Sword of the Stranger
| Sword of the Stranger | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Masahiro Andō |
| Produced by | Masahiko Minami |
| Screenplay by | Fumihiko Takayama |
| Story by | Bones |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Naoki Satō |
| Cinematography | Yohei Miyahara |
| Edited by | Hiroaki Itabe |
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Production
company |
Bones
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| Distributed by | Shochiku |
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Release date
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Running time
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102 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language |
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Sword of the Stranger (Japanese: ストレンヂア 無皇刃譚 Hepburn: Sutorenjia Mukōhadan?, Stranger Mukōhadan) is a 2007 Japanese anime film directed by Masahiro Andō and produced by animation studio Bones. The film follows Kotaro, a young boy who is hunted by a group of swordsmen from Ming Dynasty China for mysterious reasons. Among the group is a fearsome Western fighter named Luo-Lang, whose only desire is to find a worthy opponent. Kotaro and his dog meet "Nanashi", a nameless ronin who is haunted by memories of his past which have led him to avoid drawing his sword ever again. When the Ming clash with a Sengoku-era feudal lord, a proud general, and monks torn between faith and survival, the reason behind the Ming group's pursuit tests the bond between Kotaro and Nanashi.
During the Sengoku-era in Japan, a young boy named Kotaro flees from mysterious pursuers with his dog, Tobimaru. The monk who had been watching over Kotaro, Shouan, tells him to seek help from Master Zekkai at the Mangaku temple in Akaike Province. Meanwhile, a group of Ming foreigners under the command of the elderly Lord Bai-Luan are escorted through Akaike by local liaisons. They are ambushed by bandits, but the bandits are slaughtered by the Ming's expert swordsman, Luo-Lang.
Kotaro and Tobimaru make their way across the land, briefly hiding out in a rundown temple where they meet Nanashi, a wandering swordsman. As Kotaro cooks a meal, smoke from his fire alerts his pursuers, who turn out to be the Ming foreigners accompanied by Akaike soldiers. Nanashi unintentionally gets involved in the fight and is able to kill the men, but Tobimaru is struck by a venomous dagger. Before Nanashi decides to leave, Kotaro offers to hire him as a bodyguard in order to save Tobimaru's life and take them to their destination safely.
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Wikipedia