Shurayuki-hime is a word-play on Shirayuki-hime (the Japanese name for Snow White) and comes straight from the manga the first film was based on. I don't have anything to add to that. It's just a fun bit of trivia.
Anyway, Meiko Kaji returns to her signature role of Lady Snowblood for this sequel (even though the first movie implies she doesn't survive its events), but her character is unfortunately pushed to the side as there are various other characters and sub-plots taking up the runtime. Also, the trademark umbrella sword doesn't appear in the sequel. Lady Snowblood doesn't act fueled by vengeance in this movie, despite its title, but instead gets tangled in a web of Meiji era politics, anarchism, police brutality, and the main villain politician's strange HQ with bright red walls, an aquarium with koi fish, and a stuffed tiger which demonically flashes its eyes in one scene.
Unfortunately, the sequel doesn't have Lady Snowblood's awesome title tune from the first movie, but it does offer some neat instrumental music. The tone of the film is much darker and there are fewer violent scenes, but they are more graphic and some of them are just plain unsettling, like the scenes of torture of political prisoners. The story isn't divided into chapters this time around, but the recognizable narration is still there, not to mention the stock footage combined with scenes from the manga. Juzo Itami, director of Tampopo and A Taxing Woman appears as anarchist Ransui Tokunaga.
The cinematography is once again, fantastic, and Toshiya Fujita proves himself as a director who knows how to work with colors and framing. The opening sequence taking place on the beach is especially well done.
Lady Snowblood 2 isn't as good as the original; mostly because the plot is messier and Meiko Kaji's role isn't as significant and somewhat downplayed. The sequel is also more serious in tone and has more nudity. It's a moderately entertaining movie (outside of the gory scenes) and it's technically well done, if you can overlook stuff like Lady Snowblood being wounded by two gunshots at the end and looking like it isn't even a big deal.
Anyway, Meiko Kaji returns to her signature role of Lady Snowblood for this sequel (even though the first movie implies she doesn't survive its events), but her character is unfortunately pushed to the side as there are various other characters and sub-plots taking up the runtime. Also, the trademark umbrella sword doesn't appear in the sequel. Lady Snowblood doesn't act fueled by vengeance in this movie, despite its title, but instead gets tangled in a web of Meiji era politics, anarchism, police brutality, and the main villain politician's strange HQ with bright red walls, an aquarium with koi fish, and a stuffed tiger which demonically flashes its eyes in one scene.
Unfortunately, the sequel doesn't have Lady Snowblood's awesome title tune from the first movie, but it does offer some neat instrumental music. The tone of the film is much darker and there are fewer violent scenes, but they are more graphic and some of them are just plain unsettling, like the scenes of torture of political prisoners. The story isn't divided into chapters this time around, but the recognizable narration is still there, not to mention the stock footage combined with scenes from the manga. Juzo Itami, director of Tampopo and A Taxing Woman appears as anarchist Ransui Tokunaga.
The cinematography is once again, fantastic, and Toshiya Fujita proves himself as a director who knows how to work with colors and framing. The opening sequence taking place on the beach is especially well done.
Lady Snowblood 2 isn't as good as the original; mostly because the plot is messier and Meiko Kaji's role isn't as significant and somewhat downplayed. The sequel is also more serious in tone and has more nudity. It's a moderately entertaining movie (outside of the gory scenes) and it's technically well done, if you can overlook stuff like Lady Snowblood being wounded by two gunshots at the end and looking like it isn't even a big deal.