by Patrick Lee (Mark Roberts)
1981 Star
Tanaka Tom Fletcher was a westerner raised in Japan after being orphaned. He was trained as a samurai and returned to America to avenge the brutal massacre of his family.
We get the usual "Kung Fu" style of fish out of water culture clashes, with a text that alternatively decries and revels in casual racism. Tanaka comes across more ninja than samurai, though he quickly adopts Western firearms.
It more than delivers in violence and sleaze. Fletcher's swordplay is straight from a chanbara film, slicing up the baddies and having their various chunks slide off like a cartoon cat running through a harp. The villains are some of the worst - their scam is to find landowners who have a gold claim and rape their children until the owners sign over the deeds.
The plot unravels a bit towards the end, with the story making some stretches to make sure some baddies live to be killed in further installments, but a fun ride overall.
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