Capricious Young Man: A Samurai Who Just Isn't Very Good at It

Is it worth your time?

If you like samurai movies but find the constant posturing and "honor above all" talk a bit tiring, Capricious Young Man is exactly what you need. It is for people who prefer their protagonists to be messy, slightly awkward, and fundamentally kind of a disaster. If you need epic duels and non-stop action, you will probably hate it. It moves at its own pace, which is often just a stroll through a dusty alleyway.

Akanishi Kakita is not your typical hero. He’s a guy from the country trying to keep his head down in a city that doesn't care if he starves. Watching him bumble through the samurai class while being completely broke is oddly relatable. It’s like watching someone try to fake their way through a job they aren't qualified for, but with more kimono maintenance.

The small details

There is this one scene where he’s just trying to navigate a basic conversation, and you can see him mentally tripping over his own feet. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to reach into the screen and help him out, but then you realize he’s probably just fine on his own. The movie doesn't lean on big, loud emotional beats. Instead, it sits with these quiet, slightly pathetic moments until they feel normal.

It’s hard not to compare the tone here to something like A Gamble in Souls, where the stakes feel personal rather than world-ending. Kakita isn't trying to save the Shogun; he’s trying to survive the week. It’s refreshing, honestly.

A bit of a ramble

The pacing is a bit weird, sure. Sometimes the story just stops to watch someone eat or walk down a street for a bit too long. It feels like the director just wanted to see what would happen if he let the camera roll while everyone else went for lunch. 😅 It’s not a mistake, I think. It’s just... a choice. A strange, slightly drifting choice.

• The way Kakita tries to act tough and fails is gold.
• The supporting cast feels like real neighbors, not just background dressing.
• The ending doesn't tie everything up in a neat little bow, thank god.

There are parts of this that feel like they belong in a completely different genre. At one point, the rebellion stuff feels almost like an afterthought, just a background noise for Kakita’s personal confusion. It’s not perfect. It’s definitely not polished. But it’s got a heartbeat, which is more than I can say for a lot of stuff coming out these days.

If you have a couple of hours and don't mind a movie that doesn't feel the need to explain itself every five minutes, give it a shot. Just don't expect him to pull out a katana and solve all his problems in ten seconds. That guy doesn't exist here.