Onmyoji 
(aka; The Yin Yang Masters)
(Pioneer Region 1 DVD)
(2001)
review by Big McLargehuge

Sort of sounds like something you’re read off the back of the DVD
slipcase, doesn’t it? To accurately describe the complexities and
subtelties of Onmyoji I’d have to retell the entire story. And what fun
would that be for you?

Right none...

Onmyoji flies in the face of our western understanding of Japanese
Cinema. Onmyoji borrows from both No Theater and Hong Kong Wushu flicks to weave a somewhat gentle and cerebral exploration of mysticism and redemption. Onmyoji doesn’t rush the setup either and takes a good 30 minutes to even explore the fringes of the plot, fills it completely for the next hour, then spends a full half hour wrappoing the whole thing up. That’s a tall order for a movie.

I am so used to watching films squander their promise on action
sequences or inattention to detail that it took a long time for me to
warm up to Onmyoji. I kept expecting the narrative to stall, but it
didn’t. I figured any moment we’d see a big unnecessary special effects sequence, but it never happened. I was certain the plot would collapse under the weight of its complexity, but the plot remained solid.

I am not sure at which audience this film is aimed. It certainly isn’t
the Ichii the Killer crowd and probably doesn’t offer enough eerieness for the Ringu fans, and there’s virtually no gore and only a smidgen of combat, so mu guess is pretty much anyone else with an appreciation of both mystery stories and traditional fantasy might be right at home in the world of Onmyoji.

At its heart Onmyoji is a love story and tells the tale of both Lord
Minamoto no Hirakami’s unrequired love for The Lady of the Full Moon, and the sacrificial love of Lady Aone and Prince Sawara, both tales own major props to Shakespeare’s romantic archetypes. The lovers are both innocent and doomed and gallant and flawed. Sarawa is corrupted by vengeance and Hirakami torn between his insecurity and his duty to the city.

Yojiro Takita’s direction surpasses the material and visually frames
the plot complexities in wide uncluttered rooms, long tracking shots,
and few distracting closeups. His camera floats among the characters rather than existing separate. The effect is one of being drawn directly into the film, of participating in conversations with the
characters, of breathing their air, touching their clothes, feeling
their warmth.

The acting is unversally excellent, notably Hirakami’s slow maturation from young lord to guardian of the city, from wide-eyed innocence of to wise and self assure. Hideaki Ito has several other films under his 28 year old belt and his experience shows in Onmyoji. He brings the necessary humanity to the role of a tragic hero.

Mansai Nomura’s depiction of the ultimately powerful, somewhat
benevolent, always aloof Abe no Seimei is an incredible feat for a
first role. His presence is absultely magnetic whether confidently
dispelling the demons from an infected gourd, or discussing the nature and power of names as a spell, he exudes confidence and wisdom. Seimei’s character provides the perfect counterpoint to Hirakami’s innocence. Seimei has seen and done all and though very young (we never know just how old he is) displays a keen understanding of both the political situation in the palace and the uncomfortable rumblings of Hirakami’s heart.

Onmyoji is one of the best films I’ve been fortunate enough to
encounter in my time at Horrorview.

Pioneer releases Onmyoji with both English and Japanese Language tracks in 5.1 Dolby surround and the requisite English subtitles. Pioneer offers two different releases of Onmyoji the standard edition containing a filmography and original trailers/TV spots the special edition contains that plus a booklet, cast/crew interviews, and a “making of” featurette.

Both releases offer a widescreen anamorphic transfer that really shows off the attention to detail in the backgrounds and wide shots. I spotted no flaws. As with virtually all imported Asian releases the
audience is better served by the original language track, and Onmyoji is no different. The vocal choices on the English dub are okay but in no way convey the same sense of urgency as those of the original actors.

The standard edition, which I have, is S-L-I-M, almost devoid of
worthwhile the extras. The filmography is superfluous and the trailers
are, well, trailers... Who watches these AFTER a film comes out anyway?

This film is also known as "The Yin Yang Masters" which is a sort of
misleading title and is better suited to a five-dollar chop socky
release from the Wu Tang Clan's kung fu emporium. Thankfully Pioneer releases this film with the title it deserves.