Probably Tom Mes's biggest trait as a writer is the fact that he manages to combine academic-level analysis with a style of writing that is quite easy to read. This has been exhibited in his previous book about Takashi Miike, Shinya Tsukamoto and Meiko Kaji, but seems to have found its apogee in his latest effort, about the cult-samurai movie series, “Lone Wolf and Cub”.
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To begin with, the research is as thorough as possible and spares no detail about not only the movies, but every aspect that surrounds them. In that fashion, the first part of the book begins with the story of the manga and its two creators, Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, continues with the concept of Bushido and its presentation (and deconstruction) in Japanese cinema, and concludes with the life stories of director Kenji Misumi, who directed the first three entries, and Tomisaburo Wakayama, who portrayed Itto Ogami in all six.
The second chapter deals with the presentation and analysis of the six movies. The “rhythm” drops a bit in this part, as is always the case with deep film analysis, but Mes manages to prevent interest from wavering by connecting the narrative with its social, historic and philosophical context and by adding a number of very interesting trivia in well-placed points.
The last chapter deals with the TV-series, the history of “Shogun Assassin” (which is quite brilliantly named “Bastard Cub”) and finishes with the influence of the whole franchise and particularly the movies in world cinema.
In terms of writing, the best part of the book is the flow, which is quite smooth, particularly due to the rich but not complicated language, which suits the context and the aesthetics of the overall franchise. Furthermore, the combination with the fonts, the size of the paragraphs, the density of images and the dimensions of the edition (almost pocket) result in a very easy to read edition, in every aspect.
Lastly, special mention should be given to R. P. “Kung Fu Bob” O'Brien, for the excellent design of the cover.
“Father, Son, Sword: The Lone Wolf and Cub Saga” is a great book, the perfect guide for and to the franchise, with the only “problem” being that after reading it, you will feel the need to drop everything else and watch the movies.
