Search - Baian the Assassin, Vol. 1 on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 5/28/2022...

Cool to see The Last Samurai's Ken Watanabe when he was young in this. The plotline is pretty good if you can tolerate subtitles with a foreign language.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Spouting off without doing the research... an amazon pastime

isfahani | rendale | 05/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Baian the Assassin is a very good show.

I say "show" because it is exactly that, it's a DVD of two episodes of a 90's Japanese TV show, rather long episodes at an hour and a half each... Featuring some VERY good acting, the likes of which most westerners will never see on their networks again, unfortunately.

Veteran Actor Ken Watanabe is wonderful as always (he always delivers in the many Jp films I have seen with him in it) in the role as a compassionate Doctor with a secret side, that of an assassin.

I am rather amused to a point (the point, where as a fan, it begins to IRRITATE me) to see reviews talking about this as a "movie" when it is, in fact, NOT a movie. A minimum of googling would reveal this! It is, however, a fine example of what I believe is called 'Jidai Geki' (from the Wiki: Jidaigeki (???) is a genre of film and television or theater play in Japan. The name means period drama, and the period is usually the Edo period of Japanese history which was from 1600 to 1868.) meaning that if you enjoy character and plot exposition as much or more than THE ACTION then you might want to give these a try. I am anxiously awaiting the next releases of these on DVD now.

I am by no means an expert, but geez - It's awfully boring, and even worse: MIDLEADING - to read a review in which an opinion is given where the reviewer in question is ignorant of a whole genre, you know?

So, to reiterate: It's a DVD of two episodes of a Japanese TV show...and hopefully this release, along with the Zatoichi TV series DVD releases, bodes well for the fan of Jp TV of the past... It's a veritable goldmine!"

Bain the Assassin, Vol. 1

DenwaShimasu | Portland, Oregon United States | 04/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Baian the Assassin, Vol. 1 - 4

I have watched the series over and over, and I never tire of it. Ken Watanabe is perfect in this role. I wish they would release the rest of the TV series on DVD."

Decent

Rudeboi Junglist | ATL | 06/28/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had low expectations before watching this(based on the lack or not so favorable reviews) and was pleasantly surprised. By no means is this an action packed entry. If you are expecting something on the lines of Lone Wolf & Cub, Mute Samurai, or even Shadow Warriors dont even bother watching this series. It's a slow builder where Baian and his friend gather recon on how to assassinate their targets. What I find interesting is how Baian(who uses his accupuncture needles) and his toothpick/blowdart making friend, Hikojiro, are able to effectively use these methods to kill versus traditional samurai/ninja means(i.e using swords). I especially wondered how they would pull it off in the second episode when they are up against 4 ronins. I dont this is the best jidageki ive ever seen but its not as bad as some people make it out to be."