Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Ichi Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 13, 2009

Based on Kan Shimosawa’s story, Japanese director Fumihiko Sori’s "Ichi" (2008) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Manga Home Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on this disc is the film’s original UK trailer. With imposed English subtitles. Region-Free.

Banished

Those of you who have already seen Takeshi Kitano’s Zatoichi will find Fumihiko Sori’s Ichi to be quite similar in spirit to it. The film tells the story of a blind girl, Ichi (Haruka Ayase, Happy Flight), who roams the Japanese countryside looking for a mysterious man who played an important part in her life many years ago. Along the way, she befriends the good samurai Toma Fujihira (Takao Osawa, Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World), who strangely enough appears to have forgotten how to use his sword. Nevertheless, when a group of goons attack Ichi, Toma rushes to save her life - and witnesses Ichi killing her attackers in spectacular fashion.

The news about a gifted samurai roaming the area immediately reaches the leader of the goons, Banki (Shido Nakamura, Jet Li's Fearless) – also a samurai, who once served the Shogun but decided to become an outlaw after he had been forced to leave because of his terribly disfigured face – and he sends his men to capture him (they incorrectly assume that it is Toma who killed their comrades). In the meantime, a group of villagers hire Toma to protect them from Banki. Soon, all hell breaks loose.

As surprising as it may sound - at least as far as those who might be convinced that Kitano's Zatoichi is impossible to match - for the most part, Ichi is a very well executed film. Its characters are rich and believable while its story, though rather familiar, effectively told. The emphasis on period detail, in particular, is also impressive.

Former model and singer Ayase delivers a convincing performance as the blind Ichi. Her moves in front of the camera should please those who typically look for authenticity in samurai films – the sword fights are well choreographed and mostly free of the annoying multiple fast cut-and-zoom camera moves similarly themed films are typically plagued with. Ayase’s lines are also simple but effective.

Since the late 90s, former TV star Osawa has been slowly moving towards bigger and better film projects. In 2001, his performance in Shunji Iwai’s All About Lily Chou-Chou was praised by a number of critics at the Toronto International Film Festival where the film premiered. In Ichi, he is once again very easy to like.

The typically reliable Nakamura isn’t overly impressive in Ichi, but, more or less, this has to do with the fact that the character he plays is disappointingly transparent. His clash with Ayase, for example, is far from exciting, though it is hyped up as one of the key events in the film.

Technically, Ichi strikes just the right balance between style and substance. Generally speaking, the action blends very well with the atmospheric visuals introduced by cinematographer Keiji Hashimoto. The editing, courtesy of Mototaka Kusakabe (Hanging Garden), is also sharp, allowing the story to flow easily without being cluttered with mindless show off scenes.

Ichi also boasts a terrific music score courtesy of Michael Edwards and former Dead Can Dance vocalist Lisa Gerrard. The original songs used throughout the film are exceptionally well written and notably effective. The slightly darker second half of Ichi, for example, benefits greatly from Gerrard’s lush vocals.

In 2008, Ichi won the Best Actress Award (Ayase) at the Nikkan Sports Film Awards, a prestigious Japanese film and media event held annually in Tokyo.

Ichi Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Fumihiko Sori's Ichi (2008) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Manga Home Entertainment.

Generally speaking, Ichi looks very good. Contrast is strong, clarity pleasing and detail convincing. Many of the panoramic shots, for example (take a look at the screencaptures), look lovely. On the other hand, the close-ups are clean and detailed. The color-scheme is also very impressive – reds, blues, browns, blacks and whites are rich and well saturated. For some reason, occasionally the greens look a bit weak. Edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern. Neither is macroblocking. However, I did spot a bit of mild digital noise that some of you are likely to detect as well. Disturbing artifacts do not plague the transfer. Large debris, scratches, or stains, are also nowhere to be seen. Blown through a digital projector, Ichi looks rather stable (there are only a couple of scenes where I noticed mild flickering in the edges). All in all, I think that fans of the film will definitely be pleased with Manga Home Entertainment's Blu-ray disc. (Note: Even though this disc is marketed as Region-B, it is in fact Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no PAL or 1080i/50 material preceding the main menu).

Ichi Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1. For the record, the English subtitles are forced (however, they are not burnt in).

The Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is impressive. The bass is rich and active, the rear channels very effective, and the high frequencies not overdone. As expected, the action scenes sound fantastic. Additionally, the dialog is crisp, clear and very easy to follow. The music score - and especially Lisa Gerrard's singing - is terrific. In fact, I was so impressed with the sound that I went back a couple of times to hear some of the key songs again. This being said, there are no pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review. There are no balance issues that I detected either. To sum it all up, the Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is very strong, and I have absolutely no doubt that you would be enormously pleased with it.

Ichi Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: the UK trailer is in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view it.

UK trailer – in PAL, with forced English subtitles. (2 min).

Ichi Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was pleasantly surprised with Japanese director Fumihiko Sori's Ichi. Not only is this film very well acted, but it also boasts a soundtrack to die for. Former Dead Can Dance member Lisa Gerrard's singing alone would have been enough of a reason to recommend it. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Manga Home Entertainment, looks good and sounds terrific. The lack of supplemental features is somewhat disappointing, but the film is definitely worth seeing. Region-Free. Recommended.