13 Assassins

[wenshu]

One of the really great things about this movie is how well written it is. In spite of the nuance that is invariably lost in translation the cultural subtext and humor still manage to come across really well.

When I saw it in the theater, I made a comment to my girlfriend about the Tanuki reference in the forest as she had recently read a book I recommended that prominently features Tanuki.

I thought that Naritsugu and his crime's were more representative of the morbidly bizarre that Miike is infamous for.

[MightyB]

I read that description of a Tanuki that Wenshu linked to and I'd say it's spot on. It's actually a cool nod to Japanese culture and mythology to include that in the movie.