Baian the Assassin: Volume 2

His name is Baian, professional acupuncturist and assassin! A needle deftly inserted into the human body can bring relief and healing. For the defense of justice and honor - and for the right price - it can also bring instant death! Based on the stories by Shotaro Ikenami, Baian the Assassin features tales of murder and deceit, jealousy and revenge, all set in the backdrop of corrupt samurai lords, ruthless merchant princes, fawning geisha, and deadly ninja.

This is the continuing series of Baian the Assassin played by Ken Watanabe. As in the first volume, Baian is once again approached by his mojotime, his contact for new assignments. This new assignment is potentially very dangerous however Baian reluctantly accepts. He quickly confirms just how dangerous his targets are so as in the first volume, Baian asks his good friend Hikojiro to assist him. But unexpectedly Hikojiro declines for unknown reasons. Soon Baian learns that his friend's tragic past has reappeared. It is from there that the plot takes interesting turns. Although this episode is a little slow with very little action, it is still a decent show to watch. If you are looking for a lot of sword action, look elsewhere as you won't find it here. But I like Watanabe and he does a pretty good job as Baian the Assassin.