Just so...so bad

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It is pretty well known that Miike will take on just about any project offered to him. In 2001 (according to IMDb) he made at least 6 films including ICHI THE KILLER, VISITOR Q, & THE HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS, which I liked very very much, and KUMAMOTO MONOGATARI. (I am a BIG FAN of Miike's! I have 22 of his dvds.) I was particularly interested in seeing KUMAMOTO MONOGATARI cuz it is supposedly a 'period piece'. I was very interested to see his take on the 'historical drama'. What an utter disappointment it turned out to be! It is one of the tackiest, cheesiest movies I think I have ever seen. The costumes are look like they were made by grade school mothers in small town Nebraska for the 4th grade pageant. The acting was on a par with the costumes. As were the sets and SFX. And as best as I could tell, this trash aesthetic served absolutely no legitimate end of any kind. If you are a fan of Miike's, do not walk but RUNNNNN away from this piece of crap as fast as you can!!!! OK to give credit where credit is do: there is a little fluffy white puppy in it that is truly magical! But believe me, watching any of the rest of the movie to see it is a price too great to pay!

As I am the first to comment on this piece by Takeshi Miike I found myself watching it with no clue as to the content. My only knowledge of Miike is through Ichi The Killer and Audition. Here however we see a classier side of Miike's film-making skills with a triple bill of dramatic productions.The piece immediately feels like its a low budget affair and almost stage-like in its presence. My favourite part was in the third piece of this set when we see a dramatisation of The Revolt Of The Clans. Having played the game Shogun Total War I was familiar with this story already and it was refreshing to see it come to life.If you are looking for a typical Miike production then stop here and go find something else as this is Miike on a mission.7/10

*!minor SPOILER alert!*There is a lot that will remain in doubt about the purposes, directions, meanings and implications of the style of cinema this 3-part screenplay represents. Mainly this has to do with the all-too-Oriental content and the all-too-typical form this story takes. One pointer is the fact that some sort of local Cultural Sponsoring is behind the production of this historical trilogy...The historical politics of the early medieval (if you allow my using a Western time-scale) kingdoms and reigns, in an area that is today mostly Japan and Korea, is far too esoteric an interest for a casual Takashi Miike fan. Let me set the scene for you: 7th century, Yamato Imperial Government, warring tribes of the isles and lands of East Asia... All this in a framework of magically interpreted National (which in this case encompasses tribes beyond merely heartland Honshuu) History.This is not for the Miike-minded, but for the Myth-minded.So: Content-wise, the national-chauvinistic pathos that characterizes all historical mythologies of nations and peoples is here at full bloom.You know, unless you're willing to put your heart and soul to understanding the deep spiritual roots of modern day Japan ("Wa"), as well of Korea ("Kudara" etc.) and the Orient in general, you won't "get it"!That's the content. The form, interestingly enough, takes on a visual look that manages to blend Anime dramaturgy (i.e. Japanese mythology spiced up by CGI graphics) with Western camera techniques.On the underwhelming side, the CGI fire arrows crisscrossing the screen at the speed of levitating mules or, for the matter, the rest of the cheap theatrics of an underfunded b-class production like this don't impress much: The artificial fog is (partly deliberately, partly due to a limited budget no doubt) really artificial-looking, while the CG dragons look superimposed, kinda like incidental CG videos in 2-d playstation role playing games...On the overwhelming side... Well, the seriousness of production is staggering. The antics of drama, death, love and rebirth are acted out perfectly - that is to say: overacted, but that's just the same - The line between Drama and Melodrama was never a thick one.But, this is all actually not that important to hear...What you want to hear is: Does it entertain?And yes it does! Each part does. I'll go through each of them, from the story's point of view.1) The first part is a typical example of how sexual rolemodels tie in to national pride: The Girl becomes the Heroine by sacrificing herself ultimately to the masculine destiny of the nation and its Boys, Husbands, Heroes. Lots of pretty pictures - and lots of rubbish CGI - convey that message well enough. Heavy and dark undertones...Typical mythology, very Tolkien-ish (from my Western POV) in fact: all the way to the Dark Knights and the magic caves.2) The second part puts us again at the literal forefront of the strife and warring between the Koreans and the Japanese. It's interesting how the unabashed "patriotism" (with values of Sacrifice and Land) combines with a rather conciliatory message of international toleration. Really, this is not at all only from the Japanese point of view, since the first part for example deals with the Koreans as the "We", and the Japanese as the "Them".Kinds of "blue screen" backgrounds and CGI effects make the scenery look even more unreal that it otherwise would be: hypergreen, hyperreal.The truly odd admixture of the East and the West finally hits through at the golden, tragicomic, B-film moment where one of the actors looks at the camera and urges you to "remove your 3-d classes at the audience on the count of 3" - apparently they still have 3-d theaters somewhere...Shockingly tragicomic - pure "camp", in other words.That combination of very bad CGI and very bad acting makes this "trilogy" an abominable piece of art, but a fascinating curiosity, an an entertaining watch.Also, the perfectly amicable lesson on the positive influences of Kudara's (Korean) culture onto Japanese history is simply so wonderful that no cold-hearted fool could overlook the beauty of a proud heritage.3) The third part, the longest of the three (in a trilogy totalling 2 hours), forwards into late middle ages: Enter samurai.The production here peaked, as the story ties to the present. Now the national heritage foundation is happy. Go visit their sites. ...I DO recommend this as a curiosity, but it's definitely not Miike's zenith, nor is it worth seeing more than once.