Zatoichi TV Series V05 (1974)

"...well-established character...plenty of humor and sword slashing...  Brian McKay, eFilmCritic.com
"Swordplay fanatics will be pleased to know that Zatoichi loses none of its violence.  Mark Pollard, Kung Fu Cinema

Editor's Note Shintaro Katsu stars in this classic samurai television series filled with martial arts action. ZATOICHI follows a blind swordsman of that name as he puts the world's most villainous men to shame with his quick sword and strong moral core. Adored by movie theatre audiences throughout the 1960s, the fabled swordsman found just as many fans when he appeared in this television series in 1974. The adventures continue with this fifth volume of episodes.

	Shintaro Katsu
	Eiichi Kusumoto - Action Director
	Fujio Morita - Cinematographer
	Hiroyoshi Nishioka - Producer
	Ichiro Ikeda - Writer
	Isao Tomita - Original Music By
	Kan Shimozawa - Writer
	Masanori Sanada - Producer
	Tokuzo Tanaka, et. al. - Director

Cinema Strikes Back 10 of 10
Now if you haven't heard of Zatoichi - well, first I envy you, because you have some wonderful films ahead of you. The Zatoichi series began in 1962 (in black and white) and was so popular that it spawned 25 sequels and a 100 episode television series - all starring Shintaro Katsu as the lovable Zatoichi - a blind master swordsman (and master gambler) who travels as a humble masseuse, but is often drawn into local conflicts with local samurai/yakuza hoods to help whoever they happen to be oppressing...If you like samurai movies at all, I strongly recommend that you check out at least a couple episodes in the series. - Charlie Prince