Sword of the Stranger

Sword of the Stranger
Directed by	Masahiro Andō
Written by	Fumihito Takayama
Starring	Tomoya Nagase Yuuri Chinen Kouichi Yamadera Naoto Takenaka
Music by	Naoki Satō
Cinematography	Yōichi Ōgami
Distributed by	Shochiku Bandai Entertainment Madman Entertainment Dynit SelectaVision
Release date(s)	Japan: September 29, 2007 North America: July 18, 2008
Running time	102 minutes
Language	Japanese English

Sword of the Stranger (ストレンヂア 無皇刃譚, Sutorenjia Mukōhadan^?, Stranger Mukō Hadan) is a 2007 Japanese anime feature film directed by Masahiro Andō and produced by Bones.^[1] The film follows Kotaro, a young boy who is hunted by a group of swordsmen from Ming Dynasty China for mysterious reasons. Among the group is a fearsome Western fighter named Luo-Lang, whose only desire is to find a worthy opponent. Due to circumstances, Kotaro and his dog meet Nanashi, a nameless ronin who is haunted by memories of his past which have led him to avoid drawing his sword ever again. When the Ming clash with a Sengoku-era feudal lord, a proud general, and monks torn between faith and survival, the reason behind the Ming group's pursuit tests the bond between Kotaro and Nanashi.^[1]

Characters

Nanashi/Nameless (名無し^?) (means "No Name" or "Nameless", referring to warriors that were lost in battle)

• Voiced by: Tomoya Nagase (Japanese), Michael Adamthwaite (English)

A ronin haunted by his terrible past, he has sworn to keep his sword sheathed. However, upon meeting Kotaro, he finds himself re-evaluating his life. While traveling with the young Kotaro, Nanashi finds himself acting as a bodyguard for the boy. This in turn leads to his prolonged struggle against the Ming warriors, particularly Luo-Lang.

Kotaro (仔太郎^?)

• Voiced by: Yuuri Chinen (Japanese), Aidan Drummond (English)

Kotaro is a young orphan, seen in the opening scene being told by the priest Shoan to run far away from the monastery. He is pursued by the Ming swordsmen as well as the soldiers of Akaike. With no idea why he is being chased. He seeks protection from Nanashi, after encountering him. His sole traveling companion until meeting Nanashi is his Shiba Inu, Tobimaru.

Luo-Lang (羅狼^?)

• Voiced by: Kōichi Yamadera (Japanese), Scott McNeil (English)

The second-in-command of the Ming group and an extremely skilled swordsman. Luo-Lang is driven by a thirst for great power, and craves finding an equally strong opponent to fight so that he may improve his skills. Being blue-eyed and blond-haired, he is a foreigner in the eyes of the Japanese and Chinese characters, although his actual origin is not stated.

Shogen Itadori (虎杖 将藍^?)

• Voiced by: Akio Ōtsuka (Japanese), Brian Dobson (English)

One of the chief vassals of Akaike. He is a warrior whose swordsmanship skills have helped him rise above the rank-and-file soldiers and into power. He is driven by the ambition of one day becoming the ruler of an independent territory.

Master Bai-Luan (白鸞^?)

• Voiced by: Atsushi Ii (Japanese), Ken Kramer (English)

The leader of the Ming group. He is responsible for chasing Kotaro on the Emperor’s order. He is completely dedicated to the Emperor and is just using Luo-Lang for his strength.

Tobimaru (飛丸^?)

Kotaro's dog, and a principal character in the movie. Tobimaru is poisoned by a Ming warrior early in the film. Curing him provides the catalyst for Nanashi and Kotaro to work together. Nanashi helps Tobimaru by taking him, along with Kotaro, to an apothecary. After he is cured, Tobimaru worries about Kotaro, and after his master is captured, he helps Nanashi find the Sacrificial Altar before Kotaro is sacrificed.

Shoan (祥庵^?)

• Voiced by: Naoto Takenaka (Japanese), Hiro Kanagawa (English)

Lord Akaike (金亥^?)

• Voiced by: Unshou Ishizuka (Japanese), Paul Dobson (English)

Festivals and awards

Sword of the Stranger has appeared at international film festivals across the world. The list of film festivals that the film has appeared at includes:

• 24th Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival
• AnimagiC
• Asia Filmfest
• Asia Pacific Screen Awards [1]
• Camera Japan
• FANTASPOA [2] (International Fantastic Film Festival of Porto Alegre)
• Leeds International Film Festival [3]
• London Barbican's Japanimation
• Sci-Fi London's Oktoberfest

The film won the award for Best Animated Feature at FANTASPOA (International Fantastic Film Festival of Porto Alegre) in Brazil and was a nominee for Best Animated Feature Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards

The film was also submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for consideration as a nominee for Best Animated Feature at the 81st Academy Awards. ^[2] There were fourteen films vying for the three nomination spots, including Sword of the Stranger.

Reception

Sword of the Stranger has so far appeared on a select number of cinema screens in the United States and reception so far has been mostly positive.

Anime News Network reviewer Justin Sevakis gave the film an overall A- and labeled it as: "Breath-taking action scenes wrapped around a compelling story that actually makes sense."^[3] In praise of the action sequences, Sevakis called them "some of the most intricately staged, gorgeously animated fight sequences in anime history."^[3] Finally, he concluded that "there are few places that the film goes that you haven't been before. But just the same, it's an absurdly fun, highly enjoyable sort of film that just about anybody could enjoy, provided one likes action... Sword of the Stranger could just be the cross-over hit the genre has needed for a very long time."^[3]

In her Anime News Network column entitled Shelf Life, reviewer Bamboo Dong profiled the Blu-Ray release as "a gorgeously animated, blood-soaked samurai romp that entertains for its full 102 minute run."^[4] Regarding the story and characters, Dong wrote "There are a lot of complexities for such a seemingly simple storyline, and it keeps things interesting—a good thing, because the main boy character is a little hard to like."^[4] She also found "the interplay between the Chinese and the Japanese in the film" to be "particularly interesting," especially in having "the Chinese characters switch between speaking Japanese and Mandarin" and "seeing the villainy so balanced between both countries."^[4] Lastly, she highlighted the technical aspects, saying "artistically, this film is something to be admired. The visuals are really breathtaking, especially in high-definition... Even better were the fight scenes, which were beautifully drawn, and even better 'choreographed,'" and "music-wise, the soundtrack was pretty grandiose, filling the more poignant moments with a very Lord of the Rings-esque theme that matched the gravitas of the film."^[4] Finally, she summarized the film up by writing "If one could define anime movies as summer blockbusters, then Sword of the Stranger would fall under that category. It's fast-paced and packed with action, and it looks good, too. It's not a masterpiece, per se, but as far as entertainment for the masses go, this one's a winner."^[4]

Meanwhile other media that have been to screenings so far such as Firefox News summarized their view on the dubbed and subbed versions of the film by saying:

With either version, though, you’re not apt to go wrong if you’re an anime or jidaigeki fan, let alone both.^{[citation needed]}

The film's festival run in the European Union has resulted in positive feedback so far including a rating of 4.07 out of 5 from viewers on average from Camera Japan and its praises being sung after the screening of it at Sci-Fi London's anime all-nighter - Oktoberfest. The film has been ranked at #1 in JapanCinema.net's "Top 10 Anime Films of the Decade" list.^[5]

Release

Sword of the Stranger was released to Japanese theaters on September 29, 2007. The DVD and Blu-ray were released in regular and limited editions on April 11, 2008. The film premiered in the United States on February 15, 2008. It was dubbed into English through Ocean Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia and released by Bandai Entertainment. The English-dub was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 16, 2009.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Sword of the Stranger". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=2340. Retrieved November 7, 2011. 
2. ^ http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2008/08.11.10a.html
3. ^ ^{a b c} Sevakis, Justin (2008-07-07). "Anime News Network Review: Sword of the Stranger". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/sword-of-the-stranger. Retrieved 2009-06-15. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e} Dong, Bamboo (2009-06-22). "Anime News Network: Shelf Life - Sword of the Stranger". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/shelf-life/2009-06-22#sword. Retrieved 2009-06-22. 
5. ^ "Top 10 Anime Films of the Decade". JapanCinema.net. http://japancinema.net/2009/12/16/top-10-anime-films-of-the-decade-2000-2009/. Retrieved 24 February 2012.