Name(s): Stranger: Mukou Hadan / ストレンヂア -無皇刃譚- / Sword of the Stranger: El Samurai sin Nombre
Format: Movie (102 minutes)
Release Date(s): September 29, 2007
Studio(s): Bones

Filled with tropes, but what matters is Sword of the Stranger nails the appeal of them in one place. At least, more than any samurai movie that immediately comes to mind. There’s almost a kind of Disney-renaissance feel to the procedures. Perhaps it’s due to the familial relationship between the wandering samurai and the child. Or maybe it’s the Western-influenced orchestral score?

Every single element, character trait, or detail mentioned in the script has payoff. It’s always wonderful seeing such a tight screenplay. With everything being relevant to what comes before or later, the movie also maintains momentum. The fight choreography is incredible, but the one major flaw of the movie is that the art is about on par with a typical digital anime series. The frame rate and direction are solid, but characters not in focus can look quite sloppy and in general they can all lack detail. This isn’t enough to hurt the immense enjoyment from the storyline, but it does weaken the action scenes somewhat.