Member Gaijin84 Posted May 31, 2018 Member Share Posted May 31, 2018 (edited) Quick reviews of the series based on the 2003 manga of the same name Edited May 31, 2018 by Gaijin84 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted May 31, 2018 Author Member Share Posted May 31, 2018 (edited) Lady Ninja Kasumi Vol. 1 (真田くノ一忍法伝 かすみ) [9/22/2005] - 75 min Kasumi, whose father was killed by the Sanada clan, is adopted along with her brother (who is basically held hostage) and taught the skills of the Kunoichi (female ninja). One of her first assignments is to find out what has happened to Sanada ninjas that are disappearing in the Komoro province. She is injured in the process and falls for a local inn keeper who helped her recover, leading to a personal conflict between her duty and her emotions. Pretty tame fare, with a fair amount of nudity and four erotic scenes. The story is decent, but the fight choreography is predictably horrendous. If you're watching it for the fights though, you're clearly missing the point. All three actresses are from the AV industry, but to varying degrees. Starring: Emi (Young Mi) aka Reiki Mizuki {映美 （よんみ）} as Kasumi Mamiya Yui {間宮結} as Akane Anzu Saki {あんず さき} as the female assassin Edited May 31, 2018 by Gaijin84 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted May 31, 2018 Author Member Share Posted May 31, 2018 Lady Ninja Kasumi Vol. 2: Love And Betrayal (真田くノ一忍法伝 かすみ 愛と裏切りの絆) [3/23/2006] - 80 min Hattori Hanzo and the Iga Clan are trying to find the secret passageway to infiltrate Ueda castle and assassinate their leaders. Kasumi, along with her master, are tasked in uncovering their plot. The Iga clan members present themselves as wandering mercenaries and manipulate a lovesick guard to get stationed at the castle. Kasumi tries to befriend a man who had been raised by dogs and now is used as a weapon by one of the Iga members. Emi Momose takes over the role of Kasumi in this second installment of the series. A handful of erotic scenes, including one with the gorgeous Sho Nishino, as well as some much improved fight scenes. Again, three of the actresses are from the AV industry. Starring: Emi(ru) Momose (桃瀬えみる) as Kasumi Sho Nishino (西野翔) as Kosode Harusaki Itsuka (春咲いつか) as Akuta, Iga ninja 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted May 31, 2018 Author Member Share Posted May 31, 2018 (edited) Lady Ninja Kasumi Vol. 3: Secret Skills (真田くノ一忍法伝 かすみ 武蔵!奥義開眼) [10/24/2006] - 73 min Iga ninjas are constantly attacking the Sanada clan, and this time they are probing for a set of strategic scrolls that could turn the tide in the warring period for the Toyotomi Clan. The scrolls: Heaven, Earth, Man, Fire, and Wind were written by Masayuki Sanada, the father of the clan's current head, Yukimura Sanada. Kasumi's mission is to infiltrate Kuroda castle and retrieve the scroll before the Iga have a chance. On the way, she is helped by Musashi Miyamoto as she battles against a family from China bent on revenge against their Japanese invaders. The weakest of the Kasumi titles so far, except for the interesting appearance of Musashi and the accuracy of the historical background. AV star Akizuki Marin is the new Kasumi, but she is joined by only one other actress who appears in nude scenes. Generally unappealing, but only a bit longer than an hour. Starring: Akizuki Marin (秋月まりん) as Kasumi Miyoko Sakura (佐倉美代子) as Onihime Edited June 1, 2018 by Gaijin84 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted June 12, 2018 Author Member Share Posted June 12, 2018 (edited) Lady Ninja Kasumi Vol. 4: Birth of a Ninja (真田くノ一忍法伝 かすみ 誕生!猿飛佐助) [9/21/2007] - 75 min Kasumi's mission consists of finding a stolen scroll that contains the secrets of Osaka castle. During the search, she and Sakichi reminisce about a pair of assassins that they defeated a few years before. The woman, Tsubaki, was bent on revenge against Yukimura for the death of her family. Hired by Hattori Hanzo to infiltrate the Sanada clan, they manage to kill a few of Yukimura's retainers before being confronted by Kasumi and her fellow ninjas. The back story of Sakichi is also revealed as they show how he is brought back into the fold after the death of his lover, Sakura. A step back in a better direction with a bit more interesting story and four adult scenes. The ever-revolving Kasumi role is helmed by Akiho Yoshizawa this time, with a couple of additional AV actresses joining the mix. Again, a good historical backdrop to these stories taking place within the warring states period. Starring: Akiho Yoshizawa (吉沢明歩) as Kasumi Miho Yoshino (吉野みほ) as Tsubaki Yui Komiya (小宮ゆい) as Sakura Edited June 12, 2018 by Gaijin84 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted July 10, 2018 Author Member Share Posted July 10, 2018 (edited) Lady Ninja Kasumi Vol. 5: Counter Attack (真田くノ一忍法伝 かすみ 服部半蔵の逆襲!) [3/24/2008] - 78 min The war between the Iga and Sanada ninja clans is heating up, and a prominent gunsmith is on both clan's radar. Shinsuke Kakei, the gunsmith, is essentially a pacifist, but believes his weapons can bring peace to the land if put in the hands of the right group. Kasumi is sent to convince Kakei to come and work for them, and keep the guns out of the hands of the Iga. Of course Hattori, along with his sister Sayuri, have other plans for Kakei and his wife. The 5th movie in the series is the tamest so far in terms of adult scenes (there are only 2), but the strongest (relatively) in terms of action and major plot developments. Prominent characters are killed and the plot is stronger than previous installments. Mei Itoya is a decent Kasumi, but in the end somewhat forgettable. "Counter Attack" falls somewhere in the middle of the Kasumi titles. Starring: Mei Itoya (糸矢めい) as Kasumi Mari Hida (陽多まり) as Osawa, Shinsuke Kakei's wife Yōko Satomi (里見瑶子) as Sayuri, Hattori Hanzo's sister [no adult scenes] Edited July 10, 2018 by Gaijin84 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted September 6, 2018 Author Member Share Posted September 6, 2018 (edited) Lady Ninja Kasumi Vol. 6: Assassination of Yukimura!! (真田くノ一忍法伝 かすみ 内乱!幸村暗殺!!) [10/22/2008] - 80 min This is the first volume that did not have English subtitles, and being that I don't speak Japanese, I had to guess on the general plot. One of the ninja working for the Sanada clan is rescued by a woman and is nursed back to health. Unfortunately, she is also a part of the Iga ninjas, and gets Takuma (the injured ninja) addicted to opium. Using that weakness, she convinces Takuma to assassinate Lord Yukimura and Kasumi must save her lord's life. Being that Takuma is a much superior swordsman, she is in for the hardest fight of her life. In a subplot, Kasumi is captured by a band of rogue fighters and is tortured, but eventually convinces her captives, who include a transsexual woman, to release her. This is a step back in the right direction for the series, although Nana Nanaumi as Kasumi is not great. The fighting scenes are actually quite strong, as the director hired the action choreographer from "The Twilight Samurai" and "Ichi" do work on those scenes. The story is a bit more interesting as well, but subtitles would definitely had enhanced some of the finer points. Starring: Nana Nanaumi (七海なな) as Kasumi Asami Sugiura (亜紗美) as Aya, Hanzo's female ninja Edited September 6, 2018 by Gaijin84 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted October 17, 2018 Author Member Share Posted October 17, 2018 (edited) Lady Ninja Kasumi Vol. 7 (真田くノ一忍法伝 かすみ 因習の村を斬れ!!) [4/3/2009] - 72 min {Again, no English subtitles} Kasumi is given a vacation, and she travels up north to get away from constant warring in her province. Along the way she meets a girl named Toyo that had injured her leg in an accident. The girl offers to bring Kasumi to a village where her boyfriend lives in order to relax for a couple days. Once there, Kasumi starts to notice strange occurrences and people that aren't acting normal. It turns out the a Tokugawa backed assassin has used a special concoction to turn all the residents of the village into zombies that obey his command. The hope was to kill Yukimura when he traveled through that area in the future. Kasumi must battle the residents as well as the assassin to free her new friend. For the first time in the series, the actress playing Kasumi returns to the role, as Nana Nanaumi takes a second turn. This entry into the series has just a couple adult scenes, and neither are very explicit. The story focuses more on a horror angle and the first real friendship we've seen for Kasumi. The fights are unspectacular and overall the movie is pretty weak. Starring: Nana Nanaumi (七海なな) as Kasumi Hino Hosono (東野愛鈴) as Toyo Edited October 17, 2018 by Gaijin84 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Gaijin84 Posted January 30, 2019 Author Member Share Posted January 30, 2019 (edited) Lady Ninja Kasumi Vol. 8 (真田くノ一忍法伝 かすみ 激突!はぐれ甲賀軍団!!) [9/4/2009] - 74 min {No English subtitles} The sister (?) of the Kosuge is attacked and injured during a visit by Yukimura Sanada. Although he is being framed, he agrees to remain captive while the investigation is ongoing. Kasumi escapes and is tasked with finding out who the real culprit is. In the meantime, Yukimura's older brother Nobuyuki is plotting to take over control of the castle, and ninjas employed by him may be responsible for the attack. AV star Yui Tatsumi takes over as Kasumi in this final installment of the series. A few adult scenes and unspectacular action leads me to understand why the series stalled out. Considering the manga had 25 installments, there probably could have been more added on, but apparently Kasumi wasn't a big hit. There were plenty of other Lady Ninja characters to come though, so no real loss. Starring: Yui Tatsumi (辰巳ゆい) as Kasumi Riri Kōda (倖田李梨) as Norika Keiko Yamada (山田慶子) as Shizu Edited January 30, 2019 by Gaijin84 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted December 14, 2020 Member Share Posted December 14, 2020 This somehow found its way into the Classic Martial Arts Cinema forum. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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