Sleepy Eyes of Death (12): Castle Menagerie

Kazuo Ikehiro, who directed two solid earlier entries in the series, ups his game in Sleepy Eyes of Death: Castle Menagerie (1969), Raizo Ichikawa's last appearance as Kyoshiro Nemuri before his early death. The simple plot involving Hidden Christians and a Kyoshiro doppelganger is easy to follow and that is a benefit. Another aspect of this production that stands out is the art production and visuals which are elevated in several scenes: the candle lit cemetery where an assassin tries to kill Kyoshiro with a bomb, the dream sequence with black and white bird clad figures and floating masks in a shrine, and the final duel in the autumnal forest. There are several exploitative elements in this episode as well-spurting blood, lesbians, near nudity, and an abortion clinic is part of the story line this time around. It makes sense these types of movies were aimed at the young male workers from the provinces who came to Tokyo to do blue collar jobs in construction and factories. These would peak in the early 70s with the Meiko Kaji "Scorpion" films and give birth to the "Pink" film industry. This film is definitely one of the best in the series and end s on a high note. Daei would continue the series with Hiro Matsykata in the lead role for two additional films, but I'm not sure I'll bother with those though.