Aragami

Aroview: Another confidently executed, blood-soaked samurai fantasy from dir. Kitamura (VERSUS), set in a remote medieval temple into which a wounded warrior (Osawa) awakens to find himself asked to assist the mythical Raging God of Battle (Kato).

Even more resolutely minimalist than Kitamura's other work, this finds the two leads circling each other, both in terms of dialogue and with swords drawn, as the divine Kato persuades Osawa to slay him in combat to escape the pangs of immortality. Although perhaps too sketchy to be as fully realised (it was shot in only a week, apparently on a whim after a drinking session), this still retains a bold plotline, excellent dueling scenes and some nicely anachronistic flourishes.

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