Sleepy Eyes of Death: Collector’s Set Volume 2
Sleepy Eyes of Death, Collector’s Set Volume 2 
Directors: Tokuzo Tanaka, Kenji Misumi, Kimiyoshi Yasuda, Akira Inoue
Distributor: AnimEigo
American release date: Feb 1, 2011
Format, Genre and length: DVD/Samurai/321 minutes
Publisher/Industry Age Rating: 18+/Contains Violence, Nudity & Nihilism
Overall Personal Rating: A
Similar series or titles to check out: Ultimate Miyamoto Musashi
Can a man conceived from the rape of a Japanese woman by a crazed Christian missionary during a Black Mass find true happiness? Or is Nemuri Kyoshiro doomed to wander forever, with no direction of his own?
Synopsis:
Sword of Fire: Nemuri comes upon a woman being chased by a man wielding a sword. She begs him to come to her assistance, as she is justly avenging her husband’s death. The man warns Nemuri that if he helps her, he will only disgrace himself, but what does that mean? Afterwards, she takes him to meet the Chief Retainer, Atobe Shogen, who shows him the Execution License. All seems to be in order, but is it really? It seems that Atobe is in cahoots with the local merchants, one in particular being Narumi, the rice merchant. And they have a secret involving a group of pirates known as the Toba Suigun, whom the Shogun has ordered the Todo clan to completely destroy. Unbeknownst to him, Atobe diverted half of the pirate’s confiscated treasure to himself. But it seems that not all the pirates’ families have been killed; a few have ended up in Edo. Nemuri finds himself in the thick of things as he contends with the widow Nui, who is not what she appears to be, and the remaining survivors of the pirates. He has to decide when and how to intervene, and he has to figure out just who is telling the truth
Sword of Satan: On a rainy night, Nemuri is approached by a woman who requests that he purchase her for the night. He goes to her home, where he discovers she wears a Noh masks; he demands she remove it. He pays her but leaves rather than sleep with her, not moved by her story. When she kills herself, he wonders if it is some fault of his. He runs into a woman named Orin, whose brother, Banzo the Flying Squirrel, was killed by Nemuri in a fair fight. Orin is determined to get revenge. Nemuri learns that he is mentioned in the dead girl’s will—she left him the money he gave her, and her mask. It seems that she always leaves behind a five year old boy who is not her son, but whom she loved like one. His name is Tsurumatsu, and he says he hates samurai. Meanwhile, we learn that the Iwashiro clan is in trouble; if the heir is not in the fief, the clan will be disbanded by the shogunate. Elder Mizuno and chamberlain Kikimura are hardly innocent in this arrangement, and have less than unselfish motives for wanting the boy returned to the clan. Nemuri has sworn to help the boy in any way he can, now his challenge is to go to the fief where he is being held, and return him to Edo, so that he can live as a carpenter, as he desires. It won’t be easy – Orin is determined to stop him, and he must contend with the Elder and the fighting men of the clan, not to mention the wiles of women who are determined to waylay him from his true path. Can he reach Iwashiro and rescue the imprisoned youngster?
Mask of the Princess: Remember a crazed daughter of the Shogun who caused a lot of death and mayhem in the first Sleepy Eyes of Death series? Well, she’s back and as determined as ever to get her revenge on Nemuri Kyroshiro—she wants his head! As Nemuri seeks the Izutsu’s household, he is accosted by a group of men who offer him a fifteen year old virgin! Interestingly, this virgin is in the household he seeks, so he goes along with them, and once there he reveals that he has been invited there by someone named “Kiku”. As he is being shown the young virgin, who claims to hate samurai, the true purpose of his being lured there is revealed when Nemuri is attacked! His attackers turn out to be the Bushu Hayate group, protectors of Kiku, who is the Shogun’s daughter. Nemuri also meets a man named Ten’ma, who says he seeks vengeance and wishes to learn the Full Moon Cut from him, but Nemuri refuses. Nemuri buys the young girl out of her contract, and helps her find a job. In the meantime, a second woman’s body has been found, murdered, with a black cross drawn on her lower abdomen, beside a message which reads, “Nemuri Kyoshiro molested her!”. Nemuri finds himself the object of interest of Constable Heihachi, but he isn’t arrested. In order to clear himself, Nemuri goes to Hanjo, to the dojo of the husband of the murdered woman. His name is Akamatsu Kanbei. Kanbei accuses Nemuri of killing his wife and prepares to face Nemuri’s Full Moon Cut. But Kanbei has the advantage—he understands how Nemuri’s signature style works! When the young girl, Haru, is kidnapped by the crazy princess, it is up to Nemuri to save the day.
Sword of Villainy: What do a child at play, a hairdresser, a dancer, stinky water and a dead sensei all have in common? They are all elements of the complicated plot facing Nemuri Kyoshiro in this eighth episode of Sleepy Eyes of Death! Nemuri’s man Tetsu is a hairdresser who knows how to be in the right place at the right time, telling his friend the tale of a merchant and his family who are tied up while a stranger plays hide and seek with a young girl and searches for something. How does Tetsu know this? Well, he was doing some research of his own, and came away from the storeroom with what he hopes is “prolonging longevity sake”. He offers Nemuri a cup, but when he pours it for him – phew! It smells awful so he throws it on the ground. Nemuri uses an ember from his pipe and the liquid flares up! The men try to put it out with water, but it only grows hotter! A quick thinking dancer smothers the flames because she knows the secret – this is no sake, it’s stink water from Echigo, and quite combustible! In this episode there are wheels within wheels, plots within plots. A group of rebels seeking to gain revenge on behalf of their late sensei, killed in an uprising. Greedy merchants. A woman scorned seeking to get even with the man who used her. Yojimbo with minds of their own. A mad plot to burn Edo to the ground. What can one man—ie Nemuri Kyoshiro—do to avert disaster for over a million people?
Commentary:
Sword of Fire: It’s interesting to note how much of an anti-hero Nemuri can be, because at times he can be rather self-serving, only getting involved with something if it suits his own purposes. At other times, he displays a great deal of heart and gentleness. I loved when he told the persistent Narumi (played by the same actor that played Magobei SnakeOnishi in the Hanzo films) that if he persisted in talking to him and ruining his good mood, he’d kill him. I also love the way that women willingly throw themselves at him, even if they do intend him harm afterward. Well, some of them. As for the apparent non-con sen in this one, I have to assume that he realized she wasn’t really unwilling, as later events certainly testify. An interesting tale of intrigue and backstabbing. The only thing you can count on is that Nemuri will come out on top.
Sword of Satan: This episode had decided eerie and mysterious overtones, not the least of which was the Black Mass, which Nemuri interrupts. Orin and her shurikens, snakes, sneaky priestesses and an explosives expert – these are just a few of the things in store for him. He is at times a very tortured soul for all his pretended toughness, and the mask of the dead girl haunts him; he wears it on his belt as a reminder of his mission. One of my favorite lines is when he explains why he wears it: “The mask is a testament to my twisted and profound karma.” There is nothing simple about Nemuri. This was a good addition to the saga, with an interesting twist at the end. I wonder if that twist will continue into the next episode?
Mask of the Princess: First, regarding the twist of which I spoke of in the film before this: there is no evidence of it anywhere in the film. That being said, Kiku is back and determined to defeat Nemuri. It isn’t hard to tell why—there is such a thin line between love and hate, and she crosses back and forth across that line at will. The scars on her face are only the outward manifestations of the scars she carries inside, the ones that have made her the crazed, unfeeling person she is now. As one would put down a mad dog, so is this mad woman unable to function with any legitimate purpose in the real world. As usual, women are simply throwing themselves at Nemuri, though not always with pleasant intent. I found his treatment of Haru endearing, despite his appearances to the contrary. But when the chips are down, his first move is to ensure her safety. Some interesting twists in the plot make this an interesting and exciting addition to the series.
Sword of Villainy: Pay particular attention to this one. The shifting POV’s and the convoluted plots will confuse you if you don’t. There are several threads going on here, plots within plots. The merchants, the yojimbo, the rebels, the dancer. Why is Nemuri mistaken for someone named Sir Kakanosuke? Will Nemuri do the honorable thing? In his own words, he says, “I am not a respectable man.” And he means it. And yet he takes the time to walk a young child to his home, to make sure he arrives safely. And he expresses the desire that a young lady not stain her hands with blood. Aiken, the handsome leader of the rebels who are determined to avenge Oshio, calls Nemuri a dolt, and adds, “After all, I’m warped to the core, just like you are.” This is a very complicated but very interesting addition to the series, and only adds more facets to the multi-layered personality of Nemuri. I can understand the multiple POV’s – the story couldn’t be told coherently otherwise. The question of Nemuri’s resemblance is never satisfactorily answered, though. Hopefully it will be in a different episode.
Extras:
Sword of Fire: Extras include the original theatrical trailer as well as trailers for Bushido – the Cruel Code of the Samurai, and Samurai Vendetta; also program notes and an image gallery.
Sword of Satan: Extras include the original theatrical trailer and trailers for Samurai I Loved and Shinsengumi Chronicles: I Want to Die a Samuri, as well as program notes and an image gallery.
Mask of the Princess: Extras include the original theatrical trailer as well as the trailers for Samurai Assassin and Shinsengumi—Assassins of Honor, as well as program notes and an image gallery.
Sword of Villainy: Extras include the original theatrical trailer, and trailers for Ballad of Narayama, and Revenge of a Kabuki Actor, as well as program notes and image gallery.
Overall Grade: A
This series just keeps on getting better – action, with character development, and drama. Nemuri is one of my favorite samurai.
“In the Radius”: If you enjoy The Sleepy Eyes of Death, try The Ultimate Miyamoto Musashi.
Review of Sleepy Eyes of Death, Collector’s Set Volume 1
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2 Responses to “Sleepy Eyes of Death: Collector’s Set Volume 2”
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August 22nd, 2011 at 2:49 am
When you mean by the “non-con sen” in Sword of Fire, did you mean the pirate band leader’s granddaughter?
August 22nd, 2011 at 7:26 am
The author of that review is no longer with our site, so unfortunately we can not supply an author response for clarification.