All the cast were great but of course (I am a Takuya Kimura fan through and through) Manji was the best. The fight scenes were fluid. It was bloody, very, but it was executed finely, I never had a look-away-it-is-gross moment. Miike did a great job of directing this, everything was just on point. And Takuya's voice was so manly, it was just how I imagine Manji would sound when I read the manga version. Takuya Kimura did an excellent job of portraying Manji, it is like he strips off his persona and wears this new person. You wouldn't even recognize him as his previous characters.

The over-all execution was really awesome, flawless, for me. The flow of the film from the black and white to the colored one was superb. I am not a big fan of bloody movies but I am glad I watched this. I am also very glad that they stuck to the manga as best as they can.
 
If there is one this I feel that is lacking, it is the musical scoring. I don't know if it was as intended but I felt like some scenes would have been more effective with a good background music.

Full review here: https://elijahmaliksmom.wordpress.com/2017/11/14/blade-of-the-immortal/