Movie: Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 2: Yotsuya Ghost Story came out last month and took a decidedly different look at the samurai of the Edo period in Japan. This time, the main character was a scheming samurai by the name of Iemon. Lacking a master, the ronin sought wealth and fame by marriage, getting it into his head to marry a local cutie by the name of Lady Oiwa. Her father suspected Iemon's complicity in the downfall of his former master and thought Iemon was trouble so he would not allow the marriage to take place. Needless to say, Iemon had a way of removing obstacles to his desires and after dad turns up dead, the marriage takes place but such a lout is never happy with his lot in life and upon the birth of their first child, he starts looking for greener pastures. This dynamic accelerated when a fetching cutie with a wealthy merchant father wanted to marry him, so the next obstacle removed was Oiwa.

One of the most common things motivating ghosts in the old tales is how they possess vengeful wills and seek vengeance. Oiwa was initially left crippled but Iemon finishes the job and finds his new wife to have all the attributes he wanted in a woman (money, looks, and status). After a very short while though, he soon sees visions of those he did wrong, resulting in his going near crazy with his sword, the result being everyone around him tasting metal and ending up worse the wear for knowing him. He ends up banished in a swamp where he pays the price for his wicked ways. While not as ancient as the story from Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 1, this one also took place a long time ago and was based on one of the most infamous urami tales of betrayal, probably thought up by a mean wife to scare her husband into staying with her. Seriously though, this one took the form of a narrator telling the story as though he were the ronin, looking back on his mistakes before being swallowed by the pits of hell or something. The back cover said it like this:

"In the Edo era of Japan, while cultural arts flourished and the samurai code of "bushido" emerged, humanity's fear of the supernatural was very real! Desiring to wed Lady Oiwa, an ambitious and calculating ronin named Iemon murders her father, who had opposed the marriage due to Iemon's treacherous past. As a masterless samurai, Iemon soon grows weary and resentful of his ailing wife Oiwa and their impoverished stature, however when he is presented with an offer to marry a wealthy neighbor's beautiful granddaughter, Oiwa is duped into drinking a poison that horribly cripples her. The revelation of Iemon's betrayal as well as the painful disfigurement causes Oiwa to kill herself, setting into motion a nightmarish curse carried out by a terrifying, vengeful spirit seeking retribution!" This was another anime ghost story that made me think I didn't mind watching it once but any more than that might be too much. Still, if you are a fan of supernatural tales of infidelity, you might think my rating of Rent It was a bit on the low side.

Picture: Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 2: Yotsuya Ghost Story was presented in the same 1.33:1 ratio full frame color it was shot in for Japanese television by director Tetsuo Imazawa. A recent release in Japan, the show looked decidedly retro in terms of the animation style and lack of fluid movement. The print had scratches and if you told me it was made twenty years ago, I would not have doubted you for a second. The lack of depth and detail on the characters was clear with the various special visual effects looking like a student art project more than a commercial release from what I could see. The artifacts and shimmer present was low end with my assessment being that even had the story been great, it would have suffered these aspects sorely; especially at the end when all the carnage was going on.

Sound: The audio was presented in a straightforward 2.0 Dolby Digital offering with the usual choice of the original Japanese tracks or a newly created English language dub; both with optional English language subtitles. The voices were clear in both but the special effects and score were so minimal that I almost forgot about them this time. Rather than employ the aural qualities to further the story elements as they should have been, the volume merely provided the barebones version of audio experience needed to get the job done. The separation between the tracks and dynamic range were unimpressive as was the voice acting on both sets of tracks so don't get all worked up for this one.

Extras: The only extras worth noting were some trailers, a few clean openings, and a glossary of terms. In that, they were a pretty weak set considering the potential of the material.

Final Thoughts: Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 2: Yotsuya Ghost Story reminded me a bit of some of the Clint Eastwood tales where he comes back from the grave to enact vengeance on those that did him wrong when he was living. The story itself needed a lot more polishing up and the technical values were on the low end yet again so unless you want a title that isn't up to par, you might find Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 2: Yotsuya Ghost Story another "could have been" title that embraced the supernatural so well that someone forgot to use quality control check procedures on the story elements that often did not mesh all that well. I like plenty of what comes from Geneon but this was not their finest hour if you catch my drift so pick this one up as a rental first or prepare to be haunted that you spent your money so poorly.

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVD Talk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003, Best Of Anime 2004, Best of Anime 2005, and Best of Anime 2006 articles or their regular column Anime Talk.