‘Yae: Blind Samurai Woman‘ is a fantasy action short film directed and produced by Akiko Izumitani, who also co-wrote the story with James ‘Doc’ Mason. It had a premiere at the 25th Dances with Films Film Festival.

In 18th Century feudal Japan, a young blind woman (Yuwi Kim) is living in the woods where she is cared for by her father (Nobuaki Shimamoto). One day, a mysterious warrior (Masa Kanome) arrives with only one thing on his mind: revenge. After he kills her father, the young woman has to take up her father’s sword and go after his killer.

I was able to see the movie at its premiere at Dances with Films, even getting to meet both the director and all three actors. Speaking with Ms. Izumitani, I got to hear her vision for the movie firsthand and that was an exciting conversation.

To be honest, I thoroughly enjoyed the short. It had some excellent fighting and choreography. The character building was well-done for having such a small runtime. They did a good job keeping it tight, flowing, and engrossing.

There was one scene where we got to see the world through the Samurai Woman’s perspective. It was a cool sequence and I wish I could have seen one more scene like it.

Ms. Izumitani told me that she hopes they can develop it into a television series and I hope that happens as it is a cool concept.

Check out the trailer below:

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, check out my reviews of the fan film Batman: Dying Is Easy and The Wrong Guy. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.

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