After The Flowers (Hana no Ato) 2010

Ito is a member of a small clan in the Tohoku region. One day she meets a young swordsman of a lower social caste named Magoshiro (Shuntaro Miyao) and challenges him to a friendly duel with bamboo swords. The exhilarating match sparks feelings between the two, but Ito is already betrothed to another man and decides to put Magoshiro out of her mind and wait for her fiance to return from his studies in Edo. However, when Magoshiro is forced to commit seppuku due to the plotting of a cowardly noble, Ito decides to take it upon herself to seek justice.

Director: Nakanishi Kenji

Stars: Kitagawa Keiko, Aitsuki Akiko, Miya Shuntaro

JDramaMama's Rating: B

I loved this film, I really did. It was nice to see a woman displaying skilled swordsmanship and taking it upon herself to avenge the man she loved. There is no happy ending to this movie, it's sad. A young woman is betrothed to someone she doesn't love, meets a man she does love, and all of a sudden he has to take his own life because of corruption. Lovely looking film with beautiful scenes and the lead actress is stunning. Worth a watch.

#Japan #martialarts #drama #jidaigeki