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REVIEW: Sword of the Stranger BD+DVD


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Lemonchest



Joined: 18 Mar 2015
Posts: 1771
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 12:11 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
the dub chooses to neither subtitle nor dub over the film's plentiful spoken Mandarin


Hate it when things like that happen. Had a quick google to see if there was a reason & apparently it's been fixed, but I can't tell if they recalled & reissued before release or you'll have to contact them to get the replacement discs.
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redranger



Joined: 13 Sep 2010
Posts: 271
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 12:42 pm Reply with quote
This film is perfect and probably my favorite anime film. It disgusts me that more people don't know of it/talk about it.
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Eddy564



Joined: 14 Sep 2008
Posts: 340
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 1:03 pm Reply with quote
An underrated masterpiece. The plot is simplistic but it works for a movie that focuses on the bond of two characters. I wish people realized how great this film is. It has aged remarkably well too.
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Themaster20000



Joined: 05 Aug 2014
Posts: 863
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 1:47 pm Reply with quote
Totally agree with the review. The story is just a vehicle for the action scenes,but the film does enough to make you care about the two main characters and the relationship between them,which in turn adds some weight to the action. Great action film,that fans of the genre should watch.
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relyat08



Joined: 20 Mar 2013
Posts: 4125
Location: Northern Virginia
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 3:53 pm Reply with quote
Probably the best fight scene in the entire medium: Spoilers for the final fight
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MarshalBanana



Joined: 31 Aug 2014
Posts: 5286
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 4:48 pm Reply with quote
I will never get over the Oscars snubbing this for Kong Fu Panda Crying or Very sad
Eddy564 wrote:
It has aged remarkably well too.
Well of course, it only came out in 07.
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Rhys2753



Joined: 24 Apr 2013
Posts: 94
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 5:04 pm Reply with quote
Lemonchest wrote:
Quote:
the dub chooses to neither subtitle nor dub over the film's plentiful spoken Mandarin


Hate it when things like that happen. Had a quick google to see if there was a reason & apparently it's been fixed, but I can't tell if they recalled & reissued before release or you'll have to contact them to get the replacement discs.


Yeah, be sure to contact Funimation to get replacement discs.
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jr240483



Joined: 24 Dec 2005
Posts: 4367
Location: New York City,New York,USA
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 7:47 pm Reply with quote
redranger wrote:
This film is perfect and probably my favorite anime film. It disgusts me that more people don't know of it/talk about it.


cant be surprised. considering that moribito was a very told anime series, but lack high octane action ala shonen type series. most people here in the US wont even care about it. but the real reason why no one dont even know about it outside of the hardcore anime otaku is that its NOT a Hayao Miazaki / Studio Ghibi film.

Very strangely, the dub chooses to neither subtitle nor dub over the film's plentiful spoken Mandarin, leaving the audience with less information than the subtitled version in a fair number of scenes.

i wonder why is that? it could be possible that neither the english staff or nor the japaneese staff have people that can properly translate mandarin.

And cause of this it gotta have me wondering.is this a usual occasion when an anime series that speaks languages other than japaneese and english or is those rare occasions?
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 4558
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 7:48 pm Reply with quote
Sword of the Stranger is just a ridiculously good movie. Like Nick said, it's living proof that note-perfect execution can make a basic framework as old as storytelling itself incredibly compelling. It's pretty much tailor-made for showing to anime newbies, too: it's completely stand-alone, it has a straightforward narrative, the fight scenes are intense and gorgeously animated, it has a good solid dub, and there's even an adorable dog (Tobimaru!) to top it all off. Hell, I dragged my brother along to see the Fathom Events screening of it a few years back, and even though he has no interest in anime whatsoever he had a good time with it. I don't need FUNi's release, since I managed to grab the Bandai BD back in the day before they all vanished, but I'm always glad to see something good back in print.
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phia_one



Joined: 15 Jan 2012
Posts: 1654
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 9:03 pm Reply with quote
I love this movie and the soundtrack. The final battle remains one of my favorite pieces of animation ever.
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Eddy564



Joined: 14 Sep 2008
Posts: 340
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 9:51 pm Reply with quote
MarshalBanana wrote:
I will never get over the Oscars snubbing this for Kong Fu Panda Crying or Very sad
Eddy564 wrote:
It has aged remarkably well too.
Well of course, it only came out in 07.
You'd be surprised to see how many series from that era look dated in today's market. I'm sure you can think of a few from personal experience.
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Kadmos1



Joined: 08 May 2014
Posts: 13536
Location: In Phoenix but has an 85308 ZIP
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:32 pm Reply with quote
jr240483, sometimes an anime title will have characters speak German. Tobimaru is probably the most badass Shiba I have seen.
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pachy_boy



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 1323
PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:45 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Even Sword of the Stranger's music generally impresses, though it's less of a marvel than the film's visual delights. An orchestral mix heavy on strings and beating drums, it can occasionally feel a bit repetitive, but still ably matches the tone of the production.

Only "generally impresses"? I for one consider this musical theme to be one of the most beautiful I've ever listened to in any movie, perfectly augmenting the atmosphere it's going for, making me care just as less about its repetitiveness as I do the story's simplicity. This movie really is just well-done in so many ways.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2017 12:41 am Reply with quote
Ihojin no Yaiba is arguably the best battle theme in anime history. And this amazing piece of music is paired with the indisputably best fight scene in anime history.

Fantastic movie.
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Nazca Lily #837256



Joined: 01 May 2015
Posts: 30
PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2017 12:53 am Reply with quote
I have the Bandai DVD of Sword of the Stranger. Is the release much improved? The Mandarin/Chinese language is all subtitled when it is spoken in scenes.

I've loved watching the movie and listening to the soundtrack.
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