I really grew to love the first two films in this series, but this one felt a little lackluster for me. This comes down to the structure of the film and how there is a lot going on that makes the film feel episodic and less cohesive. That being said, Ogami Ittō is such a great character because he is an assassin who really only cares about completing the job, but he has honor behind him that comes out in such great ways — like when he takes on the torture the woman is sentenced to. The film was also very rapey — two rape scenes seemed like a lot and it just felt a lot darker than the previous films despite the bright red gushing blood that paints this series. The final fight was great and I was cheering when the baby cart has new surprises. In terms of films happening chronologically in story (not when they are released) this feels like the first Batmobile complete with gadgets. I also liked that Daigoro is a little older here and has a bit more personality and agency than he did in the previous installments.
