Onmyoji

Starring:Mansai Nomura, Hideaki Ito, Eriko Imai, Yui Natsukawa, Mai Hosho, Kenichi Yajima, Kenjiro Ishimaru, Kenichi Ishii, Houka Kinoshita, Sachiko Kokubu, Kenji Yamaki, KyÃ´ko Koizumi, Akira Emoto, Masato Hagiwara, Ittoku Kishibe, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tony Oliver, Richard Cansino, Tom Wyner, Terrence Stone
Director: Yojiro Takita
Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
A mystical tale set in Japan's Heian era (794-1185 A.D.), when demons and sorcery lent intrigue to the business of ruling the kingdom, Onmyoji was Japan's box office king in 2001. The emperor Mikado and his infant son are the targets of evil spells, and someone amidst the Onmyoji, the longtime supernatural guardians of the kingdom, is suspected of betrayal. A bumbling and somewhat cowardly court official named Minamoto no Hiromaki recruits the famed Japanese folk hero SeiMei, an easygoing yin-yang sorcery master, to help solve the mystery. The two develop a Holmes and Watson relationship while trying to thwart the conspirators. The movie fails to achieve much dramatic tension over a long two hours. With the exception of Mansai Nomura as SeiMei, the acting is exaggerated, as in bad theater. Some shoddy scene and sound editing leads to some clumsy transitions, and the special effects and fight scenes are of the made-for-TV quality. Still, with a lineup that includes Japanese pop idols Kyoko Koizumi and Eriko Imai and villains that cackle with such enthusiasm, Onmyoji nearly qualifies as a campy guilty pleasure. --Eugene Wei
Description
In A Heart of Darkness Lies a Battle For This World and the Next. During a dark age of demons and ghosts, the Heian Emperor relies upon the imperial order of the Onmyoji to protect the kingdom. However, as the birth of the emperor's heir approaches, political intrigue and jealousy will lead to the most dangerous of betrayals-from within the Onmyoji and the Emperor's family! It will be up to the most talented of the order, Seimei, to face his master, Doson, and the dark magic that threatens to destroy them all! Onmyoji the movie is based on the famous serial novels set during the popular Heian period by author Baku Yumemakura. Theatrically released in Japan, October 2001, "Onmyoji" played in over 2500 screens and grossed more than 3.1 billion Yen (approximately $23.6 million dollars)."

Onmyoji
Average customer rating:

A beautiful love story, Edo-period style

Some interesting insights into Japanese culture

Alright fantasy fare

A Japanese legendary tale

well that was certainly interesting

Onmyoji
Starring: Mansai Nomura , Hideaki Ito , Eriko Imai , Yui Natsukawa , and Mai Hosho
Director: Yojiro Takita
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Onmyoji II

Aragami: The Raging God of Battle

Shadow Hunters

The Twilight Samurai

When the Last Sword Is Drawn

ASIN: B00009RXI6
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Amazon.com

A mystical tale set in Japan's Heian era (794-1185 A.D.), when demons and sorcery lent intrigue to the business of ruling the kingdom, Onmyoji was Japan's box office king in 2001. The emperor Mikado and his infant son are the targets of evil spells, and someone amidst the Onmyoji, the longtime supernatural guardians of the kingdom, is suspected of betrayal. A bumbling and somewhat cowardly court official named Minamoto no Hiromaki recruits the famed Japanese folk hero SeiMei, an easygoing yin-yang sorcery master, to help solve the mystery. The two develop a Holmes and Watson relationship while trying to thwart the conspirators. The movie fails to achieve much dramatic tension over a long two hours. With the exception of Mansai Nomura as SeiMei, the acting is exaggerated, as in bad theater. Some shoddy scene and sound editing leads to some clumsy transitions, and the special effects and fight scenes are of the made-for-TV quality. Still, with a lineup that includes Japanese pop idols Kyoko Koizumi and Eriko Imai and villains that cackle with such enthusiasm, Onmyoji nearly qualifies as a campy guilty pleasure. --Eugene Wei

Description

In A Heart of Darkness Lies a Battle For This World and the Next. During a dark age of demons and ghosts, the Heian Emperor relies upon the imperial order of the Onmyoji to protect the kingdom. However, as the birth of the emperor's heir approaches, political intrigue and jealousy will lead to the most dangerous of betrayals-from within the Onmyoji and the Emperor's family! It will be up to the most talented of the order, Seimei, to face his master, Doson, and the dark magic that threatens to destroy them all! Onmyoji the movie is based on the famous serial novels set during the popular Heian period by author Baku Yumemakura. Theatrically released in Japan, October 2001, "Onmyoji" played in over 2500 screens and grossed more than 3.1 billion Yen (approximately $23.6 million dollars)."

Customer Reviews:

A beautiful love story, Edo-period style.......2006-09-30

I am a HUGE fan of Japanese historical-period films, and I absolutely LOVE this movie.

I think it is so much better than the sequel, Onmyoji II, and do not understand why it received an inferior rating. This film has a touch of the fantasy seen in "Crouching Tiger", but this movie has a happy ending! (and is Japanese).

The cinematography is excellent, the costumes are phenomenal, the story line is heart-rending with multiple love stories intertwined, mixed with power struggles and the supernatural. What more could one ask for?

I love this film a little more each time I see it, and whole heartedly recommend it to anyone.

Some interesting insights into Japanese culture.......2006-01-30

This is obviously not a movie for everyone. If you go into this movie expecting it to be like a western fantasy movie then you'll be disappointed.

As a number of other reviewers have pointed out. This movie is meant to be stylized, there are many references to traditional Japanese dramatic styles (including both Kyogen and Noh) particularly in the manner in which the characters act.

Translating classical genres into modern contexts such as the monster movie is always a bit fraught. On balance I liked what director Takita Yojiro did with this movie despite it's clunkiness for the modern viewer.

The stand out for me was the acting. Nomura Mansai was particularly good as Abe no Seimei. I thought his "foxy" persona was spot on. I also liked Ito Hideaki's flute-playing nobleman sidekick. The two of them have great rapport together.

For people interested in Japanese culture there are several other really interesting aspects to the movie (as pointed out to me by my colleague Alex Golub of Golublog and Savage Minds fame):

Firstly, the whole issue of where demons come from and how to destroy them. This revolves around the issue of social harmony. When harmony in relationships is upset through anger, envy, jealousy or whatever, the negative emotions create the demonic aspect of the person which then takes on a life of its own. Exorcising the demon primarily involves the restoration of harmonious relationships (and not the intervention of "good" as is the case in Christian understandings of exorcism).

The other interesting aspect of the movie to me was the way in which magic is a function of words and movement performed properly. For me, the climatic fight scene was great because it was so clearly NOT about weapons skills or direct combat at all, but rather the use of spiritual skill and intelligence. Seimei's laying out of the pentagram was a marvellous peice of film-making and captured the spirit of East Asian martial arts philosophy beautifully.

The last example of something thought-provoking in the movie I'll give (though by no means the last thing in the movie) was the way in which the director forced you to confront the boundaries between the real and the "unreal": the use of paper dolls and butterflies as the "real" forms of Seimei's women servants (and at one point, himself) was a great example of this, and added layers of meaning to other instances of this motif in other Japanese films. For novices to Japanese cinema like myself, a good example would be the paper birds that attack Haku the dragon in Miyazaki's "Spirited Away".

Overall, I liked this movie a great deal. It's worth seeing in its own right but as a way to learn more about traditional Japanese culture, it's worth even more stars.

Alright fantasy fare.......2005-11-25

There's an evil prince and a good prince, aided and abetted by evil and good wizards. Butterflies turn into beautiful maidens. Beautiful maidens either live forever young (forget it - got to eat merman sushi to qualify), turn into delicate paper dolls, or, if the wizard is prankish, turn back into butterflies.

Our hero, Hiromasa, is a young, junior grade wizard, a wise man in waiting, an onmyoji in ONMYOJI. Spends most of his time playing flute solos in front of closed carriage of a mopishly beautiful, eternally youthful maiden. Falls in love with her, apparently by osmosis - how do you fall in love with a sigh machine, anyway? Hiromasa's boss is Seimei, a yin-yang master of the complex spells with a strange sense of humor who may, or may not, help the Mikado when his newborn son is threatened by the evil machinations of boss bad wizard Doson.

With plenty of supernatural elements, the plot is both busy and superficial. The characters are pretty shallow, and production values are campishly low. There's a supernatural bird and a sick animatronic baby that look like they were purchased at a dollar store. ONMYOJI recalls the spirit, if not the particulars, of the old Gene Autry and Roy Rogers programmers of my Saturday morning television youth. No central love story, or much graphic violence. Target audience, adolescents. With its indifferent acting, stylized and unambitious action it seems more or less the same as those bygone cookie cutter westerns. Some of the special effects are laughably bad.

ONMYOJI was comfortably interesting, an unusual flight of fantasy. Good Saturday morning fare, safe for the whole family.

A Japanese legendary tale.......2005-06-17

Abe no Seimei is a legendary figure from Japanese history, a sort of Merlin figure with an authentic historical basis. A master of the art of Onmyo-do, a Yin-Yang sorcery based on prevailing scientific theory and Chinese mysticism, Abe no Seimei was a hero of stories factual and fanciful. Reputed to be the son of a Fox spirit, he worked as an Onmyoji to the Emperor, casting spells and advising on the spiritually correct way to handle affairs. His arch-enemy, the Onmyoji Ashiya Doman, is a jealous figure who seeks to embarrass and undermine the popular Seimei.

This latest interpretation of his story, "Onmyoji," sees Abe no Seimei as an attractive, almost rock-star type of figure. In a world of mysterious spirits and invading demons, he is the unrivaled master of magic. Ever at his shadow is the scheming Douson (instead of Doman, for some reason). In this movie, Douson arranges the stealing of a sacred sword, placed in trust of a mis-used spirit a century ago, in order to pacify his anger and make him a guardian of the capitol city, in keeping with Shinto beliefs. The theiving of the sword creates an angry army of the dead, and only Abe no Seimei and his stalwart companion Minamoto no Hiromaki to defend.

"Onmyoji" is a showcase for actor Mansai Nomura, who is often miscredited as a Noh performer but is actually an actor of Kyogen, a traditional expressive form of Japanese comedic theater. Nomura has one previous film credit, in Kurosawa's "Ran," but "Onmyoji" is a much greater platform for his Kyogen-honed skills, including the various foxy glances and smiles that exude the supernatural parentage of Abe no Seimei.

Not a great film, "Onmyoji" seems unsure of itself as either a theatrical film of a television series. The major action is segmented into 30 minute episodes, so it could easily be broadcast as a TV miniseries. The special effects on on par with an average Japanese supernatural TV series, so it leads me to believe that a theatrical release was not the original intention. Previous incarnations of Abe no Seimei have been TV programs, so it isn't unlikely.

On the plus side, Nomura's acting is enough to carry the show, although the over-the-top style of Kyogen might be off-putting to some American viewers. The story is Grand Opera, end of the world type of stuff, with plenty of room for personal sacrifice and pathos and all the other goodies that one expects from this type of flick.

A perfectly entertaining film, although there is certainly room for improvement. However, as time has shown, this will not be the last time that Abe no Seimei makes a screen appearance. His story has lasted for over a thousand years. It will last a bit longer.

well that was certainly interesting.......2005-02-07

Onmmyoji is a terrific little Japanse film. First, if you don't like Japanese fantasy then you won't enjoy it but if you're willing to just relax and go with it, the movie is a lot of fun.

You have a court appointed wizard who'se job is to protect the emperor and his family. Where did he come from and how old is he really are not known. You have a good hearted but bumbling Watson like buddy and you have a the wizard's assistant who is not human and functions as a witches cat or a living magic wand. Oh and you have a villain who has a huge beef, destroys property and kills a lot of hapless extras and a of course you have a bounty of lovely ladies.

By the end of the movie I learned that if you are brave but stupid it's really good to have a wizard for a best friend becuase he's there to repeatedly save you and attempt to educate you.

Villains take a good ten minutes to laugh about their evil plans so you should take your shot while they're occupied.

Wizards never answer direct questions so don't even try asking.

If you're going to fall in love find a woman who has nothing to do with the emperor and move fast becuase she might be dead before the final reel.

Onmyoji is a popcorn and beer movie. It's highly amusing without scads of graphic violence, sex or hidden agendas. Give it a look see.

Average customer rating:

Biting Is Such Sweet Sorrow...
onmyoji II

Onmyoji II
Starring: Mansai Nomura , Hideaki Ito , Kiichi Nakai , Kyôko Fukada , and Eriko Imai
Director: Yojiro Takita
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Onmyoji
Aragami: The Raging God of Battle
Shadow Hunters
When the Last Sword Is Drawn
Echo of Destiny: Shadow Hunters II

ASIN: B0002IQHAW
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Amazon.com

The membrane between the natural and supernatural worlds grows thin in the Japanese phantasm Onmyoji II. A solar eclipse bodes ill, and sure enough a demon stalks the streets, eating different body parts from its victims. It falls to Seimei (Mansai Nomura), a powerful and gender-ambiguous onmyoji (a magician or sorcerer), to exorcise the demon. Drawn into the plot are a tomboy princess who sleepwalks, a handsome young lord in love with her, a possessed musician with a strange mark on his arm, a talking skull, and much more. Watching Onmyoji II isn't so much like watching a sequel, it's like being dropped into the middle of Twin Peaks-like series, full of past relationships that gradually unfold amidst malevolent magic and bloody doings. Visually lush (the special effects are cheap but evocative), just a little campy, and all-around entertaining. --Bret Fetzer

Description

When the Curse Breaks the Seal of a Rampaging Ancient God, the Mightiest Onmyoji Returns! Mysterious and bloody incidents ensue after a solar eclipse in the capital of Heian (794-1185 AD). Devils rampage through the capital at night and attack members of the nobility, each of whom has a body part is bitten off. Abe no Seimei (Mansai Nomura), the mightiest onmyoji, suspects that something will happen when the eighth victim is killed and the seal breaks off of a legendary sword. However secrets behind the incident reveal the bottomless darkness which even Seimei cannot foresee! When he faces an astonishing fact relating to the Imperial Court and the Izumo tribe, he has to risk his own life to save the capital and fight a man who had sold his soul to a rampaging god to avenge his people. Following the success of the original release, Onmyoji II enchants viewers with its dark yet spellbinding and mystical visual story! 'DVD BONUS: Apprx. 50 minutes of Extras including "Making of Onmyoji II", Trailers & TV spots, filmographies

Customer Reviews:

Biting Is Such Sweet Sorrow..........2005-02-14

Every once in a while, I get surprised by a film. And Japanese period occult films are no exception. The original Onmyogi, was a delectable piece of fantasy, pitting Abe No Seimei (Mansai Nomura) and his new friend Hiromasa (Hideaki Ito) against a genuine villain in what is essentially a power struggle for the future of Heian Japan. It was brilliant in its way, but also indulged in a lot of high camp in its effects. In other words, a classy horror film, but not a dramatic tour de force.

Onmyogi two stars the same two leads, but the story is and order of magnitude stronger than it's predecessor. This time Heian Kyo is threatened by a demonic series of killings and the emperor turns to Seimei for help. The wizard finds himself enmeshed in the killings and the mystery of Himiko (Kyoko Fukada), a young princess given to tomboyish antics and sleepwalking. Hiromasa, in the meantime, encounters a young musician (Susa) who remembers tunes from the forgotten village of Izumo.

Naturally all these threads come together, Hiromasa falls in love, Seimei finds his opponent is the human thread that ties Himiko and Susa together - Genkaku (Kiichi Nakai), the head of Izumo village. Genkaku has been driven mad after seeing the present regimes troops destroy his village. He schemes to destroy the Yamato capital and recreate the kingdom as a Izumo holding. He intyends to reincarnate the god Susa-No-O in his son's body, even though this means the destruction of Susa and Himeko.

Thus the film turns not on the horror (and there is plenty), but on the painful workings of fate that pit brother against sister. No one in this film is really evil, but each marches to interior motivations in a tragic landscape.

As before, the cinematography is excellent. The film is a classic period piece, complete with detailed costumes, accurate settings, and a good eye for Heian society. Much of what you see is based on real legend and history, right down to the sword that plays an important part in the buildup to the climax. All of the actors are at their best, but Mansai Nomura deserves extra honors for his dancework, which is mostly improvisation, but looks and feels as if it were native to the times.

If you were to only watch one of these films I would suggest you look for this one. But it would be a sin to miss either. It's not often you get a horror film, a gothic romance, and a vision of what courtly life was in medieval Japan all wrapped up in one film. Recommended.

onmyoji II.......2004-08-28

Note: my comments are based on Japanese release of this movie, but Geneon/Pioneer did a fine job with the first movie so the U.S. release of this sequal should be excellent as well.

I liked this movie even better than the first. The photography, costume and effects seem a bit more polished and the actors seemed to have relaxed more into their roles.

As for the story itself: Our legendary hero, Abe no Seimei, and companion, Hiromasa, become involed in the legend of the power struggle between the Yamato line and the Izumo line, for control of the government, and the legends of Susano-o-no-Mikoto, his sister Amaterasu Omikami and the Ame-no-murakumo-no-tsurugi (the famous sword that was later called The Kusinagi or "grass cutter" sword that is now part of the imperial regalia). Those with an interest in the Heian history, costume and legends should really enjoy this film.

The extras also include an interesting segment visiting historical sites around Izumo and Heian Kyo (Kyoto) that were used as the basis for the sets or actual film locations.

Average customer rating:

Onmyoji/Onmyoji II
Onmyoji Collection

Onmyoji Collection (Onmyoji/Onmyoji II)
Starring: Mansai Nomura , Hideaki Ito , Eriko Imai , Yui Natsukawa , and Mai Hosho
Director: Yojiro Takita
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Onmyoji
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ASIN: B0002IQH9S
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Description

Customer Reviews:

Onmyoji/Onmyoji II.......2007-02-13

Both of these movies are fantastic. The acting is superb. If you like Japanese fantasies, these are for you. I always watch the sub-titled version because it is much more realistic. The period costumes are so right-on. I recommend these movies highly.

Onmyoji Collection.......2007-01-04

These two movies, I and II, were simply delightful.

Other movies try to be good by powerful special effects or by fancy combat and lots of stunts.

Onmyoji is like one of those movies made for kids that adults can love where politics and the demon in each person compete with finer qualities we all wish we had.

Average customer rating:

A beautiful love story, Edo-period style
Some interesting insights into Japanese culture
Alright fantasy fare
A Japanese legendary tale
well that was certainly interesting

Onmyoji (Special Edition)
Starring: Mansai Nomura , Hideaki Ito , Eriko Imai , Yui Natsukawa , and Mai Hosho
Director: Yojiro Takita
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Onmyoji II
Aragami: The Raging God of Battle
Shadow Hunters
The Twilight Samurai
When the Last Sword Is Drawn

ASIN: B00009RXI7
Release Date: 2003-08-12

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

A beautiful love story, Edo-period style.......2006-09-30

Some interesting insights into Japanese culture.......2006-01-30

Alright fantasy fare.......2005-11-25

A Japanese legendary tale.......2005-06-17

well that was certainly interesting.......2005-02-07

Average customer rating:

Onmyoji
Starring: Ittoku Kishibe , Akira Emoto , Hiroyuki Sanada , Masato Hagiwara , and Yui Natsukawa
Director: Yojiro Takita
Manufacturer: Geneon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: UMD for PSP
Accessories:

Sony PSP PlayGear Amp
Sony PSP Comfort Grips Black
Sony PSP Psyclone Nodus Sound System
Sony PSP Travel Case

ASIN: B000E6UJOW
Release Date: 2006-04-11

Description

During a dark age of demons and ghosts, the Heian Emperor relies upon the imperial order of the Onmyoji to protect the kingdom. However, as the birth of the emperor's heir approaches, political intrigue and jealousy will lead to the most dangerous of betrayals from within the Onmyoji and the Emperor's family! It will be up to the most talented of the order, Seimei, to face his master, Doson, and the dark magic that threatens to destroy them all!

DVD:

DVD

Everybody Loves Donald