Roughly a year after his first run-in with the shady Yakuza types of small-town Japan, a notorious blind swordsman blows back into town seeking an encore. Actually, the hopeful pacifist Zatoichi is merely interested in paying his respects at the grave of a fallen comrade, the honorable samurai he out-dueled last time, but the shadier denizens of this corrupt village have long memories and see his visit as an opportunity for revenge. While that drama plays out, Ichi makes enemies with a misbehaving prince, befriends a trio of prostitutes and crosses paths with another acquaintance: a one-armed former romantic rival who still carries a grudge. The latter is portrayed by Tomisaburō Wakayama, later known for his lead role in the _Lone Wolf and Cub_ films (and star Shintaro Katsu's real-life brother), which makes his eventual duel with Ichi doubly interesting as a sort of unofficial pre-crossover. Not for the last time, either, as 1970 would produce a match between our blind protagonist and Toshirô Mifune's _Yojimbo_... but that's a topic for another time. As _The Tale Continues_ is concerned, I found it a mild step down from the first film. There's more action this time, and a much faster pace, but the additional subplots make for a less focused narrative and drain power from the larger developments and reveals of the third act. Another outstanding performance from Katsu, though, and wow, what a final shot!

Not as good as the original (and will make no sense if the audience hasn't seen the original). A disjointed and confusing first half, becomes much stronger in the second as events link with the first film and the audience learns more about Zatoichi. The initial scenes set up the conflict that forces Zatoichi to fight, but the motivations of the villains in the story are unconvincing and, unlike the original, there is no obvious match to Zatoichi's abilities until the reveal of a connection to one of the characters in the film. The fighting sequences are again choreographed to show Zatoicho's speed and skill, though it is a shame that the bloodless nature of these scenes lessens their impact.