However, the actual effect has not been achieved. First, the adaptation of a novel itself is meaningless. No matter how condensed it is, it is actually a new creation. Therefore, it is impossible and unnecessary to take care of every aspect of the novel. Characters such as Shimada and Shinsengumi are superfluous (not essential). Second, the overly complex character relationship weakens the irrepressible and unruly violence itself, and finally cancels the method of brotherly revenge, which may be meaningful for the adaptation of the original book, but it is self-defeating for a film independent of the novel.
However, this movie is different from Heroes of the Five Shrines or Akira Kurosawa after all. It's based entirely on violence, not drama or halberds—that is, liberating the samurai from the "Bushido" package. This is a monster. This is what it really is; a bloodthirsty beast that licks the knife and advocates force. The film, at least in part, uncovers the true nature of the samurai.
View more about The Sword of Doom reviews
