Bôhachi bushidô: Sa burai

Actor Goro Ibuki is underrated and certainly deserves to receive more credit than he gets. Back during the 1970s I bought a 45-RPM vinyl record which featured Mr. Ibuki singing the theme song from his television series, Omimiyaku (Samurai Secret Agent). I felt he was perfectly suited for that TV role. Yet on the other hand I felt Mixed emotions about his Bohachi role-- as compared to Tetsuro Tanba whose looks and demeanor were well-suited for the decadence of his Shiro character. Yet Ibuki did the best he could, and the end result was passable. If samurai fans want to see Ibuki at his best, they should see him in his Omimiyaku series. Also in his other tv series, Muyonosuke (Stray Dog Ronin) in which he portrays a ronin similar to Mifune's Sanjuro. Another great appearance from television was where he appeared in a single episode of "Seven Duels of Yagyu Jubei" in which Ibuki fought the titular character. Of those 3 roles, only the 7-Duels is Subtitled and currently available on DVD. Highly recommended.