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Having seen a number of the Zatoichi movies, I think that this is one of the better entries in the series. Like all of the best, Samaritan Zatoichi has more story. The background characters are fleshed out and get a decent amount of screen time.Like often happens, Zatoichi ends up pitted against the local corrupt Yakuza Bosses because he is defending an innocent victim, Shinsoke Osode (played by Yoshiko Mita), the sister of the Samurai that Zatoichi killed. The film has a straightforward plot. Zatoichi is recognized as a brother Yakuza at the beginning, and he does not start out as some hated fugitive. Zatoichi also meets a sympathetic Samurai, Sosuke Saruya (played by Kô Nishimura who was in more than one Zatoichi movie) who almost plays the role of Zatoichi's sidekick in a few scenes and then bails out after telling Zatoichi there is too much danger.Zatoichi is seen taking a job as an assassin, and I found that realistic touch made the movie more interesting. After all, Zatoichi has always been a Yakuza, and yet in most of the movies he is fighting against them. In this film, Zatoichi is also shown cheating at dice, and he gets caught. Seeing Zatoichi's sleazier side was refreshing. It also gave his character more depth.The movie winds up with the usual slash-fest, as all of the villains get what they deserve. Like all of the better Zatoichi movies, this one has a rival Samurai character, Yasaburo Kashiwazaki (Makoto Satô) who wants Shinsoke for himself. Unlike other movies where Zatoichi's Samurai rival has been an honorable swordsman, this time the Samurai (Makoto Sato) is an unprincipled killer who is being hunted by others. The final showdown is one of the better ones in this series. It is far from a cakewalk, and Zatoichi gets sliced and diced.
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