Description: When the Curse Breaks the Seal of a Rampaging Ancient God, the Mightiest Onmyoji Returns! Mysterious and bloody incidents ensue after a solar eclipse in the capital of Heian (794-1185 AD). Devils rampage through the capital at night and attack members of the nobility, each of whom has a body part is bitten off. Abe no Seimei (Mansai Nomura), the mightiest onmyoji, suspects that something will happen when the eighth victim is killed and the seal breaks off of a legendary sword. However secrets behind the incident reveal the bottomless darkness which even Seimei cannot foresee! When he faces an astonishing fact relating to the Imperial Court and the Izumo tribe, he has to risk his own life to save the capital and fight a man who had sold his soul to a rampaging god to avenge his people. Following the success of the original release, Onmyoji II enchants viewers with its dark yet spellbinding and mystical visual story! 'DVD BONUS: Apprx. 50 minutes of Extras including "Making of Onmyoji II", Trailers & TV spots, filmographies
Amazon.com: The membrane between the natural and supernatural worlds grows thin in the Japanese phantasm Onmyoji II. A solar eclipse bodes ill, and sure enough a demon stalks the streets, eating different body parts from its victims. It falls to Seimei (Mansai Nomura), a powerful and gender-ambiguous onmyoji (a magician or sorcerer), to exorcise the demon. Drawn into the plot are a tomboy princess who sleepwalks, a handsome young lord in love with her, a possessed musician with a strange mark on his arm, a talking skull, and much more. Watching Onmyoji II isn't so much like watching a sequel, it's like being dropped into the middle of Twin Peaks-like series, full of past relationships that gradually unfold amidst malevolent magic and bloody doings. Visually lush (the special effects are cheap but evocative), just a little campy, and all-around entertaining. --Bret Fetzer
Biting Is Such Sweet Sorrow... Every once in a while, I get surprised by a film. And Japanese period occult films are no exception. The original Onmyogi, was a delectable piece of fantasy, pitting Abe No Seimei (Mansai Nomura) and his new friend Hiromasa (Hideaki Ito) against a genuine villain in what is essentially a power struggle for the future of Heian Japan. It was brilliant in its way, but also indulged in a lot of high camp in its effects. In other words, a classy horror film, but not a dramatic tour de force.
Onmyogi two stars the same two leads, but the story is and order of magnitude stronger than it's predecessor. This time Heian Kyo is threatened by a demonic series of killings and the emperor turns to Seimei for help. The wizard finds himself enmeshed in the killings and the mystery of Himiko (Kyoko Fukada), a young princess given to tomboyish antics and sleepwalking. Hiromasa, in the meantime, encounters a young musician (Susa) who remembers tunes from the forgotten village of Izumo.
Naturally all these threads come together, Hiromasa falls in love, Seimei finds his opponent is the human thread that ties Himiko and Susa together - Genkaku (Kiichi Nakai), the head of Izumo village. Genkaku has been driven mad after seeing the present regimes troops destroy his village. He schemes to destroy the Yamato capital and recreate the kingdom as a Izumo holding. He intyends to reincarnate the god Susa-No-O in his son's body, even though this means the destruction of Susa and Himeko.
Thus the film turns not on the horror (and there is plenty), but on the painful workings of fate that pit brother against sister. No one in this film is really evil, but each marches to interior motivations in a tragic landscape.
As before, the cinematography is excellent. The film is a classic period piece, complete with detailed costumes, accurate settings, and a good eye for Heian society. Much of what you see is based on real legend and history, right down to the sword that plays an important part in the buildup to the climax. All of the actors are at their best, but Mansai Nomura deserves extra honors for his dancework, which is mostly improvisation, but looks and feels as if it were native to the times.
If you were to only watch one of these films I would suggest you look for this one. But it would be a sin to miss either. It's not often you get a horror film, a gothic romance, and a vision of what courtly life was in medieval Japan all wrapped up in one film. Recommended.
onmyoji II Note: my comments are based on Japanese release of this movie, but Geneon/Pioneer did a fine job with the first movie so the U.S. release of this sequal should be excellent as well.
I liked this movie even better than the first. The photography, costume and effects seem a bit more polished and the actors seemed to have relaxed more into their roles.
As for the story itself: Our legendary hero, Abe no Seimei, and companion, Hiromasa, become involed in the legend of the power struggle between the Yamato line and the Izumo line, for control of the government, and the legends of Susano-o-no-Mikoto, his sister Amaterasu Omikami and the Ame-no-murakumo-no-tsurugi (the famous sword that was later called The Kusinagi or "grass cutter" sword that is now part of the imperial regalia). Those with an interest in the Heian history, costume and legends should really enjoy this film.
The extras also include an interesting segment visiting historical sites around Izumo and Heian Kyo (Kyoto) that were used as the basis for the sets or actual film locations.
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