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Apr 28, 2010 10:09 AM
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Mar 2010
1732
Trie said:
Yeah it was a great movie, really entertaining. The music gave it a nice feeling as well, and it had very good action scenes. It gets 9/10 from me.
May 20, 2010 4:48 AM

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Apr 2009
1873
Holy crap, did BONES deliver.
While the plot itself was nothing that made me go O____O, it was handled beautifully. The music (The ED? OH MY GOD.), flawless animation, top-notch fight scenes, everything...God damn it.

Too bad Juurouta died, he seemed like a nice guy. Also, when Byakuran killed Itadori just like that, I felt like...I was robbed of something. This shouldn't be the way to end his life; then again, granting the viewers with everything they want doesn't mean telling a good story.
Even though it's a film and not a series, which means getting us to feel for the characters is much harder, I found myself cheering for them, sobbing over them or cursing them...which is a good thing. They didn't leave me unaffected. I cared about them in one way or another.

One thing I wonder about though...if Nanashi survived in the end.
- If you believe this place holds you, it is a prison.
If you do not wish to leave, it will become a fortress.


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by pana (LJ username)
Jun 8, 2010 7:06 PM

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Jan 2010
486
I hate watching movies so much. I have an extremely short attention span when it comes to sitting down and focusing on one thing for more than about an hour, so I usually take plenty of breaks whenever the movie gets slightly boring. During Sword of the Stranger, however, not once did I even consider taking any form of a break - and I really had to pee about 40 minutes in, too. xD Seriously though, this movie was a masterpiece in my opinion. It was great in all aspects and I have no complaints. Solid 10/10 from me.

Cenedess said:
One thing I wonder about though...if Nanashi survived in the end.

I wondered that too, but then I figured if he was talking optimistically about what he'd do next with his life, I'm just going to conclude that he ended up living. :P
Jul 3, 2010 7:52 PM
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Apr 2010
655
Plot 1/10 + Everything else 10/10 =7/10 ^_^
Jul 15, 2010 1:41 PM

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Jun 2009
301
I have to say i could not find anything wrong with this Movie one of the best i seen in awhile and the fight scenes just blew me away.
Jul 21, 2010 3:15 PM

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Aug 2008
28
Okay, that was pretty damn awesome. I wish my life had a soundtrack like that, I'd feel epic taking a shower, lol. Anyway, 9/10 for me--it delivered what I came expecting~

Jul 21, 2010 10:17 PM

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Aug 2008
88
big disappointment!!
*badass mode activated*
Jul 23, 2010 10:15 AM
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Jun 2010
1308
Story : 5/10
Characters : 4/10
Music : 7/10
Animation : 10/10

Final score : 7/10

Overall :
This pretty much describes this movie. An average plot with character with almost no personality with a good music at the end to make the moment epic but the best fighting scenes I've ever seen to make the movie watchable and I'm glad I've watched it.

Sep 7, 2010 8:12 PM

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May 2009
1537
Superbly animated action sequences and the final battle was breath-taking. This alone is worth subsequent viewings of this movie. The dog was a badass. Loved him! If the story and characters were more developed, this would've easily been a 10/10. I ended up giving this an 8/10, but it's still a must-watch IMO.
Sep 26, 2010 3:17 PM

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Jun 2008
11427
BEST sword fights. And it occurred smoothly in the movies.

The story and characters are really nothing that special, but I applaud this for the sheer quality and amount of fight scenes in this movie.

10/10 - just so I won't forget the awesome action scenes in this movie. Giving anything below a 9 would make me forget, inevitably. :(
Oct 9, 2010 12:52 PM
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Jul 2018
564084
This was maybe the best anime movie that I have ever seen!

Characters were absolutely loveable, music was awesome, best action scenes ever, awesome animation, plot was very good. I don't have anything to complain, that's rare ;)
And I liked that they spoke some chinese in this film.

Needless to say this gets 10/10 from me. :D
Nov 2, 2010 7:21 PM

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Dec 2007
1042
Well, I re-watched this because I thought maybe I didn't rate it fairly the first time, but I think I just wasted my time on this movie once again. I didn't realize it the first time, but I think part of what hurts this movie most is its poor choice of music in many scenes, it becomes irritating and repetitive very early on. The story was just as cheesy and boring as I remember it being, and the characters just as dull. The action sequences look incredible, sure, but when there is little substance backing them they quickly lose its value. But despite all of this, it was still a somewhat entertaining movie, so I will give it a 6/10.
DunkyMar 7, 2013 1:57 PM
Dec 15, 2010 7:47 AM

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Aug 2009
1010
*sniff* That was great! I hope he didn't die because I have a horrible feeling he did =(
Jan 8, 2011 8:04 PM

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Jul 2008
7808
This was actually a good movie. It was cute. Haha in the father and son bonding kinda way. Even though they're both total strangers! XD
Jan 9, 2011 12:19 AM

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Sep 2008
1624
Alipio said:
This was actually a good movie. It was cute. Haha in the father and son bonding kinda way. Even though they're both total strangers! XD


exactly, and its almost shocking that I dont see people commenting on that. On my numerous rewatches of this movie, the dialogues and interaction between Kotaru and namishi have really stood out and never failed to make me smile or laugh. I think thats one of the more defining features of the movie that people tend to overlook, like I did the first time I saw the movie.
"...our faces marked by toil, by deceptions, by success, by love; our weary eyes looking still, looking always, looking anxiously for something out of life, that while it is expected is already gone – has passed unseen, in a sigh, in a flash – together with the youth, with the strength, with the romance of illusions.” - Joseph Conrad ('Youth')
Jan 11, 2011 8:54 AM

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Jun 2008
5016
Historical setting, sword fights, fantastic animation, and a Shiba Inu. Far from being original or perfect, but still an enjoyable movie.

watching, waiting, commiserating
Feb 26, 2011 3:50 PM

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Feb 2009
152
Best anime movie I've seen so far. Love both of the main characters and the dog. The action and sword fights were great as well. The music just made it even better. Gets a 9/10 for me.
Feb 27, 2011 10:14 PM

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Sep 2009
1570
Zepwich said:
*sniff* That was great! I hope he didn't die because I have a horrible feeling he did =(

I have a feeling it was meant to be left up to the viewer.

He could have easily died and he could have survived.
The blood showing on the horse prints could have came from his leg wound or it could have been symbolism for his death.
Either way, an amazing movie.

===
I feel the simplicity story actually helped this movie. As if adding more to the story would have robbed it of what I really enjoyed about it. The interactions and the pacing.
Apr 7, 2011 9:51 AM

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Feb 2009
3436
What a fantastic movie, I greatly enjoyed it. The story is a bit generic, but the artistic work and production values make this one amazing experience.
Apr 11, 2011 10:55 AM
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Nov 2010
1937
A very good movie, the main characters were cool, the action, as well...
Apr 27, 2011 5:27 PM
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Nov 2010
27
Absolutely worth watching! :) Splendid animation, wonderful backgrounds in oil colour and amazing fighting scenes...! But...I'm disappointed a bit. The plot is way too flat and predictable and I think the whole "elixir of immortality" issue was completely unnecessary - they could have as well fight over political matters. Besides, the music was poor. One outstanding melody is definitely not enough to create the atmosphere of a film. Well, I guess that's how Bones work - the best animation and graphics at the expense of a plot and characters' depth. Too bad :(

Jun 8, 2011 12:05 PM
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Jan 2010
1559
The story was a bit cliched, but the fights are the best I've seen in anime. 8/10
Jun 12, 2011 6:04 AM
The Shrike

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Nov 2009
11581
This movie is a typical example of how things don't have to be groundbreaking to be good A standard story but well put together with good voice acting and great visuals. A fine way to enjoy 2 hours of your time.
"Perhaps there is a universal, absolute truth. Perhaps it justifies every question. But that's beyond the reach of these small hands." Mamoru Oshii

There is a cult of ignorance (...) nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” Isaac Asimov

Jun 15, 2011 5:43 PM

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Aug 2010
1150
Good sword fights, good soundtrack. That is all.
Jun 22, 2011 12:59 PM

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Aug 2010
1641
AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME!

All the characters were kick-ass and they handled those swords nicely!
Jun 30, 2011 2:27 PM

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Jan 2010
748
I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It was very action-packed, very energetic. I'm glad that the story was kept nice and simple, so the movie could focus on the tone and atmosphere a lot more. Many action movies these days like to come up with an overly-convoluted plot for no reason, so I'm glad this one kept things to the point.
Jul 24, 2011 2:22 PM

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Jun 2011
89
I was quite suprised about the animation and fighting scenes. I really liked Nanashi and the atmosphere and music were great.
Jul 30, 2011 6:27 PM

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Jan 2011
258
I don't see why people have to complain about the plot if they executed almost everything else very well.

The soundtrack and quality of the animation particularly were some of the best I've ever seen.
Sep 8, 2011 11:37 AM

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Aug 2011
418
I just finished this movie and I loved it.

I didn't think much about the plot being generic or cliché, in fact I didn't think much about it at all. What made it so good for me was... how shall I put it? How the characters, especially Nanashi, made it "flow". I really liked Nanashi from the very first moment he was shown, and I found his and Kotaro's relationship very touching throughout the movie.
Nah I don't know; I'm not the type to look into stuff like this all that much... I just found it very enjoyable. The fights were great, and the last one was just amazing.

I think I'll give it a 9/10 :)
Sep 13, 2011 12:32 AM

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Feb 2011
303
Kotarou has Setsuna's hair from gundam 00.

Just saying.
Oct 16, 2011 6:11 PM
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Jun 2008
480
Watched the 1080p version. WOW!
Feb 9, 2012 1:06 AM

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Oct 2010
30
not gonna bother on anything since i truly enjoyed it

flawless movie

10/10
Feb 22, 2012 9:01 PM

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May 2010
8126
So why on earth would the emperor of china hire a foreign assassin?
Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone
Mar 11, 2012 10:25 PM

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Oct 2010
152
I found myself pretty bored and sometimes skipping ahead 5 seconds at a time to make it move along faster. It's not like I'd miss something from doing so.

All this has is nice, fluid animation and cool, ruthless combat. But there really isn't much combat.

The dialogue was the most boring part. I could have skipped through it and still told you what transpired, at least between the boy and the stranger. Not only was it predictable, it just wasn't interesting.

And I couldn't bring myself to care about the rest of the plot. Yeah, they want to capture and sacrifice the boy, great. Who cares why. Who cares if the Chinese kill the Japanese after they obtain the boy. Who cares about the guy that was interested in the princess. Who cares about those women they showed that seemed like they were going to have a purpose, but turned out to be pointless background characters. I didn't even care about the blond haired foreigner, nor the guy he fought with the wooden practice swords (which they didn't even show... which is unfortunate since combat is all that was interesting here) and then later the lance.

They just failed to make any of these plots, characters, and relationships interesting.

6/10 from me solely for the unique combat and high production quality.
Mar 17, 2012 10:41 AM

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Apr 2011
256
Just watched watched this movie in 2012 and I feel stupid for not watching it sooner, everything about this movie I loved. The audio, battle scenes, story line, characters was all perfect in my opinion. Perfect 10/10. (:
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Mar 20, 2012 12:46 AM

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Aug 2010
3232
Great movie. Awesome characters and excellent soundtrack.
Mar 31, 2012 12:48 AM
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Dec 2011
177
Just finished re-watching this. I watched it 5 years ago and remember thinking it was great back then. The second time around I probably liked it even more! 9/10 for me
May 5, 2012 10:36 PM

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Jan 2012
29
Best. Anime Movie. Ever.
May 11, 2012 1:07 AM
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Jul 2018
564084
The setpieces in the climax were pretty darn amazing.
Jul 4, 2012 3:32 AM

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Aug 2008
88
DunkyHarwood said:
Not quite sure why this is so highly overrated, very strange. Nothing notably remarkable except a few action scenes, and unfortunately there wasn't much action at all.
*badass mode activated*
Jul 23, 2012 2:20 AM

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Jun 2012
3948
Really great movie, nice plot and characters. The action was probably the best I've seen in a long time. Also, the music made the last scene really powerful, one of the best scenes that I've seen in anime. However, I was hoping for a little more intense action.
9/10

Sep 12, 2012 9:15 PM

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May 2011
7087
It was a little less than what I was expecting, but the combat was very nicely done. I somewhat enjoyed this.

6/10
-Kenshin-Sep 13, 2012 10:18 PM
Oct 8, 2012 7:13 PM

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Aug 2012
738
-Lighto- said:
DunkyHarwood said:
Not quite sure why this is so highly overrated, very strange. Nothing notably remarkable except a few action scenes, and unfortunately there wasn't much action at all.


That's why this movie so great, nothing remarkable really happen but how Bones portray them is really really good

Soundtracks were awesome. Fightscenes were jawdropping. I really enjoyed it, how the movie is showed made me really feel like i was in the era.

Amazing , overall 10/10
Nov 14, 2012 9:49 AM

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Feb 2011
3695
Amazing movie , great characters and pacing . The storyline was so-so that's why it'll have a 9/10
Nov 25, 2012 4:15 PM

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Apr 2011
550
Probably the best fight scenes I have ever seen. Really great watch, I too also wonder why I've held back on watching this movie for so long lol.
Dec 24, 2012 9:20 PM

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Nov 2011
1532
Loved it. The final battle was so epic.
Dec 31, 2012 3:24 AM

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Jan 2012
116
I really enjoyed this movie. As said many times, the story was a bit generic. It is one of those rescue a damsel in distress, but this time it is a kid who is going to be sacrificed to create some immorality potion. An interesting twist for sure, but they don't really get too much into it.

That can be viewed as either a good thing or a bad thing. Frankly, I am not too bothered by it. There were enough things going on to keep me interested. There was the main character's past and the reason for the Chinese's presence. There were also some other small things going on in the background such as the ambitious soldier who happened to be a fellow soldier of the main character.

The animation of this movie was truly impressive. The opening scene with the bandit coming in from the cold made my mouth drop. It probably stayed dropped for much of the movie. There are so many things that were just wonderfully animated that it would take much too long to start listing them. The fights scenes were ridiculous. I find myself just going back and watching them just to be held in awe.

The scenery was also beautiful. There are lots of times where it would just pan out showing some beautiful backdrop. I really appreciated those moments throughout the movie.

The music was also pretty good. It put me in the right mood for each setting throughout the movie. The fight where the chinese soldiers are fighting off a group of bandits in the beginning had some intense war drums going on that was pretty exciting.

To me, this movie gave me exactly what I would want out of a movie like this. It was an action movie that had wonderful fight scenes that had top-notch animation and an interesting story with some other subplots thrown in with the mix. The story wasn't bad, the ending was kind of predicable, but that doesn't make it terrible. As a whole, I really loved this movie.

Would love to see more action movies like this in the future!

10/10.
Feb 3, 2013 6:56 PM

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May 2012
2364
Nice movie with awesome fighting scenes.. but it seems like Nanashi will die at the end.
Mar 17, 2013 5:32 PM

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Jun 2012
2271
This movie was great, really liked this. It wasn't anything groundbreaking but i like the way they portrayed it, i was interested the whole way through. This movie just seems really special to me for some reason xD
Does anyone else need a doctor to confirm that someone without a head is dead?
Mar 26, 2013 12:05 PM

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May 2011
3607
Since the moment Tobimaru (dog) gave the fish to Nanashi... all the way until the end; loved the experience. Do I even need to mention the quality of the soundtrack and duel scenes after a finale like that?

Nanashi really did remind me of Kenshin.
Kayaba-Apr 11, 2015 11:08 PM
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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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