The principle supporting cast of Matahachi, Otsu, Oko, Akemi and Takuan come back as fuller three-dimensional characters. Joining the gang are Kojiro Sasaki (Koji Tsuruta), a young, but well-trained swordsman who befriends Miyamoto during this time, and Seijuro (Akihiko Hirata) the headmaster of a famous sword school that wants to hunt down and kill Miyamoto for embarrassing the name of their clan.

The story is filled with five times the amount of action than the first episode, but also has a gentler feel to it as the relationship between Otsu and Miyamoto blossom. With the finale exploding at Ichijoji Temple, we see an ignorant Miyamoto reach a higher level of spirituality in the way of the sword.

Review: Something that I noticed halfway into the film was the emotional hold the movie had on me. Usually one can be turned off of a character when they seem so perfect. Most of the time, the protagonist is created that way for the audience to admire and to hold on a pedestal. But Musashi Miyamoto was obviously strong and skillful on the outside, but his weaknesses overwhelmed his exterior attributes. From the start, Miyamoto learns of chivalry and we start to see a slow decline of his once moody, dark self into a more compassionate and affectionate person. Though the change isn't much, nor is it evident to the casual viewer, it becomes one of the few times we get to see what it is like for Miyamoto, as a man on a journey who searches for something he does not know of or even understands, yet is affected by in every way.

The two great performances that came from the film were Kaoru Yachigusa's portrayal of the ever so lovely Otsu and Mariko Okada's Akemi. Obsession, passion and rage were these actress's devices as they played their roles with great expressive power as the two women who loved Miyamoto. Other outstanding performances came from newcomer of the series, Akihiko Hirata and his unruly but truly amazing performance of Seijuro.

Since most of the characters were introduced in Samurai I, it was a lot easier to be connected to the story even more so this time around. In many ways, this was more like "Empire Strikes Back," as in the main character finds something truly disturbing about himself and has to continue on living with this particular knowledge. All the plot points either consisted of scheming and betrayal or the small little experiences that would eventually help Miyamoto realize himself as a Samurai, which definitely helped the narrative, flow better.

The backdrops are even grander than the first, beautifully captured in its cinematography. Most of them are bright with many pronounced colors, as if painted with faint hands on a heavenly canvas. A lot of the battle scenes drip in and out of the darkness giving them a sinister look and feel. While a few may get frustrated by a few of the darker scenes, most will understand the need for them as a utility for emotional impressions