Director Isshin Inudo
Starring Gen Hoshino, Issey Takahashi and Mitsuki Takahata
Rated Unclassified all ages
Score 5/6

Socially awkward Katagiri Harunosuke is a samurai librarian stuck between a rock and the entire Echisen Matsudaira samurai clan. Threatened with harakiri, he is forced to take charge of a large-scale mission to relocate the whole town on horses and porters across the water and over 500 kilometres away. Thankfully Oran Itakura daughter of the former relocation chief understands how complex and thankless this role is and eventually gives into her compassionate side and helps the pitiful Katagiri.

For those of you who are interested it turns out that Samurai Shifters was adapted from Akihiro Dobashi’s historical novel Hikkoshi Daimyo Sanzenri.
Going into Samurai Shifters I wasn’t sure what I was in for and going by the first couple of minutes of the movie I was expecting something that was going to be very serious as it was discussing the concept of Samurai Clans being required to move to other domains not being that familiar with Japanese history I’m not sure if this was a real life practice. Samurai Shifters had several funny scenes one of which involved possibly one of the most creative uses of porcelain that I have ever seen in a movie.
I really wasn’t that familiar with the director or anybody who was cast in this film. Katagiri Harunosuke portrayed by Gen Hoshino had an interesting character arc as he was forced to do this first thing since he was a child that was worth celebrating (as his mother put it). I hope to see more of Soma Torigoe who as far as I can tell was in his first movie role.