In "Zatôichi: The Blind Swordsman's Return" (a film that seems to have a bazillion alternate titles--like most of the films in the series),Zatôichi is back for a third film. Here we see a very tired man who is sick of his violent life and wants to make amends. Apparently, when he was younger and dumber, he was with the Yakuza (organized crime) and did much he is ashamed of doing. However, stupid people keep challenging him and he is forced to kill them again and again.

In the midst of one of these fights, Zatôichi's old sensei (master) shows up and this becomes an eye opening experience (so to speak) for this blind swordsman. It has been four years since they last met and much has changed. While you would assume that the sensei would be a wonderful guy, you slowly see that he's a jerk. First, the sister of this sensei has a conversation with him about a marriage proposal--at which time the sensei throws his drink in her face because she doesn't want the man he picked for her--not exactly a chivalrous thing to do on his part. Later, this same lady tells Zatôichi that she loves him and wants him to marry her. However, when she asks this brother permission, he angrily refuses and curses Zatôichi--even though only moments earlier he had this blind guy put on a demonstration to his pupils to show off his talents! Eventually, it becomes obvious that the sensei is bought and paid for by the forces of evil and this puts him into conflict with the good guy, Zatôichi. So what is our beloved swordsman to do--show his loyalty and gratitude to his master or break with him--no matter the consequences? And, if he does break, what chances would Zatôichi have against the very man that taught him IF they come to blows? And what will happen with his lady love? Will he finally be able to settle down and stop this aimless wandering life? This film might just be the best in the original series. That's because although all his films feature wonderful swordplay and action, this one has a lot more depth. You learn much more about Zatôichi other than he's a nice guy. His past, his roots and his future all come into much sharper focus here than in the other films--giving the series greater context and richness.

By the way, this third film is also noteworthy because it's the first color one in the series. Even after all these years, the color looks beautiful. The rich musical accompaniment sure helped as well to make this an exceptional film in every way.

'New Tale Of Zatoichi (1963)' sees its eponymous blind swordsman/masseur return to the town in which he was trained, followed by his reputation and the repercussions of the prior movie's events. Once again, it's a relatively meditative character study at heart. With flashes of fast-paced, decisive action and a background plot focused on a kidnapping, the picture ebbs and flows until it reaches its melancholic yet explosive finale. It's a little bit scatterbrained and doesn't have the strongest of central threads; the closest thing to a proper through-line is probably an ill-fated romance that brings out the best in Zatoichi but the worst in his master. In general, the movie is enjoyable. Plus, its shift to colour has little impact on its overall look and feel. Even if it isn't as solid as its two predecessors, it's still well-made and engaging. 7/10

The third installment of the Zatoichi series is the best one I have ever seen. While not as exciting as some of the other action packed entries (Chest of Gold, Zatoichi's Revenge) in terms of character development this film had the most impact on me. The stakes just seem to be higher in this entry than in most. Make no mistake, Ichi's life is on the line in EVERY other installment, but this centers on how Ichi really wants to quit his swordsman lifestyle and take a wife. To live the rest of his days in peace is all he wants and that is taken away from him. Ichi is forced to not only see how terrible the people he trusts can be, but how much he brings upon himself. This film really drives home how much Ichi loses each time he takes a life. A new friend, a new aquaintence or a new lover is almost always instantly taken away from him, either by an enemies hands or by his own. But the single greatest scene in this film is not any of the sword fights, like in other entries, the best scene is the evens/odds scene in this film. If you're a fan of this series at all please see this entry.