bubu13
Member
Registered: 07-2006
Posts: 1362
|
Quote
|
|
J-Movie: Ichi
J-Movie: Ichi
Click to enlarge
• Ichi Official Site (trailer) (Japanese)
• The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
• Ichi, a blind sword heroine - Squidoo.com (asiacue)
• Mainichi Shimbun - Press conference & photos (Japanese)
Details
* Title: ICHI
* Directed by: Sori Fumihiko
* Produced by: Nakazawa Toshiaki
* Written by: Shimosawa Kan (Original)
* Screenwriter: Asano Taeko
* Sword action supervisor: Kuze Hiroshi
* Genre: Action
* Distributed by: Warner Brothers Japan
* Release date: May 15, 2008 (Cannes) | October 25, 2008 (Public)
* Country: Japan
* Music by: Michael Edwards
* Theme Song: Will by SunMin
Plot
Ayase plays a blind woman who roams about town with her shamisen (a three-stringed Japanese guitar), but she has exceptional sword skills with which she fights off yakuza and other villains. --IMDb
"Beware... I can't see anything"
Ichi is a sole goze (blind woman singer) carrying only a shamisen (Japanese stringed instrument) and a walking stick, traveling on her own to find the man who has brought her up and cared for her as a child. People try to take advantage of the fact that she is blind, but Ichi fights back with her unusual skill with swords, using the sword hidden inside her walking stick.
An incident brings her to meet Toma, who tries to save Ichi from the Banki-to gang, but ends up showing his awful skills in swordplay and is saved by Ichi in return. Ichi unwillingly starts traveling together with Toma, and comes upon the village, where the Banki-to gang, led by the inhuman heartless Banki, is taking charge. They also run into Toraji, who is the successor of the Shirakawa yakuza family trying to keep order of the village apart from Banki. Toma offers to help, but Ichi is uninterested, until she finds that Banki might know the man she was looking for. Now the deadly battle is about to begin! --asiacue
Click to enlarge
Cast
* Ayase Haruka as Ichi
* Osawa Takao as Fujihira Touma
* Kubozuka Yosuke as Toraji
* Enomoto Akira as Choubei
* Shima Ryousuke as Kojirou
* Takeuchi Riki as Izou
* Nakamura Shido as Banki
* Koga Mitsuki
* Matsukata Hiroki
* Masumoto Shoichiro (増本庄一郎)
* Riju Go
* Sugimoto Tetta
* Yokoyama Megumi
* Chiba Kazuma
* Kotake Eiko as Blind vaudevillian
* Masuda Toshiki as Thug
* Tsuchiya Kumiko (土屋久美子)
* Katou Masaki
* Watanabe Eri (Eriko)
* Yoshihiro Ishizuka
* Nagae Masaaki
* Matsuzaka Wakako as Blind vaudevillian
* Endo Yuko
* Horiken (Horiuchi Ken)
* Hano Daishiro
* Namiki Shiro
* Kono Usagi as Blind vaudevillian
---
|
7/17/2008, 6:26 am
|
Link to this post
Send Email to bubu13
Send PM to bubu13
|
Hiroshi66
Admin
Registered: 02-2004
Location: Porter Ranch, California
Posts: 13779
|
Quote
|
|
Re: J-Movie: Ichi
Thanks for making the front page, Bubu!
You know, I kept trying to remember where I've seen Ayase Haruka (who plays Ichi). I couldn't remember for the life of me, but then when I went to her Drama Wiki page, I saw that she played the starring role of Hirose Aki in Crying Out Loud in the Center of the World which aired back in 2004! She's a great actress -- she really gets into her role. I'll be looking forward to seeing her in this film!
Hopefully UTB will air Ichi -- it sounds like quite an interesting plot. I know UTB sometimes airs movies around New Year's -- I hope they air this one!
|
7/17/2008, 10:16 am
|
Link to this post
Send Email to Hiroshi66
Send PM to Hiroshi66
AIM
|
brad6
Member
Registered: 07-2004
Posts: 3779
|
Quote
|
|
Re: J-Movie: Ichi
I would love to see this...Hope it appears on TV. I adore Osawa Takeo because he is a marvellous actor. He has even played Hamlet on stage in UK which makes him very brave in my estimation. However I have also seen him in drama and he is so impressive and very sexy. He was also in a musical video with So Ji Sub called 'My First' He played a gang boss and was so scary. Well worth watching if you can find it. This video is like a little drama in itself and really well done.
Peg
PS Ichi..?? Female Zatoichi??
|
7/17/2008, 10:50 am
|
Link to this post
Send Email to brad6
Send PM to brad6
|
bubu13
Member
Registered: 07-2006
Posts: 1362
|
Quote
|
|
Re: J-Movie: Ichi
No problem, guys!
I'm looking forward to this also, I enjoy all the original Katsu Shintaro Zatoichi films, and the 2003 Kitano Takeshi version, so it will be interesting to see a woman play the role.
Hiroshi, co-star, Osawa Takao (Touma) was also in the movie version of Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu.
Peg, Yes, this is a female version of Zatoichi (ichi = 1). But instead of playing a blind masseuse, she plays a blind musician. I think Haruka Ayase is only the third person to play the role besides Katsu Shintaro and Takeshi Kitano (aka Vic Romano ).
Last edited by bubu13, 7/17/2008, 12:32 pm
---
|
7/17/2008, 12:24 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to bubu13
Send PM to bubu13
|
Hiroshi66
Admin
Registered: 02-2004
Location: Porter Ranch, California
Posts: 13779
|
Quote
|
|
Re: J-Movie: Ichi
Bubu, what a coincidence -- looks like former stars of both versions of Sekai no chuushin de, ai wo sakebu are appearing in Ichi!
Peg, that's so interesting that Osawa Takao played Hamlet in the UK! It would be interesting to see him in that role. I have yet to see Hamlet in the theatre (I've seen various film versions of it -- my favorite is the one with Sir Lawrence Olivier) but it would be awesome to see the play starring Osawa!
Last edited by Hiroshi66, 7/17/2008, 9:06 pm
|
7/17/2008, 9:05 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to Hiroshi66
Send PM to Hiroshi66
AIM
|
brad6
Member
Registered: 07-2004
Posts: 3779
|
Quote
|
|
Re: J-Movie: Ichi
I'm not very efficient in transferring stuff from my documents. I never know how to do it to a site and I just tried to send hiroshi my clip of the MV by Jo Sung Mo of his 'My First' It has Osawa Takao and So Ji Sub and Kim Jung Eun. this is one of the best MV videos I have seen. It is dramatic and a bit on the violent side. It really tells a tragic story and it is like a true drama but shortened. By email it is refused as not having enough memory. Have no idea what this means. sorry....
I am going to see if it can be found by looking via the browser for Jo Subg Mo or 'My First'
Peg
|
7/18/2008, 12:58 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to brad6
Send PM to brad6
|
Hiroshi66
Admin
Registered: 02-2004
Location: Porter Ranch, California
Posts: 13779
|
Quote
|
|
Re: J-Movie: Ichi
Peg, thanks for sending me the video! Glad that it ended up working!
Here's the link:
http://www.crunchyroll.com/showmedia?id=42624
It is indeed a nice music video! I like how the MV has both a storyline and the song included (as well as some pretty good acting and subtitles, too!) Osawa Takeo is a fine actor -- it would be wonderful to see him in Ichi (as well as in Hamlet... I think he will do fine in that role too!)
|
7/18/2008, 2:56 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to Hiroshi66
Send PM to Hiroshi66
AIM
|
nchristi
Moderator
Registered: 03-2004
Location: Hotel California
Posts: 13017
|
Quote
|
|
Re: J-Movie: Ichi
I was surprised and happy to see Kubozuka Yosuke in this movie.
Kubozuka Yosuke - 2007
He was the poor soul who jumped from his 9th story balcony in a suicide attempt in 2004. Very glad to see him recovered and doing well in his career.
|
8/8/2008, 1:39 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to nchristi
Send PM to nchristi
AIM
|
Hiroshi66
Admin
Registered: 02-2004
Location: Porter Ranch, California
Posts: 13779
|
Quote
|
|
Re: J-Movie: Ichi
That's great news that Kubozuka Yosuke is progressing nicely in his career. I remember reading about his suicide attempt in 2004, so its good news that he's recovered and continuing his acting career.
Looks like there's a little over two months until Ichi is released to the public!
|
8/10/2008, 8:15 pm
|
Link to this post
Send Email to Hiroshi66
Send PM to Hiroshi66
AIM
|