For those that need a cute little kid on top of all the blood spraying and body parts being lopped off? This is an entertaining enough tale, told with flashbacks and some decent fight scenes, though I didn't think there was anything too special about it. The main character is a former executioner who in his official capacity kills a small child when we first see him, so we're in a conflicting universe from the start. He's betrayed for political reasons, and seeks revenge after his wife is killed. Naturally, he's cool as a cucumber when provoked, and can kill large groups of men single-handedly. It's fun but unsophisticated, and seems geared for the adolescent male, for example, taking every possible opportunity to show us female breasts (a couple of breastfeedings, in the hot springs, during a rape, and when the assassin is forced to make love to a prostitute to save her life). It's all gratuitous and the rape is especially objectionable, because it feels like there is a voyeuristic sexualization going on. Personally I didn't mind the quiet moments, but it probably could have used those moments for something more introspective or meaningful than the silly forced lovemaking. However it was probably true to the source manga, and it's shot in a way that makes it feel like manga as well. I liked the pace and how it kept itself to 87 minutes, so that even if there wasn't anything too profound happening, it was a nice bit of entertainment.
