For those of us that like Japanese movies for something more than the cheap special effects and kung-fu scenes, Onmyoji is a must see. I've always thought the best part of films like these is the dramatic story lines, and Onmyoji is one of the best examples these films that I've seen in a long time. When I found out that this film made 23.6 Million American dollars when it was released in Japan in October of 2001 I was pretty impressed, but after seeing it on umd I understood why.

Onmyoji was released on UMD on April 11 2006 by geneon entertainment. When an heir to the emperor is born during the Heian period (794-1185) in Japan it is great news to the kingdom. That is until they realize the young infant is possessed by an evil demon. Therefore the Heian Emperor calls upon his most skilled Onmyoji, which is a group of protectors to the emperor, royal families and the kingdom, who use the principles of Ying and Yang to interpret natural and un-natural phenomena and astrological happenings to foresee the future. Their other duty to the kingdom is to protect it from demons and spirits. Therefore Abe no Semei (Mansai Nomura) is summoned, being the most powerful and talented among the Onmyoji he is also rumored to be the son of a Kitsune (a fox that can change form to impersonate a human).

It is at this point that Semei meets Miramoto No Hiromasa,( Hideaki Ito) a court noble and swordsman who serves the Heian emperor. After becoming fast friends the two must defend the kingdom against evil and betrayal, most of which comes from the court's lead Onmyoji, Doson. Armed with Semei’s skills and Hiromasa’s determination and overall goodness the two have a big fight against them that, if lost, leaves the kingdom with only the worsts of fates.

Now when director Yojiro Takita did this film he used a great style that’s disappearing from the Japanese movies. I don’t know that this was an accident or not but I do know that it makes me think of films like Ran, and Read Beard which just so happen to be a couple of my favorites, and like I already stated, its not the fighting or sword scenes that make these movies great but the great dramatic storylines that make them somewhat mystical. That combined with the modern film work, in my opinion turns Onmyoji into one of the greats. I'm not forgetting the actors in the film of course, the two lead characters for example, Semei and Hiromasa combined to show the perfect embodiment of Ying and Yang. You've got one character, Hiromasa, who represents everything good man is capable of including compassion, a positive outlook, and a constant want for understanding. Semei on the other hand is not necessarily evil but understands evil and co-mingles with it all the time; he also is kind of selfish usually only caring about himself.. luckily he found a friend in Hiromasa, which led to Semei wanting to do the right thing for the sake of his friend. Now that’s what makes for a good combination to fight evil, someone who understands it and someone who wants to fight it.

Although these two make for great characters in the film they definitely aren’t my favorites. My favorite character has to be that of Lady Aone played by Kyoko Koizumi who plays the guardian of the city that’s been alive for hundreds of years with the sole responsibility of finding the defenders of the city should there ever be evil released upon it. The character she plays is that of a sad ghostlike woman who wants to do her job but suffers through life waiting for it to be over. Lady Aone really gets your pity a few times in the film like for instance when she has a demon put in her to spare the emperors infant heir. This is where you see her strength and determination to serve her city, not complaining when put in pain to ease the suffering of others. But this is also where the actress shows her abilities, letting you know the pain she suffers for others with a single look she has in her eyes.

Not all the actors in Onmyoji got me to believe what they were depicting, for instance the character of Doson. This character is supposed to be the man who will go to any lengths to cause chaos and destruction to the emperor and city, but I wasn’t convinced he was evil and determined I actually felt he was kind of winy and desperate. Really though I have very few complaints for this film, I really like the new style of photography there using in dramas and time piece films lately. By this I mean the style in which they use very little color in some places to make the thing with color stand out more brilliantly.

Now this film is based on the book by Baku Yumemakura, and I felt that it stuck relatively closely to the important parts of the book when it was adapted for film. On a personal note I saw quite a few reviews with some negative opinions for Onmyoji and normally I wouldn’t comment on them but being a longtime fan of Japanese time period movies as well as kung-fu and everything else in this genre I can only assume that anyone who doesn’t like this film isn’t a real fan of these movies anyway and therefore shouldn’t be reviewing them. That said I look forward to seeing the sequel to this film which was released November 2 2004 as soon as possible. The umd version of Onmyoji has options for English subtitles as well as English dubbing, it can be purchased all over America now and is highly recommended to fans of this film genre. - Dean Martell.