“Mekura no Oichi” is a manga about a blind swordswoman created by Teruo Tanasita and adapted into four live action “Crimson Bat” films by the Shochiku Studio, all starring Yoko Matsuyama who's also the creator Teruo's wife. However, Sadatsugu was only responsible for directing the first two movies; Hirokazu Ichimura took over the last remaining two.
When we first meet Oichi during a stormy night, she's a little child desperately looking for her mother who has taken off with a man and abandoned her. A lightning strikes the tree she takes shelter under and knocks her unconscious; when she wakes up she discovers that she's blind. Fast forward a few years later, Oichi is now an adult, raised up by Yasuke, a kind old man. One day, a samurai and his thugs arrive and accordingly kill him. As they try to kill Oichi, a wondering samurai Ukita saves her and seeing that she has the potential of a fearless fighter, teaches her the art of sword-cane fighting, which she masters in no time.
Now that Oichi is able to defend herself, Ronin Ukita finds no reason to stay and takes off. In the meantime, upon learning that her mother lives in a nearby town, Oichi sets out to find her. Along the way, she uses her skills to help people in similar situations like a father who tries to rescue his daughter from being sold to a brothel. Eventually, through a series of incidents, she comes face to face with the man who's responsible for her foster father's death, needless to say resulting in a bloody showdown.
Oichi is a sad character, an outcast who lives in a society where women have no value; she never gets the chance of being accepted. However, she's not a cold blooded killer solely looking for revenge, most of the time she's forced to kill in self-defense. In fact, she's a warm and sympathetic woman who doesn't fit in her environment. Yoko Maksuyama does a good job portraying her; viewers are able to see her frustration, anger and the need for her to belong.
The role of the wandering Ukita who takes a shine to Oichi and teaches her sword fighting goes to Isamu Nagato. He's a likable, casual character with a code; both of them share good chemistry on screen. The villain here is “Devil” Denzo, played adequately by Satoshi Amatsu who shows enough menaces with whatever limited screen time he has.
There's no doubt that this movie is very much inspired by the popular blind swordsman “Zatoichi” series; interestingly, there's one scene where a blind male masseuse wanders the street looking for customers. Nonetheless, Oichi is more apologetic and frail and lacks that certain toughness of a loner who roams the countryside. However, to be on the wrong side of her scarlet sword-cane would be a fatal mistake and she does have moments with it.
The sword fights here are brief and fast, usually accompanied by gushing of blood. Sadatsugu seems to favor the use of posed moments to emphasize tension. Another stand out scene takes place in a gambling parlor where Oichi knocks down dice hidden in the ceiling. It's similar to the tea house fight in King Hu's “Come Drink with Me” in which Cheng Pei Pei's Golden Swallow throws coins up to the ceiling and collects them with her fan as they drop.
Apart from the doll-like makeup of Oichi's appearance which makes her look rather creepy, “Crimson Bat: The Blind Swordswoman” look fantastic visually. The creative use of studio lighting is put to good use to mimic distant storm and lightning, with wonderful results. The soundtrack is a mix of orchestration and high pitched flute sound which further helps to create tension. This is still an entertaining watch although a bit slow at times during those flashback scenes.
