{"product_id":"0037429168226","title":"Zatoichi, Episode 1: The Tale of Zatoichi","description":"\"The character of the blind masseur\/swordsman, Zatoichi, is without a doubt the most popular Japanese movie hero ever. From his first appearance in this 1962 film to his last in 1988, Zatoichi (as played by the remarkable Shintaro Katsu) has dazzled audiences worldwide with his deft fighting skills and unbreakable sense of honor. Although the lone samurai Sanjuro (played by the legendary Toshiro Mifune) from Akira Kurosawa's classic film Yojimbo and its eponymously titled sequel may be more familiar to Western audiences, Zatoichi more than carries his own when it comes to longevity. For those of you who have never had the pleasure to watch a Japanese samurai film, then this release from Home Vision Entertainment should be a perfect introduction. The Tale of Zatoichi is the first installment in the saga of the blind swordsman, and luckily Home Vision plans on releasing 17 films in all (there are 26 films in the entire series though, not including the numerous television shows). The disc is presented in an excellent 2.35:1 aspect ratio and is available in its original Japanese language with optional English subtitles. The black-and-white picture is very nice, though some of the scenes are a bit too dark. So you may want to adjust the brightness level on your own monitor as desired. The disc includes 19 chapter stops, some interesting liner notes from self-proclaimed Ichi-Freak Tatsu Aoki, and a nice gallery of theatrical stills. But best of all, the disc comes with four Zatoichi trading cards showing scenes of the blind swordsman from his numerous sequels.\"","brand":"SONY PICTURES HOME ENT\/IMAGE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47084935610608,"sku":"0037429168226","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/0037429168226_p0.jpg?v=1763295308","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/0037429168226","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}