Product Description

A threat is uttered, a blade is drawn, a flash of cold steel and then...a dozen attackers now lie silent, dispatched by the lightning sword of Zatoichi. A humble masseur and gambler, Zatoichi wanders the countryside of Japan, going from town to town plying his trade and rolling the dice. With kind heart and lethal sword skills, he is protector of the innocent and the ruin of wicked men. A pop culture icon since his screen debut in 1962, Zatoichi (played by Shintaro Katsu) was a matinee favorite throughout the 1960s. After a dozen years and 25 films, the blind swordsman transitioned to the small screen in 1974 in the series, Zatoichi Monogatari. Episodes 14-26 have been compiled in this three-volume, six-disc set.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44467 in DVD
• Brand: Media Blasters
• Released on: 2008-05-20
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Animated, Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: Japanese
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 6
• Dimensions: 1.25 pounds
• Running time: 650 minutes

Customer Reviews

Season One, collection two, episodes 14-26
As stated in the title, Zatoichi Collection II contains Episodes 14-26 of the First Season.

Whether you are a die-hard Zatoichi fan, or a casual viewer looking for something different, the Zatoichi Collections are great place to begin (Or end, if you've already seen all 26 of Katsushin's movies. If you haven't, well...what are you waiting for?!?)

Each of the 13 episodes (14-26) averages *about* 50 minutes. If you find yourself questioning "how many scumbags can our hero possibly dispatch in only 50 minutes?", well, the answer is "as many as he wants".

Each episode is a mini-movie, with all the action, humor, drama and tragedy of a full-length movie packed into 50 minutes. I've seen all 26 episodes of the 1st Season, and I enjoyed every single minute of my time spent with Shintaro Katsu as the immortal-beloved, Zatoichi.

Fans of Zatoichi will notice repeat plot-lines, gags, and similar stunts during certain action sequences, but don't even think of letting that dissuade you from purchasing these treasures. The true beauty of Zatoichi is that it's star, the very soul of the show, Shintaro Katsu, could make a humorless joke funny, or a cliche' pratfall look new, interesting, and even dangerous. He could make eating a steaming bowl of rice look so delicious, that I just had to stop and cook myself some right then and there, while Ichi-san waited on pause in the living-room.

Now, writing a review of each episode is a lot of work, and I'm far too lazy to even consider doing that, so just take my word when I say that even a *not so good* episode of Zatoichi, is still twice as good as almost anything out there. In my book, there are a few *not so good* episodes, while the rest (and there are 100 episodes in all) fall into the *Oh my god, that was awesome!* category.

In closing, I'll just say if you don't already own Zatoichi Collection I, go buy it right now. If you already own it and are reading this review of Collection II, you can stop reading now and go buy it; I won't be offended you didn't finish reading this, I promise.

Great deal on the second half of Zatoichi season 1.
You'll save money purchasing this set vs. buying the DVDs individually. If you're a fan of samurai films, Lone Wolf & Cub, or the Zatoichi films then you'll love Zatoichi the TV series. The production isn't quite as good as the films, but it's good enough. The incredible stories and sword fighting is what will keep you glued to your seat. The original actor from the films reprises his role here and is excellent.

I highly recommend this set, as well as set one. And if you haven't seen the films, definitely go check those out as well. Zatoichi is a masterpiece in storytelling.

Repackaged
Read my review of collection one (1). This is not Season Two of the TV Series. It is Season One repackaged to look like a new season. Rally PO,d