giant snake was pretty obvious. But, still, there was that magic about it. The last time I saw it was at the old Toho Theater when in college. I was on a date with Sharon.

It was just in the last 5 years that I learned of an even older version--a black and white 5 parter starring Nakamura Kinnosuke. I've got 4 of those parts on VHS from a fan who lived in Japan. Unfortunately, it's not subtitled and it does not have the magic of the later version.

If anyone comes across the 3 parter, please let me know.

[Fanfan]

May i have some informations on ""Shadow Warriors" DVD box set ?

Is there any french subtitles? else Morgane won't want to watch it.

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Dear Readers,
Sorry, English subtitles only.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MT ... d_i=507846
Best wishes to all!
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[Steve Hubbell]

SHADOW WARRIORS: HATTORI HANZO
Kage no Gundan: Hattori Hanzo - 1980 - Color - 16:9 Widescreen - Extras
Digitally Re-mastered, 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen Version!

When the third Shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu died, it sparked a struggle for power pitting the most powerful clans in Japan against each other in an era of bloody violence. This film version led to the popular television series ("Kage no Gundan", starring Chiba Shinichi!) which ran for 5 seasons telling the story of a secret organization of ninja spies who work hard to fight corruption and evil. Starring the magnificent swordsman Watase Tsunehiko as Hattori Hanzo, the leader of the "Shadow Warriors" and directed by the great filmmaker Kudo Eiichi, this is a dark look inside the violent era of early Japan. The story unfolds as Iemitsu's heir Ietsuna is kidnapped by the rival Koga ninja group and Hanzo fights together with his brother against the evil forces that threaten to destroy the nation!

This is NOT the Hawaii Tv recording! Re-mastered from a new superior print!

Also includes, a subtitled interview with true ninja master, Hatsumi Yoshiaki!

Directed by: KUDO Eiichi
Cast: WATASE Tsunehiko, SAIGO Teruhiko, NARITA Mikio, OGATA Ken, YAMAMURA So

preview: http://www.kurotokagi.com/video/kagem.wmv

http://www.kurotokagi.com/

[Stan Sakai]

I have only seen poor incomplete 10th generation copies of Time Slip aka GI Samurai. Very surreal! Time-Slip-Samurai-Two-Disc-Special Edition is due for proper release April 8!.

I have both an unsubtitled bad copy of Time Slip, and a store-bought copy of GI Samurai on VHS. GI Samurai looks like it is an edited version of Time Slip, eliminating a few scenes.