Yagyu Secret Scrolls, Part II (Hiroshi Inagaki)Yagyu Secret Scrolls, Part II (1. Directed by Hiroshi Inagaki. Yagyu bugeicho - Ninjitsu. Starring Koji Tsuruta(Senshiro),Toshiro Mifune(Tasaburo),Mariko Okada(Rika/Maya),Denjiro Okochi(Lord Yagyu), Nobuko Otowa (Princess Kiyo), Senjaku Nakamura (Matajuro), Akihiko Hirata (Tomonori),Kyoko Kagawa(Oki),Eijiro Tono(Fugetsusai),Yoshiko Kuga(Princess Yu),Akio Kobori(Izu- no- Kami),Bokuzen Hidari(Okubo)Screenplay by Hiroshi Inagaki and Tokuhei Wakao. Toho Company, 1. 05 minutes. Color, 2. 3. 5: 1 scope ratio. English- subtitled DVD: Kurotokagi Gumi. Yagyu Secret Scrolls, Part II has the distinctive smell of a sequel that the stars of the original weren't keen to participate in. The leading romantic couple from Part I, Tasaburo and Princess Yu, have their roles reduced nearly to cameos. Maybe Toshiro Mifune and Yoshiko Kuga wanted too much money for starring roles or contractual obligations demanded at least an appearance. Koji Tsuruta takes over the top billing as Senshiro, and needless to say he's nowhere near the leading man Mifune is. Tasaburo and Yu have escaped from the world of ninja and clan politics to live together in content seclusion. But their romantic bliss is short- lived when Jubei Yagyu intrudes on their paradise, pulling Tasaburo back in just when he thought he was out. Although he takes a break for the bulk of the running time to let Senshiro have the spotlight. He comes along and causes major headaches for everybody, equipped with his mystical powers. The ninjitsu silliness quotient is upped considerably in this film, particularly in a magic vs. Senshiro throws a dramatic fire bomb whose pyrotechnics suspiciously resemble flames shooting up from evenly spaced vents in the studio floor, extending to areas where Senshiro didn't toss a thing. Matajuro, the disenfranchised Yagyu prince who got a raw deal after knocking out his teeth for the clan last time, is awestruck by Maya when he sees her dancing for money in the street. He mistakes her for his lost love Riku, but then decides she's not her. As far as I can tell, both characters are played by the lovely Mariko Okada, who previously portrayed Akemi in Inagaki's Samurai trilogy. I kept waiting for the big reveal that Maya is Riku, and maybe Hogen's evil spell had erased her memories and blocked her feelings for Matajuro. But such a development never comes. Regardless, Okada gives a great performance and she manages to keep my interest throughout the humdrum story. Maya ends up falling for Senshiro, so if she is actually Riku, poor toothless Matajuro ends up getting the shaft once again. Yagyu bugeicho - Ninjitsu *1957* . 1.46 GB: 0: 0: 7 years. Movies - Dvd / Film Extra's. 6.06 GB: 0: 1: 6 years: 9 months: Yagyu bugeicho - Ninjitsu 2 (1958) -- Toshiro Mifune. Part 2 (1958) Ninjitsu, Part 2 de Hiroshi Inagaki Fantas Maya's identity is one of several plot threads left dangling at the end, so maybe there were plans for a Yagyu Secret Scrolls, Part III that never materialized. For a director who'd been working in the 4: 3 aspect ratio since the 1. Inagaki jumps right into Toho. Scope with some excellent composition work that served a good foundation for his later and superior widescreen epics.
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