well, er, actually, he doesn't, except frequently on my little blue Daewoo TV screen, especially when I'm feeling down, things aren't making sense, emotions running high, etc.
I think I'm one of the biggest fans of this guy's work. Of course, the seminal Lone Wolf & Cub series is my hands-down favorite, but I like a lot of his other work as well. My very first introduction to him left me with an indelible memory: somehow, I got to see a part of "Shogun Assassin": must have been in my twenties?... not sure. Anyway, the image I remember is Ogami Itto, standing tall on a barren plain, holding a mysterious wooden baby carriage, with an adorable kid inside. The image then moves to this same guy killing many people (which I didn't like) with a grace, speed, skill and certainty that I hadn't seen on the screen since Bruce Lee (of whom I was also a big fan). The baby cart turns into an arsenal at the tap of the little kid's hand, the kid and his Dad had the same stoic, nuanced expressions on their faces ("I don't want to do this, but if I must, I'm going to do it very, very well).
Fast forward to New York, circa 2000: I was stuck in the city for a year when I wanted to be back in Tokyo. Living in a very tiny apartment, with a person whose personal habits I had a lot of trouble with. Work uncertain, family issues: it was not a stellar moment in my 42 years. But, I wandered over to Tower on Lafayette one evening, idly passing the sale video section, and lo and behold there's that same, "interesting" face that I remember from so many years ago. I rented it first, just to be sure. "Lone Wolf and Cub" Vol. 1. Absolutely incredible. From the riveting opening scene, to the very end, a masterpiece of its genre, and transcendent of it, in that the acting and direction left me feeling that I was there, in that world. Wakayama-san was able to convey such power, not only in his fighting, but in the way he handled the very rare, twisted sex scene (tasteful, sensual and tragic).
My interest grew quickly, and as a result, I have the whole "LW&C" series, also the "Shokin Kasegi" series (where he plays a Meiji era enforcer for the Satsuma clan), the "Gokuaku Bozu"series (where he plays Shinkai, the wicked priest) and 2 of the TV films he did with his younger brother, Shintaro "Zatoichi" Katsu. Many memorable moments. When I can do so (time and resources permitting) I want to research more about his life and work and write a book about him.
Well, back to work. Sore ni mohitotsu...
