remakemoments

I create this trailer with English subtitle using automatic speech to text software and bing translator and double checked for correctness in translation.

I can't read or write Chinese and my listening and speaking ability is the same as an average Joe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eqy_eSqnkM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYZIHkMABOk

For the speech to text engine I have used Azure from Microsft

You need to used sound files with .wav extensions for it to work.

You can also use the engine to type text for you if you are in a lazy mood.

If you encounter something on Youtube, but you can't understand it because there is no translation file.

Use a downloader that can download the sound, mostly it is in MP3 format, use another tool to transform it into .wav format.

If there are too many background noise, for example too loud background music, the speech to text engine is less successful.

I am impressed at how well it perform if I could remove most of the background noise.

For text image I have used an OCR app (Optical Character Regcognition) that was able to scan Chinese Characters.

The app is called ScanScan, but I can't find it on Google Playstore anymore, probably removed because of so called national security issues.

This app works the best from all the apps I have tried to do the work.

You can scan 5 times a day for free, if you need more than 5 times a day, you have to pay because the cost of their infrastructure.

I used another tool to collect all the image I need to scan and auto cut out all the text that need to be scanned.

I only have to scan 1-3 times a day with this method.

Most software can be used for free if you used your brains without pirating.

I have used Bing translator instead of Google translator to translate the text results.

To make the videos, I have use Adobe Premiere Pro for one month, the price is simply too high if you are not using it for your work.

I have thought about using a student licence, I thought about paying my daughter to download it and using it instead, to get it cheaper like a lot of people are doing this way.

At the end I found DaVinci Resolve, this piece of software is even more professional than Adobe Premiere Pro and the best of it, it is totally free.

DaVinci Resolve can only run smoothly if your computer is well build with a good graphic card, otherwise it will often crashed.

Less than two months ago I haven't made a Youtube video before.

Sword of the stranger

December 7, 2020

Sword of the Stranger (ストレンヂア無皇刃譚, Sutorenjia Mukōhadan, Stranger Mukōhadan) is a 2007 Japanese anime film directed by Masahiro Andō and produced by the animation studio Bones.

The film follows Kotaro, a boy who is hunted by a group of Ming swordsmen for a sinister purpose. Among the group is a fearsome Western fighter named Luo-Lang, whose only desire is to find a worthy opponent. Kotaro and his dog find “Nanashi”, a nameless ronin whose violent past has led him to forbid drawing his sword again. When the Ming warriors clash with a feudal lord, a proud general, and monks divided between faith and survival, the reason behind the mission of the Ming group forges a bond between Nanashi, Kotaro and his dog Tobimaru.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVfGN5GuYm0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atojK6mJv3M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_45mVff6J4

Characters

Nanashi (名無し) (means “No Name” or “Nameless”, referring to warriors that were lost in battle)

A ronin who has no name and haunted by his terrible past. He has served under different warlords and after committing atrocities under their commands, he has sworn to keep his sword sheathed. He has red hair and dyes his hair black to avoid being recognized as a foreigner. Nanashi knows nothing of his origins other than that he was the only survivor of a sinking ship. After meeting the young Kotaro and his dog Tobimaru, Nanashi decides to act as the boy's bodyguard. This leads to his prolonged struggle against the Ming warriors, particularly the Western swordsman Luo-Lang.

Kotaro (仔太郎)

Kotaro is a young orphan with his traveling companion Tobimaru, the Shiba Inu dog. He is pursued by Ming swordsmen as well as the soldiers of Akaike because he is suspected of being the prophesied child whose blood is required by the Ming to create an eternal elixir. He “hires” Nanashi to protect him after the ronin saves him from an attack in an abandoned temple.

Tobimaru (飛丸)

Kotaro's dog and companion. Tobimaru is poisoned by a Ming warrior and curing him provides the catalyst for Nanashi and Kotaro to work together. After Kotaro is captured by Luo-Lang, Tobimaru helps Nanashi find and save the boy before he can be sacrificed.

Lord Akaike (金亥)

A greedy Japanese lord who agrees to help Luo-Lang with his project, but then tries to betray and exploit him.

Shogen Itadori (虎杖将藍)

One of the chief vassals of Lord Akaike. He is a warrior whose swordsmanship skills have helped him rise above the rank-and-file soldiers and into power. He is driven by the ambition of one day becoming the ruler of an independent territory.

Shouan (祥庵)

He is a skilled archer under the command of Shogen Itadori and hopes one day to marry the princess Akaike.

Master Bai-Luan (白鸞)

The leader of the Ming group. He is responsible for chasing Kotaro to Japan on the Emperor’s order to create an elixir for everlasting life. He is completely dedicated to the Emperor and sees Luo-Lang and the other warriors as mere tools to achieve his mission.

Luo-Lang (羅狼)

A Western blonde-haired, blue-eyed warrior, second-in-command of the Ming group under Master Bai-Luan and an extremely skilled swordsman. Calculating and ruthless, Luo-Lang is driven by the thrill of the fight and lives for the moment where he can clash swords with a worthy opponent. He fights with Nanashi because of the challenge rather to complete the mission of his master Bai-Luan.

Plot

The story begins during the Sengoku period with a young boy named Kotaro who escapes unknown pursuers with his dog Tobimaru, and is directed by the monk Shouan to seek help from Master Zekkai at the Mangaku Temple in the Akaike Province. Meanwhile, a group of Ming Chinese warriors under the command of the elderly master Bai-Luan is being escorted by soldiers of Lord Akaike who he as agreed to allow the Ming to build a large altar on his land in exchange for gold. The group is ambushed by bandits, but they are slaughtered by the Ming's expert Western swordsman, Luo-Lang.

While sheltering in an abandoned temple, Kotaro encounters Nanashi, a wandering swordsman, but they are found by a search party of two Ming warriors with Akaike soldiers. A Ming warrior attacks the duo, and Nanashi kills him, but Tobimaru is wounded by a poisonous dagger. Kotaro hires Nanashi as a bodyguard and he takes Tobimaru to a doctor where the dog is treated. Meanwhile, Akaike soldiers capture the second Ming, Tu-Si, who is tortured to divulge the purpose of the altar. Tu-Si reveals that they are on a mission from the Ming Emperor to create an elixir of immortality known as the Xian Medicine. The essential ingredient is the blood of a prophesied child, the boy Kotaro, who can only be sacrificed at certain time of the year. Lord Akaike then changes his plans to capture Kotaro and hold him for a high ransom.

Meanwhile, Nanashi reveals a few details about his past to Kotaro; that he fought for different masters but knows nothing of his origins except that he is a shipwreck survivor with red hair, and dyes it black to enable him to blend in with the Japanese population. Nanashi leaves Kotaro in the care of Shoaun and the monks at the Mangaku Temples, however the monks turn Kotaro over to the Ming to save their own lives. When the Akaike arrive and attempt to take the boy, Nanashi realizes that something is wrong and returns. The Ming warriors have already left with Kotaro so Tobimaru leads Nanashi as the dog tracks Kotaro and his captors.

When Bai-Luan learns of Lord Akaike's betrayal, the Ming capture him and use him as a human shield at the fortress containing the altar to await the prophesied time. Itadori, an ambitious Akaike general, leads a small battalion of soldiers to rescue Lord Akaike. However, Itadori decides to kill Akaike and seizes the opportunity to take command. The troops now attack the fortress, but in the ensuing bloody battle, most of the Ming and Akaike soldiers are killed, including Itadori.

Nanashi finally arrives at the fortress, but is momentarily knocked unconscious. He recalls the incident years earlier when he was ordered to execute two children and he vowed to never unsheathe his sword. When Nanashi recovers and sees Kotaro about to be sacrificed, he draws his sword and fights his way to the altar, saving Kotaro. Bai-Luan attempts to shoot Nanashi, but Luo-Lang kills his master so that he can challenge Nanashi to a final duel. The two swordsmen engage in a tremendous sword fight, destroying the structure in the process. Despite suffering many injuries, Nanashi finally defeats Luo-Lang who slowly dies, somewhat shocked by his defeat. The next morning, Kotaro, rides off on horseback carrying Tobimaru and the badly wounded and barely conscious Nanashi, talking about starting a new life together.

Source Wikipedia

Mulan 2020 VS Mulan 1998

December 6, 2020

This is a comparison between similar scenes from Mulan 2020 VS Mulan 1998.

I have used the timeline of the Mulan 2020 version to make this comparison.

After reading online that a movie that is targeting the Chinese market don't even have Chinese subtitles.

I decided to add the translation myself.

I don't read or write Chinese, I have used Bing translator to do the translation work.

Google translator is very good at translating languages using the Alphabet but is bad at translating Chinese characters.

I found a Chinese subtitle for the Mulan 1998 version, but it is in traditional Chinese writings, so I have used Bing translator to convert it into simplified Chinese, the Chinese writing they used in mainland China.

For the Mulan 2020 version I have used a Dutch subtitle, don't be angry if the translation is not accurate. I can't check it myself

The Mulan 2020 version has been criticized by a lot of fake historians who all have a double agenda after doing some research on them.

It has also been critized by a lot of Asians people who complained that the movie didn't used an Asian scriptwriter and so on.

Did Mulan 2020 deserve that many negativity?

There have been a lot of things that could have been done right if they had used the right production team, but they try their best to make a film that is very good if you have a positive thinking mind.

The clothing and buildings in this film is not from that area and timeline.

The director (Niki Caro) of this film try to use colors and scenery that is so characteristic for most of Zhang Yimou films that made the man a legend.

She failed, but at least she tried.

If you for any reason can put away prejudices than you can see they spend a lot of efforts to make this movie a very watchable entertaiment for the whole family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI2Mk6vlZ1w

Mulan (2020 film)

Mulan is a 2020 American action drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1998 animated film of the same name, itself based on the Chinese folklore “The Ballad of Mulan”. The film stars Yifei Liu in the title role, alongside Donnie Yen, Tzi Ma, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Ron Yuan, Gong Li, and Jet Li in supporting roles. It is directed by Niki Caro, with a screenplay by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Lauren Hynek, and Elizabeth Martin. Plans for a live-action remake began in 2010 but the project stalled in development hell for most of the decade. Filming took place in New Zealand and China from August to November 2018. Over the course of production, the film was the subject of several controversies, including changes to the source material and filming in Xinjiang in light of the Uyghur genocide and Xinjiang re-education camps.

Mulan's Hollywood premiere was held on March 9, 2020. Originally scheduled to be a wide theatrical release later that month, it was ultimately cancelled in the United States after being delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney instead premiered the film on September 4, 2020 on Disney+, for a premium fee in countries where the service had launched. The film had a traditional theatrical release in countries without Disney+ where theaters have re-opened. With a production budget of $200 million, the film grossed $70 million at the box office, not including digital earnings from Disney+. The film received generally positive reviews from western critics, who praised the action sequences, visuals, and performances but criticized the screenplay. It received less favorable reviews from Chinese audiences, who criticized the character development and mishandling of cultural elements.

Plot:

In Imperial China, Hua Mulan is an adventurous and active girl, to the disappointment of her parents, who hope that one day she will be wed to a good husband. As a young woman, Mulan is forced to meet with a matchmaker to demonstrate her fitness as a future wife. Mulan, flustered, attempts to pour tea in front of the matchmaker, but a spider causes a panic that destroys the kettle, and the matchmaker calls her a disgrace in front of her family.

To the north, an imperial outpost is invaded by Rouran warriors, under the leadership of Böri Khan. They are assisted by the witch Xianniang, who uses her magic to pose as a surviving soldier and report the attack to the Emperor of China; he then issues a conscription decree ordering every family to contribute one man to fight Khan's forces.

Imperial soldiers arrive in Mulan's village to enlist recruits and her elderly and frail father Hua Zhou is forced to pledge his service as he has no sons. Realizing that her father has no chance of survival, Mulan flees with his armor, horse, and sword to join in his place. Mulan arrives at the training camp, which is run by Commander Tung, an old comrade of Hua Zhou. Alongside dozens of other inexperienced recruits, she ultimately becomes a trained soldier under his tutelage without exposing her true identity.

The Khan's army continues to advance, forcing Tung to end training early and send his battalion to fight. Mulan chases some troops on her own, but is confronted by Xianniang, who mocks her for pretending to be a man. She attempts to kill Mulan, but her attacks are stopped by the leather with which Mulan's chest had been bound to hide her identity. Mulan removes her male disguise, returning to the battle just as the Rourans begin attacking her fellow troops with a trebuchet. Mulan uses discarded helmets and her archery skills to maneuver the trebuchet into firing on a snowy mountain, triggering an avalanche that buries the Rourans.

Mulan rides back to camp and rescues Chen Honghui, a soldier she befriended in camp. Unable to hide her true gender any longer, she is expelled from the army and begins her return home. On her way, she is confronted by Xianniang, who reveals that she was also shunned by her people and fights for Böri Khan only because he treats her as an equal. Additionally, she reveals that the attacks on the outposts have been a diversion, as Khan's true plan is to capture and execute the Emperor for having his father killed. Risking execution, Mulan returns to her battalion to warn them of the impending capture. Tung decides to believe her, and allows her to accompany a unit to the Emperor's palace.

Xianniang, posing as the Imperial Chancellor, persuades the Emperor to accept Böri Khan's challenge to single combat, while removing the city guards from their posts. The guards are murdered, and the Rourans prepare to burn the Emperor alive. Mulan's unit distracts the Rourans while Mulan goes to save the Emperor. Khan tries to snipe her with an arrow, but Xianniang, sympathetic to Mulan and disenchanted with Khan, transforms into a bird and sacrifices herself by intercepting the arrow. Mulan kills Khan, but not before he disarms her and destroys her father's sword. She frees the Emperor, who offers to let her join his personal guard. She declines the offer and returns to her village.

Mulan is reunited with her family. An emissary from the Emperor, under the leadership of Commander Tung, arrives to present Mulan with a new sword, while making a personal request that she join the Emperor's Guard.

Source Wikipedia

War of the arrows

December 4, 2020

War of the Arrows (Korean: 최종병기 활; Hanja: 最終兵器 활; RR: Choejongbyeonggi Hwal), alternately titled Arrow: The Ultimate Weapon, is a 2011 South Korean period action film starring Park Hae-il, Ryu Seung-ryong and Moon Chae-won. Set after the Second Manchu invasion of Korea (Qing invasion), the film is about an archer who risks his life to save his sister from slavery under Qing-Prince Dorgon's rule.

Praised by critics for its fast pacing and combat sequences, the film drew an audience of 7.48 million, making it the highest grossing Korean film of 2011. It was also honored at the 48th Grand Bell Awards and the 32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards, including Best Actor for Park, Best Supporting Actor for Ryu, and Best New Actress for Moon. The film is also notable for the rare use of the Manchu language in some of its dialogue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXGHhZuVfSM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ebnhY0cgfg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wg6b896cZ2o

Cast:

Park Hae-il as Choi Nam-yi

Lee David as young Nam-yi

Moon Chae-won as Choi Ja-in

Jeon Min-seo as young Ja-in

Kim Mu-yeol as Kim Seo-goon

Ryu Seung-ryong as Jyuushinta

Park Ki-woong as Dorgon, Prince of Qing Manchu-China

Ryohei Otani as Nogami

Kim Ku-taek as Gang-du

Lee Han-wi as Gab-yong

Lee Geung-young as Kim Mu-seon

Kang Eun-jin as Eun-yi

Lee Seung-joon as Wan-han

Lee Jae-gu as Hoo-man

Park No-shik as Jang-soon

Yoon Dong-hwan as Choi Pyeong-ryung

The film begins with two children Nam-yi and Ja-in being chased by King Injo's guards and saved by their father Choi Pyeong-ryung, an officer of King Gwanghae and a skilled archer. He sends his own children to find a place of refuge with his best friend Kim Mu-seon. As they escape crying, Ja-in begs her brother to go back to their father but their father is killed in front of Nam-yi. Nam-yi, though bitten by the guard dogs, kills them and escapes with Ja-in.

Nam-yi becomes the only family Ja-in has. 13 years later Nam-yi (Park Hae-il) is now a skilled archer and hunter. He hunts with companions Gang-du, Gab-yong, and Seo-goon. He learns from Mu-seon's son Seo-goon (Kim Mu-yeol) that he and Ja-in (Moon Chae-won) plan to get married, with the approval of Mu-seon who is also Ja-in's godfather. He is very unhappy about this.

During the wedding, Nam-yi is up in the mountains hunting deer. He hears the rumble of the Manchu invading forces. When Nam-yi makes it back to the village, he finds his foster father slaughtered and his sister taken away. Nam-yi then sets out to find the Qing army and take out their army with his bow. He ambushes a scouting party, and the royal guard set out to find him.

Before being trapped in Manchuria, the prisoners rebel, with Nam-yi coming at the nick of time to save Seo-goon and free the rest of the prisoners. The Royal Guard again come to the field late, but see the distinctive red arrows. Nam-yi, Seo-goon, Gang-du, and Gab-yong, seek out the Manchu camp, finding it well guarded and Ja-in still alive. The great commander of the Qing army, Jyuushinta (Ryu Seung-ryong) rides with the Palace guard. Nam-yi captures the Manchu prince, douses him with alcohol, and holds him hostage until sun rise until his sister and Seo-goon can escape, promising to meet them at a hut. He then sets the prince and his tent on fire, sowing chaos in the camp.

Jyuushinta arrives at the camp at daybreak, to find it disarray, with the prince dead.

Jyuushinta then sets out to find Nam-yi.

Gang-du and Gab-yong both sacrifice themselves biding Nam-yi time. At a gorge, Nam-yi leaps across and is pinned down by the Manchu before they decide to cross. As they cross, he is able to kill three of them, but refuses to kill Jyuushinta, though the opportunity presents itself. At the rendezvous hut, two Manchu ambush Seo-goon and Ji-an, but are killed.

On the other side of the gorge, Nam-yi runes to the top of a ridge and as he does so, gets shot in the arm. Though Nam-yi is shot in the arm, he is able to lure a tiger to attack the Manchu in a canyon, and allude again them while taking a few of their dropped arrows.

After escaping, he fashions a tongah arrow guide to shoot a short arrow and uses it to wound the last member of the group. He then uses a broadtip arrow to dispatch the soldier that attempts to pick him. Finally, predicting where Jyuushinta is placed, he bends the trajectory of his last arrow. Jyuushinta is saved by his mute serviceman.

Nam-yi rides away to find Ja-in as he assumes that Jyuushinta is dead. Meanwhile, Nam-yi finds Ja-in in a field. They are about to reunite when Ja-in sees Jyuushinta aiming at Nam-yi from a cliff. But before the arrow hits, Ja-in shoots the horse and Nam-yi falls. As Nam-yi and Jyuushinta face off, Ja-in runs in between them. Nam-yi's arrow barely touches Ja-in's dress, but Jyuushinta's finds its mark. It goes through Ja-in, and into Nam-yi's heart. Despite Ja-in's protests, Nam-yi pulls it out, and shoots Jyuushinta with it. Jyuushinta falls to the ground and dies. Nam-yi falls down as well but Ja-in catches him on her lap. Nam-yi says that they should go back to their old home in Hanyang before dying.

Ja-in lays Nam-yi into a boat and she and Seo-goon cross back over the river into their homeland.

Source Wikipedia

The Admiral: Roaring Currents

December 2, 2020

The Admiral: Roaring Currents ( 명량 鳴梁 Myeongryang ) or simply The Admiral, is a 2014 South Korean epic action-war film directed and co-written by Kim Han-min. Based on the historical Battle of Myeongnyang, it stars an ensemble cast led by Choi Min-sik as the Korean naval commander Yi Sun-sin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSi6aeMIIj4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta9eTBqh5Gk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7hm6XgEsBI

The film around the titular Battle of Myeongnyang circa 1597, regarded as one of legendary Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin's most remarkable naval victories, in which he led the only 12 ships remaining in his command to a heroic victory against an invading Japanese fleet numbering 333 vessels.

At the onset of the battle at their base in Haenam, the Japanese invaders under Tōdō Takatora are confident that their planned expedition to Hansong to capture King Seonjo will meet with success. This despite the fact they remain reserved over the news that Joseon's greatest admiral, Yi Sun-sin, has been restored to his former command following the disaster at Chilcheollyang, which has reduced the Korean navy to a mere dozen battle-ready ships. In order to ensure success of the operation, Hideyoshi sends one of his finest naval war leaders to Joseon: Kurushima Michifusa, the commander of the Murakami Clan Navy, and an expert in naval combat who, however, enjoys a shaky reputation among his fellow daimyō as a pirate. One of the Admirals of the Japanese Left Army, Wakizaka, first meets Kurushima and his lieutenant Kimura while finishing off the remnants of a group of Joseon soldiers. He is especially distrusting of Kurushima, and draws his sword on him several times, especially after the latter insults him by shaming his defeat at Hansan Island. Later, Kurushima and Haru, his sharpshooter, drink sake as Kurushima elaborates on his personal vendetta against Yi Sun-sin, stating that his brother Michiyuki was killed by the latter earlier in the war.

In the meantime, Yi Sun-sin is facing the despair mounting among his officers and troops. Facing an enemy force far outnumbering them, and seeing no reasonable chance of success in the inevitable clash even with one single turtle ship remaining, many consider the fight lost before it has even started. Despite his outwardly indifferent demeanor, Yi is hard-pressed to maintain morale among his men and desperate to find a solution for his problem. But then the breaking point seems reached when General Bae Seol, the deserter of Chilcheollyang, burns the turtle ship and has his men make an attempt at Yi's life. Although Yi escapes and Bae is killed for his act of treachery, the ship is lost, boosting confidence among the Japanese and further dispiriting his own troops. In order to seek an answer, Yi travels to the Myeongnyang Strait, an area notorious for its strong and treacherous currents which the Japanese intend to cross on their way to Hansong. Later, he confides in his son Hoe that, in order to win the fight, he has to turn the fear paralyzing his men into courage. Upon hearing that the departure of the Japanese attack fleet is imminent, Yi abandons his base and moves to Usuyeong after burning the naval facilities to the ground.

The next morning, Yi's fleet arrives in the strait and is shortly met by the Japanese, who are using the morning tide to move into the channel, with Kurushima leading the avantgarde force. Yi engages Kurushima's fleet in battle, but as the other Korean commanders are still hesitant to involve themselves, Yi's flagship is quickly surrounded and attacked by boarding parties. In this apparently hopeless situation, Yi commands several cannons to be fired from the rower deck's port hatches in a concentrated volley, using their recoil to blast the ship free of its encirclement. As Yi has hoped, this bold act of survival inspires the rest of his countrymen to take the fight to the enemy.

When the tide turns and forms a whirlpool in the middle of the channel, thus beginning to solidify Yi's defensive position, Kurushima orders an all-out attack with the rest of his ships. Despite the efforts of Haru and a ship loaded with black powder charges, the renewed courage of the Koreans prevails, though heavy sacrifices are made. Kurushima's now desperate situation is observed by Todo, who merely laughs at Katō's suggestion of reinforcing him. Kurushima, realizing that he is now on his own, boards the Korean flagship, but is decapitated by Yi himself after taking several arrows from Korean archers, and his head is hung from the tip of the ship's mast. When Yi's ship itself is caught in the whirlpool, his civilian navy servants and local fishermen courageously drag the vessel back to safety. Joined by the rest of the fleet, Yi leads a counterattack which deals the Japanese forces a crushing blow, forcing them into retreat and leaving the Koreans triumphant. The film ends with the reminiscence to the first encounter of the Japanese with the turtle ship in 1592.

Historical background

In the 16th century, a general called Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified Japan and the long civil war in Japan was ended. At that time, most Koreans did not think about any possibility of invasion from Japan and ignored the war-readiness of the latter. Therefore, the army and Korean Navy except for the admiral Yi Sun Sin were not prepared for any invasion from Japan. Only admiral Yi Sun Sin prepared for a war against Japan by building up ships and developing weapons. In 1592, the Imjin War broke out when Japan invaded Korea. From the beginning of the war, the Japanese army, which were well experienced as a result of their civil war, were easily defeating the Korean army and quickly advancing to the north. However, at sea, the admiral Yi Sun Sin's Joseon Navy destroyed the Japanese naval fleets in many consecutive battles, so that the Japanese navy's advance to the west and north was frustrated and Japanese supply lines on sea routes were not open at all.

However, in 1597, due to a Japanese espionage plot and political conspiracy in the Korean royal court, Admiral Yi Sun Sin was imprisoned by the Korean government and another admiral (Won Gyun) was appointed to command the Korean navy. Admiral Won, in his first and last naval engagement, attacked the Japanese navy but was seriously defeated by Japan and lost most of the warships (more than 200 warships). Won was killed in action. After this defeat, the Korean government released admiral Yi and put him back in the position of admiral, but the fleet consisted of only 12 warships due to the prior defeat. The Korean government suggested that admiral Yi forgo sea warfare and join any land-based battle. But, Admiral Yi believed he should instead prevent the Japanese navy from advancing via the sea. The admiral knew that not everything consisted in the number of ships, but a correct strategy would give him the victory, although he did not count on the support of his men, he did not let himself be overcome and he overcame the fear. In October 1597, a Japanese fleet of 330 ships tried to attack the small Korean fleet of 12 ships.

As the Japanese moved toward the Korean fleet, Admiral Yi enticed the Japanese fleet to a long and narrow strait with a fast and strong wave flow. He also hampered the Japanese fleet's navigating by blocking the strait with steel chains. (doubtful: see Battle of Myeongnyang: Chain or iron rope across the strait) Therefore, many Japanese ships were gathered and stuck in the narrow strait, as the tide shifted. The cannons on Korean warships outside the strait bombarded the Japanese ships. The Japanese fleet, having lost more than 31 warships, retreated to the east and they finally gave up advancing toward the west by sea.[8]

Source Wikipedia

Rurouni Kenshin

November 30, 2020

Rurouni Kenshin るろうに剣心 is a 2012 Japanese period action-adventure film based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Directed by Keishi Ōtomo, the film stars Takeru Satoh and Emi Takei. It focuses on fictional events that take place during the early Meiji period in Japan, telling the story of a wanderer named Himura Kenshin, formerly known as the assassin Hitokiri Battōsai. After participating in the Bakumatsu war, Kenshin wanders the countryside of Japan offering protection and aid to those in need as atonement for the murders he once committed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC1yfyXn2DY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3fkPECZd8M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuINKqGxt0Y

As the Imperialist forces celebrate their victory in the Battle of Toba–Fushimi, a participant known as the Hitokiri Battōsai walks away from the battlefield, abandoning his sword. But, the Battōsai's old katana is not left alone. It is claimed by one of the fallen, Udō Jin-e.

A decade later, Saitō Hajime and his fellow policemen investigate the murder of an undercover cop supposedly by the hands of the Battōsai. But Saitō is not convinced and suspects Takeda Kanryū, a wealthy, but cruel businessman. Meanwhile, the former Battōsai (now calling himself Himura Kenshin) arrives in Tokyo. While roaming its streets, he meets Kamiya Kaoru, the owner of her late father's Kendo school. With her dojo's name smeared by one bearing the name of Battōsai, she attacks him believing him to be the famed killer, but is proven wrong when Kenshin reveals he only carries a “reverse-blade sword” (逆刃刀, sakabatō).

Elsewhere, Takani Megumi, a woman forced to make opium for Takeda Kanryū, escapes and turns to the police for a safe haven after witnessing the deaths of the other opium makers. However, Udō Jin-e, under the service of Kanryū, hunts her down, slaying everyone in the police station. Luckily, she escapes in the ensuing chaos.

Kaoru crosses paths with Jin-e, the actual perpetrator killing under her dojo's style of swordsmanship. Utterly no match for him, she is injured in the fight, but Kenshin appears out of nowhere and saves her. Jin-e immediately realizes Kenshin's hidden identity as the true Battōsai, before a swarm of policemen rush onto the scene, giving Kenshin and Kaoru a chance to flee. Kaoru leads Kenshin to her dojo where they will be safe. Later, a group of thugs under Takeda Kanryū attempt to take over the dojo. Kenshin beats down the entire gang without killing a single one before the police arrive. Kenshin takes the blame for the incident and gets himself arrested in order to help avoid Kaoru's dojo being blamed for the violence. Soon, Saitō recognizes him, briefly fights him and releases him vowing not to kill again. After his release, he is greeted by Kaoru who knows Kenshin is not the Battōsai who had defamed her dojo and takes him back to the dojo. Kenshin afterward moves in with Kaoru and her only student, the boy Myōjin Yahiko.

Still running on the streets for her life, Megumi runs into Yahiko who helps hide her and brings her to the dojo where she is introduced to everyone. Kaoru treats everyone to a sukiyaki dinner at the Akabeko restaurant, only to have the occasion spoiled by Kanryū coming and offering to hire Kenshin, who humbly declines. Here, he is challenged by Sagara Sanosuke for the job and they leave the establishment to fight.

Later that evening, Jin-e goes on a killing spree leaving many corpses for the police to find the following day. Kenshin witnesses the horror, as well as a woman mourning the death of her lover. This evokes a memory for Kenshin from his years as an assassin when he witnessed a woman mourning a man that he had killed, a sword fight that left a scar on his face. Later that night, a masked man working for Kanryū warns Megumi of coming dangers.

The next day the people around the dojo fall ill from rat poison contaminating the community wells. Megumi suspects it is Kanryū's doing and helps by providing medication for the victims. Angry at Kanryū, Megumi attempts to kill him, but fails and is instead held hostage by the wealthy drug-dealer. Besting all his men, Kenshin and Sanosuke attack Kanryū's mansion in hopes of rescuing Megumi. Saitō assists them to subdue Kanryū, who is armed with a Gatling gun. They rescue Megumi, but discover that Jin-e, the fake Battōsai and Kanryū's man, has kidnapped Kaoru.

Kenshin pursues Jin-e. To further provoke Kenshin, Jin-e uses a special technique that paralyzes Kaoru's lungs and can only be undone with his death. After an intense battle, Kenshin critically injures Jin-e by shattering his elbow with his scabbard. Before Kenshin could land the killing blow, Kaoru overcomes the paralysis and stops Kenshin from killing Jin-e. Jin-e commits suicide, telling Kenshin before his last breath that he who lives by the sword must die by the sword, a re-occurring theme, counter to Kenshin's vow never to kill again.

Kenshin, tired and wounded, carries the unconscious Kaoru back to the dojo. They rest, in the care of Megumi and Yahiko. Upon waking up, Kaoru does not see Kenshin and goes in search for him. She finds him carrying back some vegetables, and is relieved of her fear that he may have left permanently.

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No tears for the dead

November 30, 2020

No Tears for the Dead (Korean: 우는 남자, Uneun Namja; literally Crying Man) is a 2014 South Korean action film written and directed by Lee Jeong-beom. The film revolves around a professional hitman (Jang Dong-gun) who is conflicted about killing his last target (Kim Min-hee).

This movie is so underrated, the story is good and action scenes are full of stunning hand to hand battles and amazing fight choreography.

This film is from the director of “The man from nowhere”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYktpjEP4-E

Opening action scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcTB1e6cLOI

Don't you ever try to break into my house again scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ5yRW9-e6Q

Escape from Juan assault scene.

Cast:

Jang Dong-gun as Gon

Kim Min-hee as Mo-gyeong

Brian Tee as Chaoz

Kim Hee-won as Department head Byun

Jun-seong Kim as John Lee

Jeon Bae-soo as Detective Jang

Kim Min-jae as Team leader Park

Lee Young-lan as Ok-soon

Anthony Dilio as Juan

Alexander Wraith as Alvaro

Rich Ting as Asing

Angela Bullock as Emma

Kang Ji-woo as Yoo-mi

Go Woo-rim as young Gon

Kim So-jin as Mi-jin

Kim Ji-seong as Gon's mother

At a restaurant, professional hitman Gon quietly interacts with a little girl sitting alone at her table. He then leaves and makes his way to the warehouse behind the restaurant where a man named Ha Yun-guk is making a deal with a group of thugs. Gon kills them all and retrieves Yun-guk's laptop. Hearing a sound behind the door, he shoots through it, only to realize it is the little girl who had followed him. The girl dies, traumatizing Gon who later drinks himself into a stupor.

Gon's close friend Chaoz takes him back to their boss. Gon is to go to South Korea to tie up the loose end – the little girl's mother Choi Mo-gyeong, a risk manager at an investment firm.

At Seoul airport, Gon is received by his local contact Byun. As he studies Mo-gyeong's routine, he learns of her visits to her senile mother in a hospital, and watches as she mourns her daughter. Gon feels even more guilty and conflicted about his task.

Mo-gyeong is approached by Detective Park from the financial crimes task force. Park reveals that her supervisor John Lee is heavily suspected to have ties with organized crimes. Yun-guk had somehow gained access to John Lee's accounts for money laundering, and had begun trying to sell them to the Russian Mob when he got killed. Park ask Mo-gyeong whether her husband left anything that can implicate John Lee.

Meanwhile, as Gon still hasn't completed his assignment, his boss sends Chaoz and the rest of the team to South Kore to find him. They quickly close in on Mo-gyeong's apartment.

In her apartment, Mo-gyeong finds the file in a pen drive. Park's subordinate shoots him and takes the drive away. Immediately after giving the drive to John, he is killed by Byun. The team prepares to kill Mo-gyeong, but Gon warns her with a call, then intervenes and kills several of them. He creates a distraction, allowing her to escape with a promise to reveal the truth about what happened to her daughter. However, she is captured by the team.

Gon requests Chaoz to let Mo-gyeong go, but the latter declines. Gon then tips off the police about a bomb that goes off quickly and alerts them about another bomb.

Mo-gyeong is taken to the financial building, which is soon surrounded by the cops who believe it will be bombed. Gon then takes out the two teammates one by one in a series of fights and improvised traps.

Meanwhile, Mo-gyeong succeeds in preventing the money transfer to John Lee's account with the help of her computer. When John ignores Byun's money, the latter stabs him to death. At last, Gon battles Chaoz and both get severely wounded.

Byun discovers Mo-gyeong and severely beats her up. He tries to rape her before she stabs him to death. After a conversation with Chaoz, Gon tells Mo-gyeong she needs to shoot the man coming to kill her since he is the one who killed her daughter.

However, Gon himself arrives and is shot by Mo-gyeong. Chaoz also arrives, snatches the shotgun from Mo-gyeong and tries to shoot her, but a dying Gon requests not to do so. The elevator goes down with a dead Gon's hand held by Chaoz while Mo-gyeong tries to reach out to Gon via radio.

A flashback shows how Gon's mother, who abandoned him in the states and killed herself early on in the film, tells him not to cry as they would have a good life once they move to America. However, Gon continues to cry: both as a kid and an adult.

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Wolf Warrior

November 29, 2020

Wolf Warrior (Chinese name 战狼, Zhànláng) is a 2015 Chinese 3D war action film directed by Wu Jing. It stars Wu Jing along with Scott Adkins, Yu Nan and Kevin Lee in pivotal roles. It was released on 2 April 2015. A sequel, titled Wolf Warrior 2, was released in China on 27 July 2017 and became the all time highest grossing film in China.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TnIbbuYdMY

Raiding a drug lab scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TK3GNOkPNM

Rescuing a drug lord scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YOCAVWe36w

Joking about a female commander scene.

Cast:

Jing Wu as Leng Feng

Nan Yu as Long Xiaoyun

Scott Adkins as Tom Cat

Dahong Ni as Min Deng

Kevin Lee as Mad Cow

Zhu Xiao as Wu Ji

Dongyan Ma as Li Zhijun (as Qiang Ma)

Zhaoqi Shi as Shi Qingsong

Zibin Fang as Hostage

Sen Wang as 38Shi

Tengyuan Liu as Yu Fei

Yongda Zhang as Shao Bing

Xiaolong Zhang as Ban Zhaun

Yi Zhao as Chief of Staff

Zi Liang as Eagle

Guangping Guo as Feng's Father

In 2008, a combined task group of People's Liberation Army Special Operations Forces and Chinese police raid a drug smuggling operation in an abandoned chemical facility in southern China. The leader of the smuggling operation, Wu Ji (武吉), holds one of his own men hostage while taking cover behind a section of the facility's reinforced wall. Leng Feng (冷锋), a skilled PLA sniper, ignores orders to stand down and fires three shots at a weak section of the wall, penetrating through on the third shot and killing Wu Ji.

Leng Feng is sent to solitary confinement as punishment, but is approached by Long Xiaoyun (龙小云), the female commander of the legendary 'Wolf Warriors', an elite unit within the PLA tasked with simulating foreign tactics for the PLA to train against. Long Xiaoyun offers Leng Feng a place in the Wolf Warriors and he accepts, being airlifted to their training grounds the next day. The Wolf Warriors field leader lectures Leng Feng on the importance of teamwork to success.

Meanwhile in southeast Asia, crime lord Min Deng (敏登) is apprehended by authorities but rescued by group of foreign mercenaries led by ex-US Navy SEAL 'Tom Cat' (Scott Adkins). It is revealed that Min Deng is the older brother of Wu Ji, the drug smuggler slain by Leng Feng in 2008. Min Deng re-hires Tom Cat and his group to assassinate Leng Feng, but warns them not to underestimate the strength and resolve of the People's Liberation Army.

The Wolf Warriors participate in a training exercise in a remote and uninhabited forested region on China's southern border. During the exercise, Tom Cat and his mercenaries ambush a Wolf Warrior squad, killing one of Leng Feng's comrades. Leng Feng and PLA helicopters pursue Tom Cat but he escapes, using graphite-powder weapons to deny airspace to PLA air support. Without quick-reaction air support to call on, PLA commanders cancel the training exercise and send a combined force of the Wolf Warriors and People's Liberation Army Special Operations Forces into the forest to apprehend Tom Cat and his mercenaries. While re-arming from helicopter-delivered supply drops, the Wolf Warriors are inspired by a speech from their commanders to defend the honour of China and avenge the death of their comrade.

The combined infantry force move into the forest but are delayed by multiple traps set by Tom Cat and pinned down by sniper fire from Assassin, Tom Cat's elite marksman. Leng Feng and the other soldiers cut down a tree with sheer firepower to create cover and Leng Feng sprints into the forest alone to flank Assassin, dodging his fire and managing to engage and kill him at point-blank range.

Meanwhile the rest of the PLA force engages Tom Cat's other mercenaries, who stage a fighting retreat but are eventually overwhelmed and killed one by one. At base, Long Xiaoyun and the other PLA commanders deduce that Ming Deng himself is also in the training area to take possession of a smuggled cache of biotechnology, which could allow the creation of a genetic weapon that could target Chinese people exclusively.

Leng Feng again pursues Tom Cat through the forest, who delays him with multiple traps including a land mine, which Leng Feng triggers but escapes from by digging a pit under the mine and jumping away from the blast. He eventually catches Tom Cat just before the marker delineating China's southern border. Both fighters empty their weapons at each other before engaging in close-quarters combat. Leng Feng, wounded and exhausted from the previous fights, is nearly defeated, but manages to kill Tom Cat with his own knife after Tom Cat mocks Leng Feng's patriotism.

Medical personnel from a PLA relief force arrive, but Leng Feng recognises the wrist tattoo of the medic that approaches him and realizes that they are Min Deng's men in PLA uniforms. He grabs a rifle and attacks them, eventually holding Min Deng himself at bayonet point on the very edge of the Chinese border. Min Deng's massive paramilitary force approaches from the other side of the border, but so do the rest of the Wolf Warriors and PLA soldiers. Min Deng's force retreats.

After the action, Commander Long Xiaoyun agrees to accompany Leng Feng for a drink.

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