Sengoku Basara: The Last Party (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) by Funimation Prod

Actors

• Soichiro Hoshi
• Kazuya Nakai
• Toru Okawa

Format

• Animated
• Widescreen
• Subtitled

Editorial Review

After two broadcast seasons of Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings, the rivalry between Sanada Yukimura (“The Tiger Cub of Kai”) and Date Masamune (“The One-Eyed Dragon”) moves to the feature film The Last Party (2011). Yukimura is still the eager, traditional warrior; Masamune remains the bad boy, riding a horse incongruously fitted with low-rider handlebars and exhaust pipes. Their dialogue shifts from pseudo-bushido platitudes to Joe Cool slang and back again. The Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which established Ieyasu Tokugawa as the de facto ruler of Japan, is transformed into a combination of a supernatural conflict and an outdoor barroom brawl. After the death of Hideyoshi Toyotomi at the hands of Masamune, his loyal vassal Ishida Mitsunari has vowed revenge. In addition to screaming matches and duels with the One-Eyed Dragon, Ishida slaughters minor generals and a swath of the population–and becomes a pawn in a plot to resurrect the “Devil King” Oda Nobunaga. The mixture of historical figures with fantasy characters and of period weapons with anachronistic devices will confuse anyone who isn't already familiar with the video game on which the film is based. Director Kazuya Nomura treats the action as if it were a period-piece episode of Dragon Ball Z: the characters catch fire, change color, soar into the sky, and punch each other through walls. The nonstop action will delight fans of the popular series; other otaku will scratch their heads in bewilderment as the assembled armies of feudal Japan conclude the era of civil wars with a synchronized hip-hop dance routine. (Rated TV 14: violence, grotesque imagery) –Charles Solomon