'New Tale Of Zatoichi (1963)' sees its eponymous blind swordsman/masseur return to the town in which he was trained, followed by his reputation and the repercussions of the prior movie's events. Once again, it's a relatively meditative character study at heart. With flashes of fast-paced, decisive action and a background plot focused on a kidnapping, the picture ebbs and flows until it reaches its melancholic yet explosive finale. It's a little bit scatterbrained and doesn't have the strongest of central threads; the closest thing to a proper through-line is probably an ill-fated romance that brings out the best in Zatoichi but the worst in his master. In general, the movie is enjoyable. Plus, its shift to colour has little impact on its overall look and feel. Even if it isn't as solid as its two predecessors, it's still well-made and engaging. 7/10
Review of Shin Zatôichi monogatari
