Gohatto (Taboo)

I'm not going to be unbiased in this review. I think Matsuda Ryuuhei (who plays Kano) is beautiful. I love ruthless-but-attractive swordsmen. I love samurai who love other samurai. Objective? Hah!

Gohatto (occasionally screened under the title Taboo) takes place in the Shogunate era of the late nineteenth century and tells of the lust between Kano Souzaburou and, well, pretty much every other member of the Shinsen-gumi militia. Yes, many of his associates keep falling for the emotionless, cold samurai, so much so that you might wonder whether this is an ordinary tale of lust between swordsmen, or a parody of one of those stories.

This love between the samurai is understated, and is silently communicated by the touch of a hand or a shy look. There is only one sex scene, between Kano and Captain Hijikata, which is probably the least appealing pairing out of the many suggested. Perhaps that's the point. Certainly this isn't yaoi, which cheerfully throws itself at the boy-fancying population, and gives us exactly what we're after.

Gohatto is based on two books, and it often shows. It's a shame that one of these times should be at the end. You'll find yourself wondering about the moral of the film, whether there is one, and perhaps what actually happened. So why do I adore this movie? Let me put it this way; Matsuda Ryuuhei is the most gorgeous bishounen you will see outside anime. Go on, type his name into a search engine if you don't believe me! Captain Hijikata is also worth a mention as he's played by the famous actor/director Kitano Takeshi, better known for directing gangster movies (Sonachine, Hanabi) and hosting his own bizarre talk-show ("Koko ga hen da yo, Nihonjin!").

Having watched this film in the cinema, I rushed out immediately to buy the soundtrack, which had lodged itself in my head. Luckily this wasn't a problem. Oshima Nagisa is a highly-regarded, mainstream director, and so Sakamoto Ryuuichi's score (and now the DVD) is easily available. On the doujinshi scene, things don't look as good. What ones I have seen don't even come close to matching the beauty of the film.