Following my review of Doggy Poo years ago, this is my second foray into reviewing a title of Korean origin for Anime Dream. My own historical education having been focused more on Japan and China, the commentary I can provide on Korean animation and storytelling as opposed to the Japanese animation generally focused on here is limited. As such, I'm treating Blade of the Phantom Master with the same critical eye that I would any Japanese title - and I find it kind of odd that we only got the Japanese and English dub language tracks in its western release, but not its native Korean. At any rate, the only thing this film has in common with the aforementioned Doggy Poo is its Korean origins.

Blade of the Phantom Master has some interesting origins. Based on a Korean Manhwa released in both Japan and Korea, the movie was conceived as a multinational production - 70% animated by Japan's Oriental Light and Magic animation studio and South Korea's Character plan, and co-directed by Joji Shimura and Ahn Tae-kun. On top of that, the original comics draw heavily from Korean folk tales - in particular, The Legend of Chun Hyang. (The darker portrayal of the story actually drawing some controversy in South Korea.) Even the two lead characters are based on historical figures.

As much as I wanted to like Blade of the Phantom Master, I came away unimpressed. The story chronicles the wanderings of Munsu, an Amen Osa (a sort of special undercover traveling government agent who fights against corruption and tyranny), following the collapse of the Jushin Empire. The setting is modeled on feudal Korea, not unlike the the feudal Chinese basis for Fushigi Yuugi's fantasy setting. Like a loud-mouthed variation of Bolt Crank from Eat-Man, or any wandering warrior trope, really, Munsu travels the ruined land fighting for justice, with guns, explosives, and an army of Phantom Soldiers he can summon from a medal possessed only by the Amen Osa. Wherever he goes, oppressors and criminals face destruction, while the common people get an earful about having the guts not to let such people take power in the first place. This is one of the first things they establish with Munsu as a character: he's not just an anti-hero, he's a dick.

The film covers the first two story arcs from the Manhwa, separating them only with an extended quiet musical scene — which feels out of place in this release, as the original vocal music provided for this scene by Korean pop star BoA was cut entirely from its North American release, presumably due to licensing costs.

The first story details Munsu's encounter with Monlyon - a bright young man hoping to become an Amen Osa in order to save his lover, Chun Hyang, from the hands of the local tyrant. This encounter between hope and cynicism can only end one way - with desert monsters brutally killing the young man and eating his remains after our bastard protagonist negotiates his own safe release through the threat of dynamite-based group suicide. On the whole, Blade of the Phantom Master is plenty graphically violent (think "Ninja Scroll" violent) for the anime fan seeking that sort of fix. Slightly softer inside, Munsu heads to Monlyon's home, kicks ass, takes names, and rescues the imprisoned scantily clad Chun Hyang. She, being a powerful swordswoman with an unexplained monstrous right arm, changes her name to "Sando" (Meaning bodyguard) and insists on joining Munsu in his travels to honor Monlyon as the titular "Blade" of our Phantom Master lead. Then she gets perhaps 4 or 5 spoken lines at most for the entirety of the film, most of which amounts to apologies. A contradictory character in that she's a strong female figure in the story, but mostly overshadowed by the often-unsympathetic Munsu throughout.

The second arc tells the story of a journey the pair take to a strange, small island where everything is suspiciously peaceful for a time. Between these two storylines, the film ends up feeling an awful lot like the short OVA series and aborted TV series frequently brought to North America in the '90s, which would introduce a world, story, and characters, and then drop everything before the story feels like it's even begun to go anywhere. There's a dissatisfaction that comes with watching releases of this nature, though like many of those, Blade of the Phantom Master was undoubtedly produced for the established fanbase. (And to potentially draw even more attention to the Manhwa from newcomers.)

Blade of the Phantom Master's production values aren't bad on the whole. The animation's crisp and fluid and the action itself is intense and compelling to watch — that's pretty much the main reason to watch the film. The character designs and overall art style, in their Korean origins, differ enough from expected and well-trodden Japanese anime visuals to provide a bit of an exotic thrill for the bored otaku as well, while not straying so far as to be unfamiliar. But the soundtrack — with the BoA songs removed — is completely forgettable.

The bottom line is: Blade of the Phantom Master is pretty much a title for those thirsty for a new Ninja Scroll-style action flick with lots of graphic violence, but even that crowd might not be entirely satisfied, as far more time is spent on developing its awkwardly paced story (without a single character you really get to warm up to, the constant darkness of it draining the story of any trace of humanity, its leads largely undeveloped) than throwing you into the heat of battle. You get two relatively-brief epic throwdowns at the end of the stories, complete with gunplay, swordplay, explosives, and lots of blood. The rest of it is conversation and exposition that suffers from its weak characters and humorlessness. The film's one mascot character - a tiny cartoony black bat - feels entirely out of place.

How ever you look at it, Blade of the Phantom Master is simply a mediocre film. It has a lot of interesting things going for it in its cultural origins, and good intentions behind its themes (Stop looking to miracles and gods - don't expect anyone else to solve your problems for you! Find strength from within and be your own savior!), but for the most part, it isn't particularly entertaining.