Ikusagami: Excellent, action--packed adaptation.

 

Junichi Okada has firmly cemented his status as one of my personal favourite actors of all-time. I have followed his career since at least 2007 when SP was released as he caught my eye. When it was announced that he was to star in the adaptation of author Shogo Imamura's fantastic novel Ikusagami, I was pretty excited. Doubly so once I read that Michihito Fujii would be directing alongside Toru Yamamoto. It heightened even further when Junichi Okada was revealed to have been both a producer and action choreographer. So, did the drama live up to my hype? The answer is simple. Yes. Yes it did! 

In the midst of the brutal Boshin War, Japan is changing drastically. The Tokugawa shogunate clashes violently with the swiftly rising Imperial Japan after having enjoyed being in power for years. In the midst of this war, one thing is becoming increasingly apparent. The age of samurai is coming to an end. Within this sad reality, samurai Shujiro Saga struggles to adapt. Along with his fellow brothers-in-arms, he finds himself forced into unemployment with no prospects. He receives no aid for his severe PTSD, struggling to even unsheathe his katana from the scabbard. To add to his misery, there is a terrible epidemic of cholera from which he does his best to keep his family afloat and healthy. 

Things take a sudden turn when a mysterious offer is posted in the protagonist's village. It states that there will be a cash prize awarded to participants of a mysterious game started at Tenryu-ji temple. Naturally, with little other choice for income, Saga is drawn to the temple and ultimately, the game of survival that awaits. Once he arrives, he soon discovers the sheer number of other participants in the new game. Amongst the competitors, he recognises some fellow samurai, some of whom he shared battlefields with in the past. A very arrogant, slimy imperial, Enju, announces the rules of the game. All of the participants shall fight their way to Tokyo with an emphasis on combating other participants. There is a reward for each wooden ID tag taken from an opponent in the form of points. However, Enju and his fellow imperials main concerns are actually ensuring that there is only one participant left standing at the conclusion of the game, ensuring that the dying samurai are eradicated once and for all. 

Now, let's get something out of the way. Since the drama has been released, there's been some comparisons to Squid Game. It irks me a little that Squid Game is the first thing that casual viewers go to in the comparison, but it is a mainstream drama, so it is what it is. Sure, there are some semblance of similarities such as both involving downtrodden people short on luck and pushed to the edge in terms of finance and emotion. The wealthier characters also run the games in both whilst mocking the contestants. Having said that, Ikusagami, the novel upon which the drama is based, was written before Squid Game was released. There's also the fact that Japan has been making dramas, movies, manga, novels, etc, about death games since at least the 1990s. In fact, Squid Game borrows heavily from Japanese death game media such as Battle Royale, Deadman Wonderland, Kaiji, Kami-sama no Iu Tori and so on. I'd personally describe Ikusagami as Battle Royale meets Harakiri due to the latter's Samurai elements. You could also add a slight similarity to Rurouni Kenshin purely for it taking place within the same time period, although Ikusagami is more grounded in certain respects. Ikusagami for instance, depicts the life of the samurai as the dying breed that they were at the time much more realistically as it was brutal.

With both Junichi Okada and Michihito Fujii speaking so passionately about the project, I knew that it would have very high production values. Cinematography-wise, the drama is absolutely breath-taking. There's dynamic array of shot types, camera techniques and angles used to tremendous effect. I absolutely adore long extended one-shot sequences and Ikusagami has a plethora of them. This includes the very opening sequence set within the fierce war that starts the events. On top of that, there's a very cleverly disguised cut that makes usage of the movement in front of the camera to hide the change of shot. Extremely well done. There's some gorgeous wide-angles shots too, with episode 2 in particular having some picturesque shots of a Torii gate within a lake or river as fog moves around it and the surrounding greenery.  

The top-down angle was a fantastic shot to start the game off with. It was entirely appropriate, as it showcased just how frantic both the energy and tenacity of the competitors as the game truly begins. The ensuing chaos is as frantic and vicious as one might expect. The choreography overseen by Junichi Okada himself is top-notch. I really appreciate the fact that Saga's trauma is taken into account, especially in the earlier episodes where he struggles to even draw his sword even whilst threatened with several deadly foes. Each fight scene has something unique, especially when it comes to the varying fighting styles of each character. The moves used are fluid, lots of controlled movements that would be viable techniques, but with just enough flair and flash to look great on screen. Having said that, episode 6 does delve into a bit of absurdity that is just a smidge too over-the-top for my personal taste. The camerawork is sublime, perfectly framing the swift paced action happening on screen whilst following the motions to great effect. It's as if the camera itself is a character in the fight scenes.

Junichi Okada is as expected, absolutely phenomenal in the lead role of Shujiro Saga. He makes for a believable and formidable samurai, his martial arts skills becoming incredibly useful for such a great project. Sure, his patterned stoicism is on full display, but behind it is a nuanced man filled with trauma and deep, deep pain. I really felt for him when he lost his daughter in the very first episode. It goes without saying at this point that he excelled in the action sequences and I'm just beyond happy for him getting to choreography those sequences as well. 

Hideaki Ito makes for a very entertaining antagonist. In the role of Bukotsu Kanjiya, he's a menace, a very convincing threat and completely happy to murder anyone and everyone who stands in his way. He's certainly one of the most memorable and engaging characters as he's got a lot of screentime. 

Likewise, Hiroshi Abe is another fun antagonist. Unlike Hideaki Ito's Bukotsu Kanjiyu, Abe's Gentosai has an eeriness about him that harkens to a supernatural nature. He may not quite be a supernatural being, but his sheer presence and the chilling sound of his bell ringing as he draws near certainly makes him appear to be like one. 

As much as I dislike the guy for his real life actions, credit does have to be given to Masahiro Higashide for his charismatic performance in the wonderful role of self-proclaimed strategist Tsuge Kyojin. He is just one of those characters who leaves your question whose side he's really on and what his true goal is.   

Overall, whilst it isn't perfect, the drama adaptation of Ikusagami is a brilliant, action-packed ride that only costs you 6 hours to sit through. It's clear that a lot of love went into the passion project for both Junichi Okada and Michihito Fujii. A very easy recommendation for those who love jidaigeki and death games.