This blind masseur / reluctant swordsman still roves Japan's forest trails and back roads, now presented in full color. The change in format lends extra visual punch to a series that didn't struggle in that department to begin with. _New Tale_ is just as visually poetic and well-composed as its two predecessors, despite changes in the director's chair, but now seems freer to experiment with tone and texture as it faithfully portrays everyday life among disparate classes in a bygone age.

In this adventure, Ichi returns to his home village after many years away, crosses swords with the vengeful sibling of a dispatched adversary and unexpectedly bumps into his old instructor. These main points fight hard against the grain - the avenging brother proves sympathetic and honorable, while the friendly ex-master is mixed up in a shady scheme - and cast Zatoichi in a different light. Cowtowed by the presence of an authority figure, he struggles to balance his innate sense of justice with the changes evident in a man he once revered. Their discord is real and palpable, largely portrayed by wary glances or awkward pauses as the two swordsmen begin to realize they're now at odds. The addition of a romantic subplot with the master's young sister only adds to this conflict and further pushes the blind samurai into murky, unfamiliar waters.

This all sets up very well, but the film holds onto its resolution for too long, rushes into an anticlimax and leaves many juicy aspects of the protagonist's past unexplored. There's still time to get into all that, what with twenty-three feature-length bullets left in the chamber (including two more before the end of 1963), but it still feels like a missed opportunity. The subtext is delicious, but I still felt hungry after the credits.