The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Blistering performances.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

+ good voice actors deliver touching dialogues between characters + sword fights are tense, e.g. Heizo the inspector/ protaganist fending off an assassin + no out of character behaviour: plot and decisions are driven by characters' consistent personality + promotes social justice, empathy towards inequity prevalent in Edo period society, and leniency / rehabilitation towards redeemable thieves, especially the Robinhood types + flashbacks show how Heizo grew from a bitter, impulsive trouble maker to a wise inspector with iron fists and a warm heart + violent scenes were plot driven, not gratuitous. Some cases are solved by simply tracking and arresting non-violent thieves; murderous criminals meet swift and violent end + social commentary / philosophical remarks, e.g. Heizo laments a female thief's downfall, "women, they have no paat or future; just survive in the present" elevates this series beyond a simple action crime series, because characters prompt viewers to observe the story and case in a humanized way with social context, making the episodes more meaningfulopening theme song is jazzy with saxophones, which doesn't complement the period of the series, and took me some time to get used toplot twists are few, since you can predict characters' decisionssome episodes include intense sword fights between robbers and police, with gore and dismemberment; there are also cases of sexual assault (hinted, not shown). These episodes are unpleasant, but realistic of the crimes committed in that period* I enjoy the series because it partly reminds me of Samurai Champloo, the characters are interesting and likeable, Heizo is the 200% chilvarous ideal friend, boss, and husband: he's fun and generous with his friends, fair and kind to his squad, empathetic and respectful towards women, youths and children; his virtues and awareness is almost ahead of his time.I saw news that season 2 may be released in summer 2019. I look forward to seeing the characters again!

Onihei. A story about The Arson, and theft control which resided in Edo before it became Tokyo as we know of today. It is about a small group of people charged with keeping the peace and stopping would be thieves at night when people slept in their beds. At the head of this group sits a family man. Heizou Hasegawa... a formidable chief who oversees his band of officers that tries to undermine the sneaky shadows that lurk behind walls ready to pilfer gold or anything they can get their hands on.I found this series entertaining in every way. Although not a complicated tale by itself it does offer many points of view through out with different characters who are introduced in each episode. From past thieves gone rogue to innocent bystanders who also become victims from the very same thieves Heizou tracks down using his intelligence. Every episode becomes more interesting than the next as the story evolves.It has an excellent cast plus the intro music sounds like something one would watch from the very early seventies. An eclectic sound using trumpets to reflect the main character Heizou's persona of being a very cool customer towards his goals of catching thieves in the late hours of the night. It shows compassion on every level between characters or thieves as well as towards his own family who he treasures the most. It's all about family, trust, diligence, revenge, and a future for Edo's citizens. Highly recommended to viewers who enjoy detective shows such as this one.