Katsumoto let him live because he saw him swinging around that spear with the white tiger banner, like the white tiger in his vision from the opening scene. 10:00 The clothes have been there the whole time... he just refused to wear them. 15:40 It wasn't the emperor who tried to kill him - like Algren deduced - it was Omura, the oligarch who hired Algren in the first place. The emperor is young, inexperienced and surrounded by people who try to influence him for their own gain. This and V for Vendetta are my favourite films, thank you for your reaction. :D
When I played Ghost of Tsushima, it always brings back memories of this movie because the music and setting is so rich and beautiful. I watched it years ago in the theatre, and I remember everyone was crying during the final battle.
@@russty.86 when you kill Sekai’s uncle honorably it reminds me of the scene when Katsumoto died honorably I feel like Ghost Of Tsushima is inspired by not only Japanese action samurai films but also the Last Samurai
Katsumoto and his rebellion is based on the real life samurai, Saigo Takamori and the Satsuma rebellion. In real life, Saigo was among the ones who pushed to modernize Japan and planted the seeds of its Empire. But modernization led to slow loss of prestige and influence of the samurai class who were losing employment throughout country. Saigo has a strict adherence to the Samurai class and feared that these disgrunted samurai would cause problems in their fledgling nation thought that they needed a war to help either cull them or give them purpose. He offered to attempt to cause an international incident with Korea that would lead to his death. Sacrificing himself and cause Japan to declare war for these samurai and for their growing empire. This of course was rejected by the government that led to Saigo retiring to his domain of Satsuma. A few years later though in 1877, Saigo found himself as a figurehead to the Satsuma samurai who rebelled against the tokyo government for threatening their autonomy. Forced to take the reins as their leader, Saigo led around 20,000 samurai in rebellion only to be defeated in many battles leading to his death. The final battle of movie is similar to the final battle in the Satsuma Rebellion except the latter occurred on the mountain slopes of Shiroyama. With only 500 samurai, he made his last stand against 30,000 imperial soldiers. Artillery bombardments killed most of the samurai but a handful managed to engage the Imperial lines albeit with heavy casualties. Saigo himself would be wounded in one of these skirmishes and carried to safety where he committed sepukku. The remaining 50 or so samurai followed soon after in a suicide charge against the Imperial lines. Not that different to the movie battle's climax. The samurai class afterwards would be disbanded but Saigo would be pardoned posthumously and immortalized as a national hero. The Last samurai.
One of my favorite movies. I wouldn’t exactly call that a “happy ending”, though. Lol. I’ve seen this film many times, and I’m always crying at the end of the battle. Bittersweet ending, to say the least. When Algren first arrives at the Samurai village, we see him going through withdrawal from alcohol. That’s why he was suffering so much. Remember, he was obviously an alcoholic, and is suddenly unable to drink.
And he used the alchohol to drown/forget (or atleast try to forget) his traumas/memmories of what inhumane things he'd been ordered to do, under the orders of his superior officer General a*****e Custer. :))))
This is for every woman who wonders why men always get back up after getting walloped (because inevitably it’s always questioned lol): the greatest compliment a man can give another man is to respect him. Respect is not given, it is earned. Getting back up repeatedly shows a fight and relentlessness, and it shows honor and belief in what you’re doing. It earns respect. That’s why men get back up and take more. Sounds silly, I’m sure, but it makes sense to us, and we all understand it.
pride, honour, strength and to fight for a cause... "I'm prepared to to die for my family/country/values" it earns respect but also its necessary to fight tyranny
27:21 Contrary to popular belief the Samurai had been using firearms since 1543. From arquebuses to cannons and to flintlocks around 300 yrs before the start of the film
Yes, but Mr. Graham also specifically states (in the scene where Algren trains them before the forest battle) that Katsumoto refuses to fight with firearms because he finds their use dishonorable. So while the samurai did in fact use firearms for hundreds of years prior to the events depicted in the movie, it's firmly established in-universe that Katsumoto eschews firearms for a philosophical purpose. So many people miss this crucial line from Mr. Graham earlier in the movie.
When Ahlgren accepts the sword Katsumoto has had forged for him, he takes it with both hands. This custom is still very much alive in Japan to this day. A gift given with one hand is no gift at all and deceit lies in wait. A gift accepted with one hand reveals contempt and is a sign of disrespect to the one who gave it. Always two hands. There are many small signs both culturally and practical, this movie was well researched beforehand. Even in combat, maai, seigan noe kamae and hanmi stance are observed.
Anachronism stew. Combing the Boshin war and the Satsuma rebellion, though the politics of the movie are closer to the latter, while the battle in the fog shows an Imperial army that more resembles how it was in the former. The final battle does seem to have some resemblance to events of the battle of Shiroyama, though the Imperial's performance there was considerably better.
Hey, Liv! You picked a wonderful film with this one. A few things to unpack... The film takes place at the very beginning of the Meiji Restoration. Historically and traditionally, the Emperor was always seen as a figurehead having no real political power. Most of the power was in the hands of the daimyos (like Omura and Katsumoto), an oligarch-like class of samurai. Shortly before this the Floating Kingdom, as Japan (or Nippon) was called, had been isolationist under the control of the Tokugawa Shogunate since 1600 when Tokugawa Ieyasu was made Shogun (military dictator). Japan was opened in 1853 by American Commodore Matthew C. Perry by order of President Milliard Fillmore, using "gunboat diplomacy" if need be. The Treaty of Uraga officially opened up Japan. The last Tokugawa Shogun also fell about this time. It took about a decade or so of American, French, British, Dutch, Russian, and other nations' diplomacy and influence before the events that this film depicted. That being said, by the time Meiji was ready to take power fully (we see it at the very end of the movie)...he took power, and he began to flex power the way that the Emperors of other nations did. This was the Meiji Restoration. The Japanese learned the lessons of dealing with foreign "gaijin" and learned them well. From Meiji until Hirohito at the end of World War II...Japan was ruled absolutely by its Emperors, as both a divine being and a political/military leader. This film is the origins of the new mindset that Japan began to develop. Which led to a few wars...because the Japanese were also predisposed to believe in their own superiority. Nowadays, they don't feel it in the same ways that they did during the age of the samurai...but it still can rear its head mainly geopolitically and economically. Omura was a symbol of where Japan was destined to head...politely learning the ways of the foreigners, taking what works, and believing in their own superiority even through the niceties (which is very much like any diplomat of any nation throughout time). Katsumoto was about honoring the past and the culture that bore the people of Japan. Meiji moved forward with both mindsets. All of the military personnel of Japan became samurai...and indoctrinated as such. Many of the military leaders of Japan after World War II performed seppuku (ritual suicide) as General Hasegawa did in the film to restore their honor...and some were foiled in their attempts at the end of the war (like Tojo Hideki, the PM of Japan during the war who was later executed for war crimes). I am kinda passionate about Japan, its history and culture, as well as its films...or films about it. I wholeheartedly recommend a few things if you ever find the time or opportunity. - 'Pacific Overtures' by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman. A musical using Japanese Kabuki-style staging about Perry's opening of Japan and the after-effects. It is possible to see the 1976 Original Broadway cast production on video on TH-cam, but it is really annoying due to its poor quality. However, it is a pretty good primer on this era. It also has the song that Sondheim claimed was his favorite song he wrote, "Someone In A Tree". - 'Shogun', both the original 1975 novel by James Clavell and the 1980 television miniseries that starred Richard Chamberlain, John Rhys Davies and Toshiro Mifune. It takes a story that is actually real and clothes it in a lot of fiction. Suffice it to say, Mifune's character is a fictional version of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Chamberlain is a fictional version of William Adams, an English ship's pilot who made it to Japan and was made a samurai and hatamoto (military advisor) by Tokugawa. It takes place in 1600. The miniseries is about 9 hours long and made for NBC in America and is available at archive.org (downloadable at 480p) or on TH-cam for free. The novel is almost 1,100 pages long...a doorstopper!
23:00 The Last Samurai is a classic. Tom Cruise gave one of the best performances of his acting career as Civil War veteran, alcoholic and PTSD sufferer Captain Nathan Algren and Ken Wantanabe gave a Oscar worthy performance as the rebel Samurai warrior Katsumoto. Avatar reminded me of The Last Samurai. Avatar reminded me of The Last Samurai.
Katsumoto spared Cpt. Algren, cause at the beginning of the movie, they show him meditating and having a vision of a white tiger surrounded by samurai, Cpt. Algren was waiving a spear with a flag of a white tiger when he was surrounded.
LIv - great choice!! Please do DANCES WITH WOLVES - a fantastic action, romance and movie about the American West and - and you guessed - A wolf - one of the best Kevin Costner films ever!!!!! Love your reactions - keep them up!!!!
2:50 This movie takes place shortly after the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration which was marked by rapid modernization. That's why they reached out and scrounged for any Western advisors to advance their modernization programs. The Samurai were holdovers from the Tokugawa Shogunate and eras earlier than that going back 1000 years or more. This was the principal clash that formed the basis for this movie.
The Japanese don't view the Emperor as a leader. They literally see the Emperor as a living God. Even if khatzumoto knew what to tell him, he couldn't without being dishonored which is worse than death. Like the older guy at the first battle. He was dishonoured because he lost the battle. In order to restore his honor he chose seppuku... ritual suicide. He asked khatzumoto to assist in order to restore their friendship after going against him in battle.
17:11 It's more than disrespect...it is a cause of deep shame to any warrior. The topknot is a particualar status-symbol among warriors (Specifically, it is a style that keeps one's helmet from resting directly on one's head, which has a spiritual significance to a great warrior spirit, Hachiman, who may enter a fighter during battle, through a hole in their helmet). To allow it to be cut off means that he has forfeit his career as a fighter.
Hairstyles were very important in ancient Japanese culture. In the Studio Ghibli movie "Princess Mononoke", when Ashitaka is exiled from his tribe (the Emishi, who are closely related to the Ainu that still exist to this day) he cuts off his top knot, symbolising that he is now a dead man. Look at the reaction of the elders sitting behind him. I love that little detail.
I tried to watch this but she missed so many points that I couldn’t >.> like “Is he going to train their army?” Yes, that’s what he was hired for. “He doesn’t want to kill him? He must see something in him.” Yes, because the very first scene was Katsumoto having a vision of a white tiger fighting samurai, which he then saw both in Algren as well as the flag he was using to fight.
It's okay for her to guess and miss some points - it's a reaction video to the movie - not the movie = we watch to see what she thinks of the film as it progresses.
I freaking saw this movie in theaters it shook the concrete for the battle scenes it was freaking awesome this is a beautifully written movie very epic fight scenes welcome to The last samurai
Being indirect is really important in Japanese culture. You'd never say "I don't like this" to someone, they'd say something like "I don't hate it" instead.
thank you for this reaction. It is lovely to see when you react, the same way when we watched it for the first time. Your passion when you watch movies is realy sweet..cheers.
The reason Katsumoto could not provide advice for the emperor is because The Emperor was believed to be a 'divine' being and to bestow advice upon the emperor would be very disrespectful.
This was one of my late wife's favorites. My father was Caucasian b.g. and my mother of Japanese decent. My relatives on her side way back were themselves Samurai and a grand uncle possessed an authentic sword (I was able to view it), though what to refer to it such as a "hand-me-down" or "family heirloom" I'm not certain of a proper term for this type of item.
A "family heirloom" or "family artifact" would be appropriate terms to call it. Was it ever passed to you or is it still on your uncle's side of the family?
@@singingwolf3929 Regretfully that was the only time I had the opportunity of visiting him, so I have no idea to this day what became of it, although I suspect that his offspring would have inherited that valuable object.
Katsumoto: "The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life". Also, 8:26 , haha, every female reactor says the same thing in this scene :-). It's about masculine honour, integrity, pride and principle. Wounds and bones will heal, dishonour is forever.
One of my most favourite films of all time :). No matter that it makes some missteps in terms of historical accuracy and in the swordsmanship, it's a great movie - and for me to forgive those missteps given that I was a historian and am a reasonably good swordsman then it must be a good flick :).
Maybe i'm repeating myself but there's a good reason behind it. GGs Liv for yet another fantastic reaction video. Mod approves wholeheartedly and thumbs up with both fingers. "clapping hands"
I would argue that "The Last Samurai" is the best Tom Cruise movie. With "Collateral" being second because Tom never plays a bad guy and his performance was fantastic.
I love both those films. A Few Good men is another standout from him, as well as The Firm. LOL I can't remember which reactor said, when he first fought the Samurai, "Oh no...he can't die...he's Tom Cruise" and I thought - uh, have you never seen Edge of Tomorrow?
Augrin (in the film) wanted to die. He was hoping the trainee would shoot him. He was hoping if he kept picking up the training sword, he'd be killed. Kasamoto earlier said a man could spend his whole life looking for the perfect cherry blossom, and it would be a life worth living, and then in his dying breath looking at the blossoms around him he realizes and says, "They are all perfect." This film was clearly heavily influenced by "Dances with Wolves." The themes are very similar, though "Dances With Wolves" turns the white savior trope on its head more than this one.
I'm so grateful that a logically minded TH-camr actually isn't caught up in the complete nonsense"romance" that was shoved in the viewers face, instead of focusing on what the story is actually about, THE FUCKING SAMURAI!!!
He is not really young to be an emperor. Emperors in China and Japan could be made emperors as soon as the one before died. Some were made emperor when they were still like 6 or 7 years old.
"The Emporer doesn't know what he wants" that was the point, he is still like 19 and ruling with the help of advisors that had their own agenda; just driving home just how messed up this situation really was.
America (in this movie) is under the impression that their guns are superior to swords, guns and arrows, they were basically arrogant. But this was some of the first weapons produced, which could only fire a single round, and then would take like minuttes to reload for just one more shot, then they'd have to reload yet again. Ontop of that they used untrained conscripts, who obviously wasnt ready to fight, and if u look at it with common sense, if one dude opens fire before they are told to, more will fire (because maybe they didnt hear the order called out?), and it would just result in everybody basically fireing their single round because everybody else is firring, which would render them basically useless till they reload again...
And in reality, it was even worse than in this movie, because the Samurai of that era also trained with firearms with the same dedication they did any other weapon.
I believe you are the first reactor I've seen that didn't cry when sh*t hit the fan. Tough lady. Were you a samurai in a past life perhaps? Who knows..
War is war and if your life is at stake you use the best weapon you can. There is no consideration of what is fair. In WWII we used the bomb and didn't think twice. You use the best weapon you have.
An exceptional movie. One could say Algren was subjected to Stockholm Syndrome and a myriad of other psychological issues, but the crux of the movie has nothing to do with that. It has to do with vast political influence on a (dare I say weak leader/figure head..... i.e. the emperor) by essentially a magnate type tycoon (railroads in this depiction), but had the story been in America it could have easily been oil tycoons and other mass influencers of business and dollars, and most importantly...... political influence. The truth of the movie in my opinion is a simple two-sided argument that led to conflict (not sure if it's true, but it was how it was portrayed in this film)..... It's the concept of feeling like.you have to leave culture and tradition behind to move forward as a country and a power. Certain parts of that are that will become evident in years leading up to December 7th 1941, but this story takes place cleary 100 years prior at least. What makes this movie and story great comes down to timing. I mean that it appears to be a TIME when the population has had some exposure to western culture, while vast majority of other parts of the culture still has not been exposed to it. It creates a unique set of circumstances where certain parts of the population are not ready to move to "western" presented ideas, and creates the exact opposite situation for the group of Japanese looking to expand culture based on "new ideas, thinking, technogies, and easier access to sea lanes." It really is a story about an individual subject of people destined to be relegated to history fighting for everything their culture stood for. It's a comes movie, with complex ideals...... and the jist of comes down to two things (and sort of the Emperor). The 2 things are: the wealthy of the country that control opinions and narratives at the highest levels, and the perception of the average people that leads them to make a basic choice to agree to ultimately support the Samurai or support Omurasan and the railroad. This time in Japanese history did happen, although not exactly portrayed as it was in this movie, but it was close enough. Makes a serious viewer about this movie to the point where it pulled at their heartstrings a little more curious to learn more about the time. As far as "the Last samurai", I thought he was from an African nation called Uganda, but may be wrong in that, but there were lots of actual excerpts of documents and historical records used in this movie. I am glad you watched it.
This is a wonderful, moving film and your reaction was awesome!!! I loved your witty commentary. Although, I'm not certain I'd classify this as a happy ending, per se. This is my second time watching one of your videos and I find you quite enchanting. Your voice and accent are heavenly, especially when you use profanity. LOL! I'm definitely a new subscriber and will be binge-watching many of your reactions! Thank you!
Not crazy about the movie, but I enjoyed the reaction. It wasn't until your commentary at the end that I realized, I can't tell what color your eyes are. I have a color deficiency (color blind) in red/green. But they are striking whatever color they are. Good for you!
I thought I already subscribe your channel months ago. I must of unsubscribe your channel some how. sorry. subscribing, again. I missed some videos got to catch up, now.❤
why does he get back up? there you see diffrence between an real Alpha and a beta male ^^ you maybe not understand why getting back up is so important, but it sure is otherwise he will never get any respect by them.
LOL No. You're interpreting it wrongly. Just look at the hollowness in Algren's expressions and movements throughout the entire scene. He isn't getting back up because he wants respect or to prove he's not weak. He is unconsciously moving on his own. Even though Algren's body and spirit may be broken at this time, the true warrior inside him keeps on fighting - just like the ferocious white tiger Katsumoto saw in his visions.
@@MIZZKIE mine was sort of a joke tho I understand you could not maybe notice that with just text but I was trying to see if I can get a reaction from anyone ^^ You are most likly right.
@@jmab721 Well, no one is forcing you to watch and listen. Maybe show her some respect and just bow out quietly if you can't find anything nice to say. While I'm here, where is your own channel and amazing reactions to movies?
@@heather6668 But commenting is also allowed. The nature of the business is that negative comments are bound to come. If a video is being uploaded for the public to see, it's a given that both positive & negative responses will come. Her voice is annoying.
@@jmab721 I'm not saying negative comments aren't allowed or that everyone has to like something, just that maybe there's a nicer way to say it. She's put in a lot of work to get that video online so she's far from an airhead and more than just an annoying voice. I've seen a lot of mid-20's male reactors who annoy f*** out of me to the point where I just can't finish the video but I try not to come down too hard as they're simply enjoying the film and perhaps a bit overexcited at times.
@@heather6668 You should comment on their videos if it annoys you. Whenever a reactor is stupid and annoying, I comment it (regardless of their gender btw, Idk why you brought that up)
I came here to see what the reaction was in the movie's climax & on the romantic scene. I have to say that I got extremely irritated by her even in such a short duration. What a an absolute cartoon, annoying one.
@@crankfastle8138 It is showcasing the different ideologies between the east and the west.....eastern being you accept failure by acknowledging it, western by not accepting failure but continuing on even at the cost of respect/honor.......the old ways meet tne new.....kinda the premise of the movie, and Americans are the pinnacle of western society...........or I could have just said because he is American
I'm sorry but it's a reaction video - that's what you chose to watch. If you want to watch the movie in silence, then go watch the movie instead of trying to belittle someone who is doing what is expected here.
I can not understand that actress kiss main character part. what does that mean? Did he kill her husband and then fell in love with him after a short time ? Stockholm Syndrome or what....This is so weird that it ruins this movie. Avatar, Pocahontas same hollywood formula Evil corrupt white empire invades barbarian tribe The protagonist as an imperial soldier, after coming into contact with the barbarians Surprisingly found that although these people have a low level of technology, they all have noble sentiments. In getting along day and night, the protagonist regains the values of selflessness, honor, and environmental protection. Finally went to the barbarian's side, the reward is 1. Bring to Exotic Women 2. The patriarch's approval 3. The friendship and respect of the hawks in the tribe
Algren was in the village for almost a year, so it's not a short time. And you can clearly see that Taka is still very conflicted about her emotions. That kiss symbolises Alren's complete acceptance into the samurai. It is not at all cheesy because - as Taka did say - samurai and their families understand that a warrior/soldier's duty is to fight; and that Algren faught for a cause the same way Hirotaro did. A samurai chooses to die in battle for honour, so as much as it hurts she cannot hold a grudge against Algren for killing her husband. That is the samurai way. As Katsumoto said, it was "a good death". If that kiss didn't happen in the movie, then that means that Taka will forever be miserable about Algren killing Hirotaro. That just plain sucks, and she would be a completely pointless, unnecessary character. On top of that, that would mean that Taka is an emotionally weak character, unable to let go of the past and move on in life. That's not the samurai way. It would have been cheesy if she completely fell in love with Algren, like a typical Hollywood movie. Thank god the writers avoided that and kept it real and meaningful.
Glad you enjoyed this movie. Pretty obvious you didn't felt it though. You are a very strong woman or just havent experienced real hardship/regret yet in life.
Katsumoto let him live because he saw him swinging around that spear with the white tiger banner, like the white tiger in his vision from the opening scene.
10:00 The clothes have been there the whole time... he just refused to wear them.
15:40 It wasn't the emperor who tried to kill him - like Algren deduced - it was Omura, the oligarch who hired Algren in the first place. The emperor is young, inexperienced and surrounded by people who try to influence him for their own gain.
This and V for Vendetta are my favourite films, thank you for your reaction. :D
I love this movie and I never noticed the cloths. Man Tom fuckin kills it.
When I played Ghost of Tsushima, it always brings back memories of this movie because the music and setting is so rich and beautiful. I watched it years ago in the theatre, and I remember everyone was crying during the final battle.
In the English Sekai‘s Uncle reminds me of the samurai leader in the movie
Fun fact, the sakai clan armor is based on Ujio's armor from the movie.
@@russty.86 when you kill Sekai’s uncle honorably it reminds me of the scene when Katsumoto died honorably I feel like Ghost Of Tsushima is inspired by not only Japanese action samurai films but also the Last Samurai
Katsumoto and his rebellion is based on the real life samurai, Saigo Takamori and the Satsuma rebellion.
In real life, Saigo was among the ones who pushed to modernize Japan and planted the seeds of its Empire. But modernization led to slow loss of prestige and influence of the samurai class who were losing employment throughout country. Saigo has a strict adherence to the Samurai class and feared that these disgrunted samurai would cause problems in their fledgling nation thought that they needed a war to help either cull them or give them purpose.
He offered to attempt to cause an international incident with Korea that would lead to his death. Sacrificing himself and cause Japan to declare war for these samurai and for their growing empire.
This of course was rejected by the government that led to Saigo retiring to his domain of Satsuma.
A few years later though in 1877, Saigo found himself as a figurehead to the Satsuma samurai who rebelled against the tokyo government for threatening their autonomy.
Forced to take the reins as their leader, Saigo led around 20,000 samurai in rebellion only to be defeated in many battles leading to his death.
The final battle of movie is similar to the final battle in the Satsuma Rebellion except the latter occurred on the mountain slopes of Shiroyama.
With only 500 samurai, he made his last stand against 30,000 imperial soldiers.
Artillery bombardments killed most of the samurai but a handful managed to engage the Imperial lines albeit with heavy casualties.
Saigo himself would be wounded in one of these skirmishes and carried to safety where he committed sepukku.
The remaining 50 or so samurai followed soon after in a suicide charge against the Imperial lines. Not that different to the movie battle's climax.
The samurai class afterwards would be disbanded but Saigo would be pardoned posthumously and immortalized as a national hero. The Last samurai.
Dude you juat answered to my question.. Always i wwanted to found the real story..
日本語ですいません。あなたの完璧な説明と解釈に、日本人として感謝します。ありがとうございました。
One of my favorite movies. I wouldn’t exactly call that a “happy ending”, though. Lol. I’ve seen this film many times, and I’m always crying at the end of the battle. Bittersweet ending, to say the least.
When Algren first arrives at the Samurai village, we see him going through withdrawal from alcohol. That’s why he was suffering so much. Remember, he was obviously an alcoholic, and is suddenly unable to drink.
And he used the alchohol to drown/forget (or atleast try to forget) his traumas/memmories of what inhumane things he'd been ordered to do, under the orders of his superior officer General a*****e Custer. :))))
This is for every woman who wonders why men always get back up after getting walloped (because inevitably it’s always questioned lol): the greatest compliment a man can give another man is to respect him. Respect is not given, it is earned. Getting back up repeatedly shows a fight and relentlessness, and it shows honor and belief in what you’re doing. It earns respect. That’s why men get back up and take more. Sounds silly, I’m sure, but it makes sense to us, and we all understand it.
pride, honour, strength and to fight for a cause... "I'm prepared to to die for my family/country/values"
it earns respect but also its necessary to fight tyranny
Bob is the embodiment of the saying: "Beware the Old Man... in a profession where most die young"
27:21 Contrary to popular belief the Samurai had been using firearms since 1543. From arquebuses to cannons and to flintlocks around 300 yrs before the start of the film
Yes, but Mr. Graham also specifically states (in the scene where Algren trains them before the forest battle) that Katsumoto refuses to fight with firearms because he finds their use dishonorable. So while the samurai did in fact use firearms for hundreds of years prior to the events depicted in the movie, it's firmly established in-universe that Katsumoto eschews firearms for a philosophical purpose. So many people miss this crucial line from Mr. Graham earlier in the movie.
4:04 Fun Fact: The script for Tom ended at “I will kill him”, the rest is pure improv and it actually scared his co-actors. xD
When Ahlgren accepts the sword Katsumoto has had forged for him, he takes it with both hands. This custom is still very much alive in Japan to this day. A gift given with one hand is no gift at all and deceit lies in wait. A gift accepted with one hand reveals contempt and is a sign of disrespect to the one who gave it. Always two hands.
There are many small signs both culturally and practical, this movie was well researched beforehand. Even in combat, maai, seigan noe kamae and hanmi stance are observed.
The Japanese are an ancient proud people. Most live in harmony with nature. Their craftsmen are as talented I've ever seen.
haha, not to be rude, but have you been to Japan since 1945?
@@MarcusSjolander Well, I'm a Scots/Irish mutt who lives in the USA. Americans can't claim an ancient anything sooo...
This movie is based VERY loosely one a real story, but about a Frenchman, Jules Brunet.
Anachronism stew. Combing the Boshin war and the Satsuma rebellion, though the politics of the movie are closer to the latter, while the battle in the fog shows an Imperial army that more resembles how it was in the former.
The final battle does seem to have some resemblance to events of the battle of Shiroyama, though the Imperial's performance there was considerably better.
Hey, Liv! You picked a wonderful film with this one.
A few things to unpack...
The film takes place at the very beginning of the Meiji Restoration. Historically and traditionally, the Emperor was always seen as a figurehead having no real political power. Most of the power was in the hands of the daimyos (like Omura and Katsumoto), an oligarch-like class of samurai. Shortly before this the Floating Kingdom, as Japan (or Nippon) was called, had been isolationist under the control of the Tokugawa Shogunate since 1600 when Tokugawa Ieyasu was made Shogun (military dictator). Japan was opened in 1853 by American Commodore Matthew C. Perry by order of President Milliard Fillmore, using "gunboat diplomacy" if need be. The Treaty of Uraga officially opened up Japan. The last Tokugawa Shogun also fell about this time. It took about a decade or so of American, French, British, Dutch, Russian, and other nations' diplomacy and influence before the events that this film depicted.
That being said, by the time Meiji was ready to take power fully (we see it at the very end of the movie)...he took power, and he began to flex power the way that the Emperors of other nations did. This was the Meiji Restoration. The Japanese learned the lessons of dealing with foreign "gaijin" and learned them well. From Meiji until Hirohito at the end of World War II...Japan was ruled absolutely by its Emperors, as both a divine being and a political/military leader. This film is the origins of the new mindset that Japan began to develop. Which led to a few wars...because the Japanese were also predisposed to believe in their own superiority. Nowadays, they don't feel it in the same ways that they did during the age of the samurai...but it still can rear its head mainly geopolitically and economically.
Omura was a symbol of where Japan was destined to head...politely learning the ways of the foreigners, taking what works, and believing in their own superiority even through the niceties (which is very much like any diplomat of any nation throughout time). Katsumoto was about honoring the past and the culture that bore the people of Japan. Meiji moved forward with both mindsets. All of the military personnel of Japan became samurai...and indoctrinated as such. Many of the military leaders of Japan after World War II performed seppuku (ritual suicide) as General Hasegawa did in the film to restore their honor...and some were foiled in their attempts at the end of the war (like Tojo Hideki, the PM of Japan during the war who was later executed for war crimes).
I am kinda passionate about Japan, its history and culture, as well as its films...or films about it. I wholeheartedly recommend a few things if you ever find the time or opportunity.
- 'Pacific Overtures' by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman. A musical using Japanese Kabuki-style staging about Perry's opening of Japan and the after-effects. It is possible to see the 1976 Original Broadway cast production on video on TH-cam, but it is really annoying due to its poor quality. However, it is a pretty good primer on this era. It also has the song that Sondheim claimed was his favorite song he wrote, "Someone In A Tree".
- 'Shogun', both the original 1975 novel by James Clavell and the 1980 television miniseries that starred Richard Chamberlain, John Rhys Davies and Toshiro Mifune. It takes a story that is actually real and clothes it in a lot of fiction. Suffice it to say, Mifune's character is a fictional version of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Chamberlain is a fictional version of William Adams, an English ship's pilot who made it to Japan and was made a samurai and hatamoto (military advisor) by Tokugawa. It takes place in 1600. The miniseries is about 9 hours long and made for NBC in America and is available at archive.org (downloadable at 480p) or on TH-cam for free. The novel is almost 1,100 pages long...a doorstopper!
23:00 The Last Samurai is a classic. Tom Cruise gave one of the best performances of his acting career as Civil War veteran, alcoholic and PTSD sufferer Captain Nathan Algren and Ken Wantanabe gave a Oscar worthy performance as the rebel Samurai warrior Katsumoto. Avatar reminded me of The Last Samurai. Avatar reminded me of The Last Samurai.
Katsumoto spared Cpt. Algren, cause at the beginning of the movie, they show him meditating and having a vision of a white tiger surrounded by samurai, Cpt. Algren was waiving a spear with a flag of a white tiger when he was surrounded.
The ending of this film always gives me chills.
Not torture- he's going through alcohol withdrawal when he first arrives in the Samurai village...
LIv - great choice!! Please do DANCES WITH WOLVES - a fantastic action, romance and movie about the American West and - and you guessed - A wolf - one of the best Kevin Costner films ever!!!!! Love your reactions - keep them up!!!!
Yeah, TBH I always preferred Dances With Wolves over The Last Samurai (but that's my opinion)
Terribly underrated movie. Great cinematography, great story, great score. One of my favorite Tom Cruise movies.
2:50 This movie takes place shortly after the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration which was marked by rapid modernization. That's why they reached out and scrounged for any Western advisors to advance their modernization programs. The Samurai were holdovers from the Tokugawa Shogunate and eras earlier than that going back 1000 years or more. This was the principal clash that formed the basis for this movie.
The Japanese don't view the Emperor as a leader. They literally see the Emperor as a living God. Even if khatzumoto knew what to tell him, he couldn't without being dishonored which is worse than death. Like the older guy at the first battle. He was dishonoured because he lost the battle. In order to restore his honor he chose seppuku... ritual suicide. He asked khatzumoto to assist in order to restore their friendship after going against him in battle.
This movie always gets me in my feelz. I am glad it got yours, too! I love it when my favorite reactor watches these older movies!
30:07 --- "𝓘 𝔀𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾...𝓱𝓸𝔀 𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓭."
Summarized the whole movie, including how he saved Nathan from a life of regret and guilt.
17:11 It's more than disrespect...it is a cause of deep shame to any warrior. The topknot is a particualar status-symbol among warriors (Specifically, it is a style that keeps one's helmet from resting directly on one's head, which has a spiritual significance to a great warrior spirit, Hachiman, who may enter a fighter during battle, through a hole in their helmet). To allow it to be cut off means that he has forfeit his career as a fighter.
Hairstyles were very important in ancient Japanese culture.
In the Studio Ghibli movie "Princess Mononoke", when Ashitaka is exiled from his tribe (the Emishi, who are closely related to the Ainu that still exist to this day) he cuts off his top knot, symbolising that he is now a dead man. Look at the reaction of the elders sitting behind him. I love that little detail.
I tried to watch this but she missed so many points that I couldn’t >.> like “Is he going to train their army?” Yes, that’s what he was hired for. “He doesn’t want to kill him? He must see something in him.” Yes, because the very first scene was Katsumoto having a vision of a white tiger fighting samurai, which he then saw both in Algren as well as the flag he was using to fight.
It's okay for her to guess and miss some points - it's a reaction video to the movie - not the movie = we watch to see what she thinks of the film as it progresses.
I freaking saw this movie in theaters it shook the concrete for the battle scenes it was freaking awesome this is a beautifully written movie very epic fight scenes welcome to The last samurai
Being indirect is really important in Japanese culture. You'd never say "I don't like this" to someone, they'd say something like "I don't hate it" instead.
He didn't murder her husband. He defended to survive. Watch the scene again.
thank you for this reaction. It is lovely to see when you react, the same way when we watched it for the first time. Your passion when you watch movies is realy sweet..cheers.
Japanese culture is beautiful, it's no wonder that they have been able to achieve so much in such a short time
Great movie. Such a gut punch just knowing how it was going to probably end, and then see it.
This is in my top 5 favourite movies of all time.
The reason Katsumoto could not provide advice for the emperor is because The Emperor was believed to be a 'divine' being and to bestow advice upon the emperor would be very disrespectful.
This was one of my late wife's favorites. My father was Caucasian b.g. and my mother of Japanese decent. My relatives on her side way back were themselves Samurai and a grand uncle possessed an authentic sword (I was able to view it), though what to refer to it such as a "hand-me-down" or "family heirloom" I'm not certain of a proper term for this type of item.
A "family heirloom" or "family artifact" would be appropriate terms to call it. Was it ever passed to you or is it still on your uncle's side of the family?
@@singingwolf3929 Regretfully that was the only time I had the opportunity of visiting him, so I have no idea to this day what became of it, although I suspect that his offspring would have inherited that valuable object.
@@craigtalbott731 that's unfortunate. Hopefully someone in the family is still giving it the care and respect it deserves.
Katsumoto:
"The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life".
Also, 8:26 , haha, every female reactor says the same thing in this scene :-). It's about masculine honour, integrity, pride and principle. Wounds and bones will heal, dishonour is forever.
"Who deals with the cleanup after these battles?"
If no one else does it... the crows, I guess.
Tom Cruise with long hair = Interview with the Vampire; along with Brad Pitt...
Also MI2, not that short in MI4 either. He still had the longer hair when he was training with the weapons for Collateral in the extras.
One of my most favourite films of all time :). No matter that it makes some missteps in terms of historical accuracy and in the swordsmanship, it's a great movie - and for me to forgive those missteps given that I was a historian and am a reasonably good swordsman then it must be a good flick :).
„Oh he must be the only one who returned to the village. They all died!“
„Yes! Happy Ending!“
😂
In real life the samurai did use firearms, along with their traditional weapons.
Maybe i'm repeating myself but there's a good reason behind it. GGs Liv for yet another fantastic reaction video. Mod approves wholeheartedly and thumbs up with both fingers. "clapping hands"
even with a bald head or a beard, i can still recognize the voice of Tom Cruise.
I would argue that "The Last Samurai" is the best Tom Cruise movie. With "Collateral" being second because Tom never plays a bad guy and his performance was fantastic.
I love both those films. A Few Good men is another standout from him, as well as The Firm. LOL I can't remember which reactor said, when he first fought the Samurai, "Oh no...he can't die...he's Tom Cruise" and I thought - uh, have you never seen Edge of Tomorrow?
You need to watch some Kurosawa epics, Liv! Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Ran, Throne of Blood! Some of the greatest movies ever made.
Augrin (in the film) wanted to die. He was hoping the trainee would shoot him. He was hoping if he kept picking up the training sword, he'd be killed.
Kasamoto earlier said a man could spend his whole life looking for the perfect cherry blossom, and it would be a life worth living, and then in his dying breath looking at the blossoms around him he realizes and says, "They are all perfect."
This film was clearly heavily influenced by "Dances with Wolves." The themes are very similar, though "Dances With Wolves" turns the white savior trope on its head more than this one.
I'm so grateful that a logically minded TH-camr actually isn't caught up in the complete nonsense"romance" that was shoved in the viewers face, instead of focusing on what the story is actually about, THE FUCKING SAMURAI!!!
yessssssss
$400 US dollars back then (1870) is the equal to $8,925.07 in 2022. That's a lot of money for a MONTH.
He is not really young to be an emperor. Emperors in China and Japan could be made emperors as soon as the one before died. Some were made emperor when they were still like 6 or 7 years old.
"The Emporer doesn't know what he wants" that was the point, he is still like 19 and ruling with the help of advisors that had their own agenda; just driving home just how messed up this situation really was.
The emperor in this was 15 when he became the emperor
And the actor captured the look of the Emperor very well.
@@dallassukerkin6878 sure did, also didn't have many scenes but I thought the actor portrayed a shy, timid and quite teenager very well
America (in this movie) is under the impression that their guns are superior to swords, guns and arrows, they were basically arrogant. But this was some of the first weapons produced, which could only fire a single round, and then would take like minuttes to reload for just one more shot, then they'd have to reload yet again. Ontop of that they used untrained conscripts, who obviously wasnt ready to fight, and if u look at it with common sense, if one dude opens fire before they are told to, more will fire (because maybe they didnt hear the order called out?), and it would just result in everybody basically fireing their single round because everybody else is firring, which would render them basically useless till they reload again...
And in reality, it was even worse than in this movie, because the Samurai of that era also trained with firearms with the same dedication they did any other weapon.
I believe you are the first reactor I've seen that didn't cry when sh*t hit the fan. Tough lady. Were you a samurai in a past life perhaps? Who knows..
War is war and if your life is at stake you use the best weapon you can. There is no consideration of what is fair. In WWII we used the bomb and didn't think twice. You use the best weapon you have.
In America 50 years ago 1$ was worth 10$ so imagine more the 100 years ago.
An exceptional movie. One could say Algren was subjected to Stockholm Syndrome and a myriad of other psychological issues, but the crux of the movie has nothing to do with that. It has to do with vast political influence on a (dare I say weak leader/figure head..... i.e. the emperor) by essentially a magnate type tycoon (railroads in this depiction), but had the story been in America it could have easily been oil tycoons and other mass influencers of business and dollars, and most importantly...... political influence. The truth of the movie in my opinion is a simple two-sided argument that led to conflict (not sure if it's true, but it was how it was portrayed in this film)..... It's the concept of feeling like.you have to leave culture and tradition behind to move forward as a country and a power. Certain parts of that are that will become evident in years leading up to December 7th 1941, but this story takes place cleary 100 years prior at least. What makes this movie and story great comes down to timing. I mean that it appears to be a TIME when the population has had some exposure to western culture, while vast majority of other parts of the culture still has not been exposed to it. It creates a unique set of circumstances where certain parts of the population are not ready to move to "western" presented ideas, and creates the exact opposite situation for the group of Japanese looking to expand culture based on "new ideas, thinking, technogies, and easier access to sea lanes." It really is a story about an individual subject of people destined to be relegated to history fighting for everything their culture stood for. It's a comes movie, with complex ideals...... and the jist of comes down to two things (and sort of the Emperor). The 2 things are: the wealthy of the country that control opinions and narratives at the highest levels, and the perception of the average people that leads them to make a basic choice to agree to ultimately support the Samurai or support Omurasan and the railroad. This time in Japanese history did happen, although not exactly portrayed as it was in this movie, but it was close enough. Makes a serious viewer about this movie to the point where it pulled at their heartstrings a little more curious to learn more about the time. As far as "the Last samurai", I thought he was from an African nation called Uganda, but may be wrong in that, but there were lots of actual excerpts of documents and historical records used in this movie. I am glad you watched it.
This is a wonderful, moving film and your reaction was awesome!!! I loved your witty commentary. Although, I'm not certain I'd classify this as a happy ending, per se. This is my second time watching one of your videos and I find you quite enchanting. Your voice and accent are heavenly, especially when you use profanity. LOL! I'm definitely a new subscriber and will be binge-watching many of your reactions! Thank you!
Omura both looks and sounds like a close friend of mine (Japanese), which is really weird and disturbing!
Tienes un acento y una manera de hablar muy bella.
In my opinion, Tom Cruise's best movie, but Ken Watanabe stole the show!
Konichiwa Y'all !!
MAJORCOOL !
Research the word “Inflation”
Emperor reside in Kyoto not Tokyo.
iq 23
Not crazy about the movie, but I enjoyed the reaction. It wasn't until your commentary at the end that I realized, I can't tell what color your eyes are. I have a color deficiency (color blind) in red/green. But they are striking whatever color they are. Good for you!
HA HA HA HAPPY ENDING HA HA HA
Amazing movie, amazing reaction!
I thought I already subscribe your channel months ago. I must of unsubscribe your channel some how. sorry. subscribing, again. I missed some videos got to catch up, now.❤
$500 USD/monthly in the 1870s with todays inflation is roughly ~$11,000/monthly and is ~$132,000 a year. So yeah he was making GOOD money...
I don't think all them $ is going to be very useful in the village he went back to 😂
ngl the most unemotional reaction I've ever seen to this film
Yeah, I was thinking the same. Plus her voice is annoying af.
why does he get back up? there you see diffrence between an real Alpha and a beta male ^^ you maybe not understand why getting back up is so important, but it sure is otherwise he will never get any respect by them.
LOL No. You're interpreting it wrongly.
Just look at the hollowness in Algren's expressions and movements throughout the entire scene. He isn't getting back up because he wants respect or to prove he's not weak. He is unconsciously moving on his own. Even though Algren's body and spirit may be broken at this time, the true warrior inside him keeps on fighting - just like the ferocious white tiger Katsumoto saw in his visions.
@@MIZZKIE mine was sort of a joke tho I understand you could not maybe notice that with just text but I was trying to see if I can get a reaction from anyone ^^ You are most likly right.
Absolute airhead
Yeah, her voice is also super annoying
@@jmab721 Well, no one is forcing you to watch and listen. Maybe show her some respect and just bow out quietly if you can't find anything nice to say. While I'm here, where is your own channel and amazing reactions to movies?
@@heather6668 But commenting is also allowed. The nature of the business is that negative comments are bound to come. If a video is being uploaded for the public to see, it's a given that both positive & negative responses will come.
Her voice is annoying.
@@jmab721 I'm not saying negative comments aren't allowed or that everyone has to like something, just that maybe there's a nicer way to say it. She's put in a lot of work to get that video online so she's far from an airhead and more than just an annoying voice. I've seen a lot of mid-20's male reactors who annoy f*** out of me to the point where I just can't finish the video but I try not to come down too hard as they're simply enjoying the film and perhaps a bit overexcited at times.
@@heather6668 You should comment on their videos if it annoys you. Whenever a reactor is stupid and annoying, I comment it (regardless of their gender btw, Idk why you brought that up)
I came here to see what the reaction was in the movie's climax & on the romantic scene. I have to say that I got extremely irritated by her even in such a short duration. What a an absolute cartoon, annoying one.
He get's up because even when defeated because he is American.
Being American has nothing to do with it.
@@crankfastle8138 It is showcasing the different ideologies between the east and the west.....eastern being you accept failure by acknowledging it, western by not accepting failure but continuing on even at the cost of respect/honor.......the old ways meet tne new.....kinda the premise of the movie, and Americans are the pinnacle of western society...........or I could have just said because he is American
Please talk less during the movie.
I'm sorry but it's a reaction video - that's what you chose to watch. If you want to watch the movie in silence, then go watch the movie instead of trying to belittle someone who is doing what is expected here.
you damn cutie!
I can not understand that actress kiss main character part. what does that mean? Did he kill her husband and then fell in love with him after a short time ? Stockholm Syndrome or what....This is so weird that it ruins this movie.
Avatar, Pocahontas
same hollywood formula
Evil corrupt white empire invades barbarian tribe
The protagonist as an imperial soldier, after coming into contact with the barbarians
Surprisingly found that although these people have a low level of technology, they all have noble sentiments.
In getting along day and night, the protagonist regains the values of selflessness, honor, and environmental protection.
Finally went to the barbarian's side, the reward is
1. Bring to Exotic Women
2. The patriarch's approval
3. The friendship and respect of the hawks in the tribe
The West has a love affair with attacking its own culture and people thanks to those in the media.
Algren was in the village for almost a year, so it's not a short time. And you can clearly see that Taka is still very conflicted about her emotions.
That kiss symbolises Alren's complete acceptance into the samurai.
It is not at all cheesy because - as Taka did say - samurai and their families understand that a warrior/soldier's duty is to fight; and that Algren faught for a cause the same way Hirotaro did. A samurai chooses to die in battle for honour, so as much as it hurts she cannot hold a grudge against Algren for killing her husband. That is the samurai way. As Katsumoto said, it was "a good death".
If that kiss didn't happen in the movie, then that means that Taka will forever be miserable about Algren killing Hirotaro. That just plain sucks, and she would be a completely pointless, unnecessary character. On top of that, that would mean that Taka is an emotionally weak character, unable to let go of the past and move on in life. That's not the samurai way.
It would have been cheesy if she completely fell in love with Algren, like a typical Hollywood movie. Thank god the writers avoided that and kept it real and meaningful.
Glad you enjoyed this movie. Pretty obvious you didn't felt it though. You are a very strong woman or just havent experienced real hardship/regret yet in life.
You have a very high voice and keep screaming.. that's kind of annoying.
Don't mean to insult you, it's just a remark