Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Hiroshima Death Match: Fukasaku Kinji’s second film in the series is less a sequel and more an independent story set in the same universe, even if the chronology moves up a bit and characters from the first film make crucial appearances. The films are perfectly consistent with each other, both aesthetically and thematically. This time around, the main character is even more interesting: he is a maniac, and potentially less likable than the original protagonist, but as a matter of fact, he does show some humanity. He is nicely portrayed by Kin’ya Kitaooji, even if some excesses pop up here and there. His romantic interest, played by Kaji Meiko, is lovely and justifies his actions. Cinematographer Yoshida Sadaji and editor Miyamoto Shintaro once more imprint the film with a sense of gritty realism; composer Tsushima Toshiaki extends his beautiful work, adding a romantic theme to the mix.

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