Thursday 30 July 2015

Yakuza Apocalypse

Ah, Takashi Miike, you know you're going to get weird with him. Case in point, Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War of the Underworld.

The boss of a yakuza gang is doing pretty well, and is nigh on unkillable. But when members of the Syndicate (we don't find out who they are) turn up and want him back, he says no. So they kill him. But his head infects his loyal underling, and how he's a yakuza vampire. Because of course he is. Cue the underling spawning a whole group of vampires, who aren't interested in paying attention to the current yakuza, but doing their own yakuza things. And the Syndicate aren't being quiet either, with their kappa demon and Kaeru-kun... it gets weird, okay? Really weird.

But then, that's Miike for you! The man loves his strange horror and this is a helping dose. And when someone actually says 'yakuza vampire', you know you aren't going to be taking this seriously (and Kaeru-kun certainly puts paid to any idea of credulity).

However, at two hours, it does feel a little long. The romance scenes slow everything right down, and there are a few plots I have no idea what's going with them, and... yeah, it could be easier to follow.

But it's weird, and that's good.

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