In A Heart of Darkness Lies a Battle For This World and the Next. During a dark age of demons and ghosts, the Heian Emperor relies upon the imperial order of the Onmyoji to protect the kingdom. However, as the birth of the emperor’s heir approaches, political intrigue and jealousy will lead to the most dangerous of betrayals-from within the Onmyoji and the Emperor’s family! It will be up to the most talented of the order, Seimei, to face his master, Doson, and the dark magic that threatens to destroy them all! Onmyoji the movie is based on the famous serial novels set during the popular Heian period by author Baku Yumemakura. Theatrically released in Japan, October 2001, “Onmyoji” played in over 2500 screens and grossed more than 3.1 billion Yen (approximately $23.6 million dollars).” A mystical tale set in Japan’s Heian era (794-1185 A.D.), when demons and sorcery lent intrigue to the business of ruling the kingdom, Onmyoji was Japan’s box office king in 2001. The emperor Mikado and his infant son are the targets of evil spells, and someone amidst the Onmyoji, the longtime supernatural guardians of the kingdom, is suspected of betrayal. A bumbling and somewhat cowardly court official named Minamoto no Hiromaki recruits the famed Japanese folk hero SeiMei, an easygoing yin-yang sorcery master, to help solve the mystery. The two develop a Holmes and Watson relationship while trying to thwart the conspirators. The movie fails to achieve much dramatic tension over a long two hours. With the exception of Mansai Nomura as SeiMei, the acting is exaggerated, as in bad theater. Some shoddy scene and sound editing leads to some clumsy transitions, and the special effects and fight scenes are of the made-for-TV quality. Still, with a lineup that includes Japanese pop idols Kyoko Koizumi and Eriko Imai and villains that cackle with such enthusiasm, Onmyoji nearly qualifies as a campy guilty pleasure. –Eugene Wei
