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Movie Review: Zatoichi and the Chess Expert (Zatoichi Jigoku tabi)

I'm falling behind on my Zatoichi reviews because I'm not sure what to really say about them. They continue to be interesting to me to note the pop culture differences. Zatoichi always turns down the women and walks off into the sunset alone at the end of the movie. He always seems very reluctant to get involved in the conflicts, even though he appears to be undefeatable in just about anything he does. This does include a glimpse into the unintended consequences his violent lifestyle has on others, when a girl gets injured because she is too close to a fight Zatoichi gets into. This also features an enemy swordsman who seems like he could be more of a challenge than usual, since he begins making an effort to learn the sightless skills he sees Zatoichi use. But the conflict between them seems a letdown - all the buildup resolved in the standard fight scene sequence. Zatoichi's character here also seems a little more questionable here as he runs what could be considered a scam while gambling. Perhaps that is why we see him, for the first time, lose a fair bet? I think this one contained a lot more interesting ideas, but the movie as a whole didn't quite come together for me.