Japanese Entertainment: From special effects actor to action superstar

Chapter 558 Onimusha Released

Summer fireworks lit up the Edogawa River for several days, with a very good effect.

Many people were amazed by the same thing.

This movie is taking up way too much public resources!

Therefore, when the film was released, many viewers flocked to the cinema to see for themselves.

After all, the details revealed by the TV station during the initial publicity made people somewhat concerned.

In naval battles during the Sengoku period, the enemy was still Oda Nobunaga.

I've never heard of such a thing!
In Kyoto, Mr. Matsunaga Hideki, an elderly gentleman from Kyoto, went to the movie theater with his wife and children.

As always, Matsunaga Hideki was full of complaints about this matter.

"It's fake, it's completely historically inaccurate! I heard they bought a ship to film naval battle scenes, which is fine, but such naval battles never actually happened back then. Do they really think they're Minamoto no Yoshitsune, trying to stage an eight-ship leap?"

The wife leaned forward slightly: "Honey, would you rather sit quietly and watch the movie, or get a beating in front of the kids? You don't want to lose your authority as a father in front of the children, do you?"

Hideki Matsunaga was silenced for an instant.

"Well... that's not what I meant. Actually, I really wanted to see it, but the film hasn't even been released yet, and I already sensed some things weren't quite right, so I..."

His wife shouted, "Sit down and watch the movie!"

Matsunaga Hideki sat down instantly.

A few audience members in the front row turned around and gave a polite but somewhat awkward smile.

Matsunaga Hideki glanced around and saw that there were quite a few people in the movie theater.

Given the contrast in development levels between Kyoto and Tokyo, the fact that the movie theater was still packed suggests that the effect was quite good.

The film finally began to play.

In the pitch-black rainy night, lightning flashed, illuminating the battlefield in the canyon.

The slender yet tall man, clad in armor blending Western styles with a blood-red cloak, was none other than Oda Nobunaga.

"charge!"

The two armies clashed, and a battle broke out in the rainy night, with blood and rainwater mingling everywhere.

He had just cut down one enemy foot soldier when he was impaled on the ground by three or four spears.

The camera quickly pans across the crowd, vividly capturing the atmosphere of the battlefield.

Then, the camera suddenly rose and zoomed out onto the hillside.

The samurai in red armor, Akechi Samanosuke Hidemitsu, cut down the soldiers chasing him and then fired a fatal arrow at Oda Nobunaga, who was laughing loudly to the sky.

In the rainy night, only a receding figure remained.

……

……

The audience quickly realized what kind of movie this was.

Like the recently released Satomi Hakkenden, it is a typical fantasy action film adapted from a fictional setting. This style of film is very popular in Japan.

After killing Oda Nobunaga, Akechi Samanosuke returned to his castle, only to find that Inabayama Castle had fallen. The Saito family, the lord of the Akechi clan, was in dire straits, and the castle was filled with phantom demons. The enemy was located on the 'three-story tower' and had kidnapped the Saito family's princess.

The three-story tower houses three different groups of enemies, and each advance is met with endless, blood-soaked slaughter.

Although this is clearly historically inaccurate, Matsunaga Hideki thought the effect was quite good.

Especially this three-story tower design.

— Conquering towers and overcoming obstacles is a theme that people have always loved.

This design, which originated from the 'Death Game', has been paid homage to in numerous films since.

However, Hideki Matsunaga believes that while the film is still excellent up to this point, it fully demonstrates the essential elements of an action film, and in this respect, Strike Force has never disappointed.

However, there is a problem with this film.

All I do is chop, chop, chop!
Matsunaga Hideki frowned.

Moreover, they arrived at the third-floor tower, where they met Princess Guidie, who had been kidnapped, and prepared to face the legendary Demon King.

Matsunaga Hideki glanced at his watch; less than forty minutes had passed!

The film is a full 120 minutes long!

"What's going on? The movie is already pretty intense here, is there more to come?" Just as Matsunaga Hideshi was thinking this, the two sides began their final battle on screen.

A fierce battle ensued!

Matsunaga Hideki could see that the design of the Demon King paid homage to the Yamata no Orochi, with a distinct serpentine shape, and even the treasured sword that blasted open the gate was shaped like a seven-sword.

"It's quite exquisite for a model, and it doesn't feel cheap at all, so it seems like they spent money on it."

Matsunaga Hideki was very satisfied.

As Akechi Samanosuke severed the head of the Demon King, Matsunaga Hideki heard many people breathe a sigh of relief.

"Less than fifty minutes have passed. Is there more to come?"

Matsunaga Hideki glanced at his watch once more.

He didn't believe the film was that short.

Matsunaga Hideki admitted that the fifty minutes were very enjoyable. Whether it was the mysterious and unpredictable phantom scientist Gildanstein, or Oda Nobunaga who was corrupted by the Phantom King and revived, or even the noisy Toyotomi Hideyoshi who came out to cause trouble, they were all quite well done.

As a fictionalized account, it's already quite fantastical.

but.

Fifty minutes is far too short to cover so much!
Just as he was thinking this, the scene suddenly changed.

After the Demon King died, his body did not disappear.

As Akechi Samanosuke drew his sword and left the three-story tower, someone suddenly attacked him from behind.

He had just parried several blows when his opponent unleashed terrifying strength.

Then, the camera cuts to a close-up of her face.

It was Oda Nobunaga! He absorbed the power of the Demon King and became the reincarnation of the Demon King!
Akechi Samanosuke was no match for him and was cut down with a single blow.

"Huh?! There's such a change? Could it be that it's dead?"

Matsunaga Hideki was unwilling to believe that this would be the outcome.

While unconscious, Akechi Samanosuke saw the soul buried beneath Inabayama Castle.

This was the Oni clan that had been wiped out by the Phantom Demons. Because the Oni clan was not united enough, they were defeated one by one. The lingering souls of the Oni clan, who were filled with vengeance, wanted to take revenge on the Phantom Demons. So they attached their power to Akechi Samanosuke, giving him the ability to fight against the powerful Phantom Demons.

When Akechi Samanosuke awoke, he learned that thirty years had passed.

Over the course of thirty years, the political landscape shifted dramatically, and the Saito clan was ultimately defeated, with Inabayama Castle becoming Oda Nobunaga's residence.

After a long and winding journey back to his family, Akechi Samanosuke also met the current head of the family, his uncle Akechi Mitsuhide.

Mitsuhide Akechi was also surprised by Samanosuke's safe return, but after seeing the demonic power displayed by Samanosuke, he realized that this was an excellent opportunity.

At this time, in order to conquer Japan, Oda Nobunaga had transformed most of his soldiers into demon soldiers. To reinforce Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Oda Nobunaga only took a small number of soldiers who had not yet completed their transformation to the battlefield. Now, Oda Nobunaga, who was staying at Honno-ji Temple, was at his weakest. If he could borrow the power of the demons, perhaps he could truly kill this infamous demon king in one fell swoop.

"Oh! So this is the real ending! But in order to be closer to history, isn't it a bit too long to delay it for thirty years?"

Matsunaga Hideki pondered this matter, and as he watched the Honnoji Incident unfold in the scene, amidst the rising flames, Akechi Samanosuke once again encountered Oda Nobunaga.

"Wow..."

Oda Nobunaga's deep voice was still the same as always.

As the two clashed, Akechi Samanosuke had already gained the ability to fight Oda Nobunaga. Using his demonic hand, Akechi Samanosuke grabbed a burning pillar of the main hall and smashed it at Oda Nobunaga. This tense scene truly made Matsunaga Hideki gasp.

When the two were evenly matched, a halo of light suddenly appeared on the ground.

"Difficult to fight?!"

Matsunaga Hideki was astonished.

It was a multicolored black!
He found it hard to describe the feeling; the halo was like oil poured into water—it was black, but you could still see a glimmer of light.

Without warning, Mitsuhide Akechi fell into the halo and disappeared.

Oda Nobunaga leaned closer to the aperture, looking at the scene on the other side.

Buildings, vehicles, airplanes, Buddha statues, tourists...

This is Kyoto!

Matsunaga Hideki's pupils contracted, and he subconsciously looked to his side.

It's Kyoto!

(End of this chapter)