Kaidohmaru

Kaidomaru

'Kaidomaru' (怪童丸, alternatively Kai Doh Maru) is an Anime released as an OVA in Japan, 2001, and later by Manga Entertainment in the U.S. in 2003.

Directed by Kanji Wakabayashi and produced by Japan's IG Plus / Production I.G, this film was bound to get the anime star treatment received by other famous titles such as Ghost in the Shell, Innocence, Jin-Roh, and more.

Story

Set in the Heian period of Japan's history, the battle for political power and possession of the capitol city Kyo rages. A young girl, Kentoki, is disguised as a boy by her father to protect her from her own family. Kentoki recalls events from her pasting indicating that her father had intended to place Kentoki as his successor, instead of her uncle.

When Kentoki's uncle kills her family to attain what he felt was his 'rightful position', Kentoki is chased into the mountain forests. Upon near capture she is rescued by the samurai Lord Raiko, leader of a faction from another city's defensive ministry known as The Four Horesmen. This is where she begins earning the title of 'Kai Doh maru'

Kentoki is raised as a boy and a warrior and soon joins the Ministry of Defense's 'Four Horsemen' as a sort of permanent attache. While Kentoki begins developing emotional ties to Raiko, a figure from Kentoki's past resurfaces.

Ohni Hime, Kentoki's cousin, and now princess due to the seditious acts of her uncle, was once Kentoki's childhood playmate. Ohni Hime had once proclaimed her love for Kentoki (in the guise of a boy during that part of her youth), and even offered to take her hand in marriage. Ohni, now under the spell of a vicious ogre, believes she is coming to rescue her precious Kentoki. In so doing, she causes a great amount of destruction and damage, and ultimately must suffer greatly at Kentoki's feelings for Raiko.

Telling the tale

The story of 'Kai Doh Maru', or Kentoki, is a bit hard to follow- In English, at least. Much of the actual plot is often only confirmed by reading the preview, descriptions, or reviews of the movie. The viewer is often left to assume the outcome of certain events, some more obvious than others.

Ohni Hime, Kentoki's cousin, is perhaps the actual driving character in the movie. While the 'story' of Kai Doh Maru states that Ohni is under a spell by an Ogre, the movie reveals slightly more than a very sedated acting princess accompanied by a young evil swordsman.

The visual aspects of Kaidomaru are considered among the best of most anime. A soft pastel theme is used throughout most of the feature, picked for its prevalence in Heian-era art. Bolder colors appear on occasion, standing out from the softer palette, providing a powerful contrast and emphasis. Special attention was paid to the coloring, using entire themes to present different ideas or emotions throughout the movie.

Many images of the temples and cities, and a few less integral objects such as statues or ox-carts, are CG, or 3D models, allowing for a strict adherence to proper physical proportions and construction, into which the characters are seamlessly animated.

Kai Doh Maru presents itself much like its Production I.G cousin Blood:The last vampire in that there is a spellbinding effect to its animation but, that its story seems to leave one wanting more- Not for lack of power or plot but, rather, that the story has not been told in its entirety.