Self-consciously artsy but enjoyable entry in the series

Three films earlier, masterless samurai Kyoshiro Nemuri (Raizo Ichikawa) embarrassed the Shogun's rogue daughter, Princess Kiku (Michiko Ai). Driven mad by the burn scars on her face, Kiku takes out her frustrations on innocent men and women--thereby drawing Nemuri's ire. The princess returns in this seventh film of the series, determined to kill Nemuri in the most painful manner possible. While fending off Kiku's army of assassins, Nemuri also rescues a young girl from a life of prostitution; eventually, the two storylines converge and the girl falls into the clutches of the evil princess.

"The Mask of the Princess" is self-consciously artsy. Director Akira Inoue favors indirect shots, partially obscuring his performers behind sliding doors; in several instances the camera even follows their feet, rather than their faces, as the events of the film unfold. This sometimes has a deleterious effect on the fight scenes, such as when Nemuri cuts down multiple opponents behind a row of trees, but there's enough action that these occasional obscured shots aren't a deal-breaker. Overall I enjoyed Inoue's approach. He doesn't rush the story (making this film about ten minutes longer than the average entry in the series), and there's a nice mix of indoor and outdoor photography by Yasukazu Takemura. Not a good starting point if you're new to the Sleepy Eyes of Death series, but fun if you've seen the previous films.

Japanese cinema is celebrated for its refined minimalist dramas and avant-garde experimentation; it also introduced popular genres like jidaigeki (samurai epics), kaiju, and anime. Across both high art and mass entertainment, it often explores morality, impermanence, and the pressures of modern life.

Hidetoshi Nishijima and Tôko Miura in Drive My Car (2021)

The samurai subgenre, also known as chanbara, features the samurai warrior class and their way of life. These stories explore themes found within bushido, or "the way of the warrior," a moral code that guides samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. Often set in feudal Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868), samurai stories depict the tension between tradition and modernization, the struggle for power and justice, and the decline of a traditional way of life.

Toshirō Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Daisuke Katō, Isao Kimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, and Takashi Shimura in Seven Samurai (1954)

The action genre features fast-paced, thrilling, and intense sequences of physical feats, combat, and excitement. The characters of these stories are involved in daring and often dangerous situations, requiring them to rely on their physical prowess, skills, and quick thinking to overcome challenges and adversaries.

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

Princess Kiku, Shogun's daughter, wants revenge on Nemuri Kyoshiro for embarrassing her.

Sleepy Eyes of Death: The Mask of the Princess (1966)

Sleepy Eyes of Death: The Mask of the Princess

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