To Everything, Turn Turn Turn

Compilation of Digimon drawn in the style of Medieval manuscripts -- a digital bestiary if you will! Maybe I'll come back to this project again.

Finally got around to taking a look at the 70s Japanese adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo (English title: Aoi--The Betrayed Samurai) and while it's very clearly low-budget, so far it's not that bad of an adaptation? It's actually pretty accurate to the general beats of the novel, while also tweaking it for a Japanese setting. For instance, they swap out Monte Cristo for Okinawa, which I think is pretty clever.

Also in my opinion Masao Kusakari is a pretty underrated actor (especially outside Japan), so seeing him play Edmond Dantes (Aoi Tsukinosuke in this) is a treat. He's great, and surrounded by some quality Japanese talent.

The downside? No English subtitles, and no clean copies of the original Japanese audio unless you ship it from Japan. If you don't mind dubbing, it can be watched in German or Turkish since apparently it was rather popular in West Germany when it came out (known as Die Rache Des Samurai).

Despite the low budget and sometimes dodgy direction, I do think this is a fun curiosity if you're a fan of The Count of Monte Cristo.

Mercédès has a better ending than what Dumas gave her?

Does Héloïse has her storyline?

Were they kind with Hermine?

What did they do with Haydeé?

Mercédès is known as Miyuki, and after her husband dies and her brother commits seppuku she's taken in by a lord and allowed to stay with his family.

Haydeé is not a slave of royal descent, but rather known as Princess Mabi of Ryukyu. Her family takes Aoi into their royal court and she's an active player in his schemes--even gathering intel by dressing up in costumes like he does. She fights alongside him and they run off together in the end.

Héloïse, Heline, and Franz either don't exist in this version (Héloïse's plot is definitely not there) or so changed that I didn't recognize them as those characters. I wish there was English subtitles for this but alas!