Source: FUNimation Entertainment
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For centuries there lived warriors of darkness With strange powers and arcane skills Living only for battle They were the `SHINOBI` The year is 1614. Japan has been united under Tokugawa Ieyasu, first of the Tokugawa Shoguns and the land is beginning to feel at peace. Two remote ninja villages, Manjidani in the land of Koga and Tsubagakure in Iga, are ancient enemies but have long been bound by a peace agreement pressed on them by the first Hattori Hanzo forbidding them to fight. The heirs to the leadership of both clans, Gennosuke of Koga and Oboro of Iga, have fallen in love but a tragic fate awaits them in Ieyasu’s cruel plot to wipe these two clans from existence by breaking the peace agreement and forcing the two clans to battle. Five Ninjas of each the Koga and Iga clans will battle against each other to the death. As a great war begins it brings the two young heirs together again... but this time as enemies. Shochiku’s 2005 feudal romantic fantasy SHINOBI: HEART UNDER BLADE was directed by Ten Shimoyama (ST JOHN`S WORT, BLOOD HEAT). The cast includes Yukie Nakama (GAMERA: REVENGE OF IRIS, RING 0: BIRTHDAY, TRICK, G@ME), Joe Odagiri (MASKED RIDER KUGA, AZUMI, BLACK KISS, PRINCESS RACCOON, RETRIBUTION), Kazuo Kitamura (HIGH AND LOW, KWAIDAN, TARO THE DRAGON BOY, SINKING OF JAPAN) and Erika Sawajiri (ASHURA, GHOST TRAIN). SHINOBI features action choreography by Yuji Shimomura (VERSUS, THE PRINCESS BLADE) and visual effects by Hiroyuki Hayashi (AVALON, GHOST IN THE SHELL 2: INNOCENCE). THEATER SCHEDULE February 9-15 Portland, OR: The Hollywood Theater February 12, 9:00pm Phoenix, AZ: Christown 11 Scottsdale, AZ: Shea 14 Tempe, AZ: Centerpoint 11 Oklahoma City, OK: Bricktown 16 February 23-25 New York, NY: New York Comic Con Film Festival