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Ashura-jo no Hitomi was based very closely on a hit kabuki stage play called Blood Gets In Your Eyes (which is my candidate for finest title ever). I found both film and play quite intriguing, and I’ll talk a little about the play below.

Back to Ashura. The film opens at a broken bridge, with a haunting tune sung by the girlish Emishi, She Who Sees. Emishi and Bizan, a demon dressed as a Buddhist nun, confront Kuninari, Master … (read more)