Picking
up exactly where the Kyoto Inferno cliffhanger
left off, we join Himura where he has washed up on shore. We quickly learn the
mystery figure dragging away his battered body is his old master, Seijuro Hiko,
who will nurse the hero back to health in the safety of the Dagobah Swamp.
Kaoru Kamiya is presumed lost at sea and Himura’s new allies in the underground
Oniwabanshuu have turned against their former captain, the deranged Aoshi
Shinomori. That even includes Megumi Takani, who once loved Shinomori (and
probably still does), but is now more concerned with the grievous injuries her
grandfather Nenji Kashiwazaki suffered in his duel with Shinomori.
Himura
is understandably anxious to face Shishio again, but Hiko will force him to
undergo a transformative training regimen first. While Himura is sidelined, the
armed skirmish threatens to become an all-out war, when Shishio’s ironclad
warship starts strafing coastal cities. Eventually, Himura will have his
showdown with Shishio in the spectacular battle fans of the franchise deserve.
It
would be spoilery to say just who shows up for the climatic sword fight to end
all sword fights, but the mix of styles and temperaments makes it enormously
cinematic and hugely satisfying. Words like "rousing” and “crowd-pleasing”
don’t do the third act justice. It also underscores just how much the large supporting
cast contributes to the franchise.
Takeru
Sato plays Himura with stone cold resolve hitherto unseen in the trilogy, but
maintains his ambiguous endearing chemistry with Emi Takei’s virtuous yet
down-to-earth Kamiya. Memorably capitalizing on limited screen time, Yosuke
Eguchi is so massively hardnosed, he makes a compelling case for a Hajime Saito
spin-off series. Likewise, Yu Aoi appeals to our fanboy emotions in the right
was as the good doctor Megumi Yakani. Yusuke Iseya was also good as Shinomori
in Inferno, but the way he steps it
up in Legend Ends really makes the
film a trilogy-closing homerun.
