Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

p-stepien Through the dense landscape of anime "Sword of a Stranger" is an exceptional piece or art. Mixing static imagery with seamlessly flowing animations (just slightly dabbled with and enhanced by CGI) brings out an masterful artistry to the moving tapestry of sword fights and interaction between the cast. Even in a world occupied by Miyazaki and his animation art-house, this is truly a work of brilliance for all eyes to behold.Within the confines of this animated painting lies a bloody, at times gruesome, but well scripted characters dancing to some story and astounding soundtrack music complimenting the overall effort. The story of a ronin reluctantly helping an orphaned child in dire need of assistance does falter as somewhat generic, while the unnecessarily convoluted plotting of the Mings and the local overlords distracts a bit of attention from the overall greatness of the movie. Crafted by débutant director Masahiro Ando this stylish artwork may not tread new ground - neither dramatically nor aesthetically - but the story and character captivate with this dedicated effort.Definitely a recommended watch and easily non-anime-fan friendly for those wanting to experience something from the genre of anime.

yukinoo I found this jewel by pure luck. I'm a bit shocked that it's not mentioned more! The plot is maybe not the most amazing one, but the directing overcomes it. The music and the animation are delightful, the combat scenes are just so epic that you shouldn't miss it! The land, people and the whole atmosphere gives you a view of what should have been samurais in their times. I like this more realistic view than what the common animation shows serve nowadays. I did put a 9 and not a 10 just because I personally think they could have worked a bit more on the plot and could have developed the last minutes a bit more.... maybe because I didn't't wish it to end so fast! If you do like animations like "Samurai Shamploo", you should go for "Sword of the Stranger".

brandon_lee420 Sword of the Stranger is highly unnoticed film here on IMDb and only has around 4 thousand people who have voted for it. This Anime deserves to be recognized for its beautiful animation, its characters, for its music and soundtrack, and for the good film that is. It is just the perfect length, around 1 hr and 40 mins, and it is fun the whole way throughout. The director Masahiro Ando has previously worked on Animes such as Cowboy Bepop and Ghost in the Shell and this time he has crafted an impressive and stylish anime with lots of dedication.A young boy and his dog find themselves the target of the Ming: a foreign dynasty that will stop at nothing. One day, a quiet and solemn warrior crosses their path, and becomes irrevocably connected with the two. A deal is struck and the warrior agrees to take the boy to a remote, Buddhist temple, where a kind monk is waiting to care for him and the dog. Unfortunately, the Ming have sent their elite, and they will test their strength, courage, and quality every step of the way.First off I want to say is that one of the things that really struck me about this anime was the amazing soundtrack. The music really comes to life during the battle scenes and the incorporation of drums, like in the beginning sequence, just alleviates the action even more and gives it that awesome feeling. Whoever composed the music should be proud of themselves. The story isn't really original and is kind-of stereotypical but its numerous characters really make this a different kind of anime to watch. The characters are really well done and they also look great as well. One of the main faults is that the story could've been a bit more original but it didn't really affect the viewing experience for me.To all those who call themselves Anime freaks, they should be ashamed if they haven't already watched this. It doesn't matter if you like anime or not because this film breaks those boundaries and offers a marvelous anime with lots of heart. A really good film! 8/10 'Over and out.' 16 April 2012

mmushrm For those of you familiar with Chambara (samurai) movies, Sword of the Stranger, is the anime equivalent. Story line is typical Samurai storyline, wandering samurai helps out a kid and gets caught up in a plot by foreigners and "bad" samurai. without giving the plot line away I will say that if you are familiar with chambara movies and enjoy the stories/genre you will enjoy this movie. Technically wise, this movie is very well animated. Traditional hand drawn cel work mixed with some CG. It is beautiful to look at and the fighting scenes are amongst the best I have seen in anime or in real life action. A beautifully crafted movie that needs to be seen just on the technical aspects alone.