Kibakichi 2

Kibakichi’s lone travels are interrupted when he becomes the target of not one but two opponents.  A wild warrior named Sakuramaru is killing indiscriminately, looking for the strongest of opponents and he thinks Kibakichi is his man.  Meanwhile, the beautiful Anju continues to seek revenge against Kibakichi for the destruction of their home village.  This trio of lost souls doesn’t realize that they are falling into the trap of a powerful demon who is determined to exterminate monsters.  As the night falls, Kibakichi, Anju and Sakuramaru will have to battle themselves and a new breed of enemy if man and beast are to have a chance at survival.

Now here is a tough one.  As I said in the previous review, it was going to be interesting to gauge whether or not Kibakichi 2 would be better or worse than it’s predecessor based on the low set bar.  In some ways, Kibakichi 2 is an improvement over the first.  But at the same time manages to fail just as spectacularly in many respects.  Mixed reactions indeed.

The best addition to the (short lived) mythos, is Sakuramaru.  Played very much in the style of Kikuchiyo from Seven Samurai, only a lot more violent, Sakuramaru is a beast of a man who loves to kill but is also a bit of a loveable oaf at the same time.  I loved how, during his first fight with Kibakichi, he broke his sword and immediately called a “time out” to get another one (and a better one at that).  There’s a lot more depth that explored through a tragic backstory.  It wouldn’t have been a bad move to just make the movie about him all the way and ignore Kibakichi all together.  I was never bored with Sakuramaru and wish a little more had been done with him.

Kibakichi and Anju are about the same as we last saw them.  Anju’s just scowling and Kibakichi is saying very little while looking bad ass.  Kibakichi got a little bit of an upgrade (in my opinion) in the make up department when he begins to “wolf out” in the final battle.  Seeing him just a bit more grizzly and not in full blown Werewolf form is a better Werewolf look for him in general, or at least doesn’t look as cheesy.  What’s funny is that we actually see fewer monsters in this film that we do in the last one.  We get glimpses of some of the monsters of Onizo’s village who died and there are a couple in that God awful finale (more on that in a sec, a rant is coming).  But for a series about monsters hiding in plain sight as humans, the monster side is horribly downplayed. 

One thing I do have to give credit to the first Kibakichi for, at least the villains plot was an actual plot.  Yamagi and his clan needed Onizo and his clan to kill for them to attain power and then Yamagi and his team set out to destroy them to cover up evidence.  Dougan in Kibakichi 2…has no plan.  He talks about ugly monsters when he in fact is one and never gives a reason for his hatred of Yokai.  Why does he have followers?  Why do THEY hate monsters?  There’s hints that theyre being controlled by a spell of Dougans but it’s never really talked about.   Dougan looks and talks terrifying…at least in his human form (those eyes man).  But when he reveals his “true form” Man…SUCH A FREAKING LET DOWN!!! Dougan would have done well just to keep his creepy eyed, black hooded form throughout the entire movie.  Seeing that he is actually a very poor Sentai villain underneath it all is as bad as discovering Hayden Christiensen is the man behind Darth Vader (you omit that a little easier knowing Vader is a bad ass so long as he’s voiced by James Earl Jones though).

Ok, I said I rant was incoming and Dougan and his poorly developed crew were just the primer.  While there is a lot more action in this film than the last Kibakichi, there’s still the fact that the final battle feels incredibly underwhelming once the “monsters” come out to play.  Again, Kibakichi seems more deadly with a sword than in his true Werewolf form, and Sakuramaru’s action scenes are not bad at all.  But…when Kibakichi and Anju both transform to settle an old score…I don’t know what the hell we witness but it isn’t a fight.  Not only is Anju’s Werewolf make up just terrible, not only does this look like it was shot on a soundstage instead of in the outdoors (though given how bad this is, I can see why youd tape it behind a tightly locked door), but ITS NOT A FIGHT!!! It’s a slow motion mating dance…I think.  There’s no blood, there’s no tension, there’s just two people in fur suits putting on a very elaborate dance number mixed to some of Kenji Kawaii’s reused music from the last film (though the Kibakichi main theme itself is pretty epic).  And it even ends with a flying kick duel in front of a full moon.  I’d say it’s so bad you have to see it but even I wouldn’t want to see it again and every time I do, I cringe hard.

Kibakichi 2 may have better action (as far as swords are concerned anyway) and has an outstanding new cast member to keep things entertaining and fresh.  I cant say the rest of it is any better though.  Terrible villains and a so bad it’s unwatchable finale kill any further hopes of a continuation of this series (if any existed at all).  Kibakichi was supposed to be an old school samurai/horror series.  But it’s neither scary nor does it have a lot of the promised Samurai bloodbath action.  Like I said, it’s hard to say if this was worse or better than the first film.  I guess I can tie it, seeing as how both films have equally bad moments as well as good.  But Kibakichi 2 has that mating dance, so bad you might as well slap on “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and laugh at how serious the moment tries to take itself.  So I’ll take it down a peg.

4/10

Well with that special double feature out of the way…go scare yourself with some fun cosplay or Halloween costumes and attain all the candy you wish.  I’ll see you guys tomorrow with the debut of the next series for review, the TV adaptation of CLAMP’s apocalyptic showdown, X.