Sword of the Stranger

Set in Japan during the Sengoku period, Sword of the Stranger follows a young orphan named Kotaro and his dog Tobimaru as they flee toward a distant temple. A mysterious warrior, Nanashi, rescues the boy and agrees to escort him, becoming his bodyguard in exchange for a precious stone. The pursuit comes from a Chinese military group whose leader, an alchemist, seeks ingredients for an elixir of eternal life, and Kotaro is the final one. A ruthless swordsman, Luo-Lang, serves the group but is driven by his own desire to face the strongest opponent.

The film is animated by BONES and directed by Masahiro Ando. It is the first of two films in his directing career listed here, followed by Under the Dog in 2016. Fumihito Takayama and Fumihiko Takayama wrote the screenplay, and Masahiko Minami produced. The Japanese voice cast includes Tomoya Nagase as Nanashi, Yuri Chinen as Kotaro, Koichi Yamadera as Luo-Lang, Akio Otsuka, Unsho Ishizuka and Mamoru Miyano, with 31 credited cast members and 60 credited crew.

Released in September 2007, the film runs 103 minutes and blends action, animation and history. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.3 from around 39,000 votes, while on TMDB it scores 7.6 from roughly 489 votes. The wide gap suggests a dedicated audience appreciates it more warmly than the broader voter base on IMDb does.