Premodern Japanese literature in translation mostly draws from a small pool of universally acknowledged classics. But as Fumihiko Sori¡¯s enlightening if unwieldy action film ¡°Hakkenden: Fiction and Reality¡± reminds us, one writer from the Edo Period (1603-1868), Takizawa Bakin, churned out pulp fiction that had a large and lasting impact on Japanese pop culture.
Are you a fan of Akira Toriyama¡¯s ¡°Dragon Ball¡± manga series, which spawned a massively successful franchise? How about Kinji Fukasaku¡¯s 1978 ¡°Message from Space,¡± the Japanese film industry¡¯s answer to ¡°Star Wars¡±? They, as well as countless other media properties, took inspiration from Bakin¡¯s magnum opus, ¡°Satomi Hakkenden,¡± which was published in 108 volumes over the course of 28 years, from 1814 to 1842.
Unlike previous film versions, Sori¡¯s ¡°Hakkenden¡± presents both a bio of Bakin (Koji Yakusho) and a live-action digest of his novel, with the latter featuring the sort of snazzy digital effects characteristic of Sori¡¯s sci-fi work, including his ¡°Fullmetal Alchemist¡± trilogy (2017-22).
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