Review of The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity

Awesome. Again. Kobayashi is absolutely nailing this trilogy. Basically, in this second part, Kaji goes from being a labor supervisor to a soldier training in Manchuko. Not only is this a fantastic overall escalation of stakes (which is needed to maintain investment in a 3-part trilogy of 3-hour movies), but throughout this entire second part he manages to keep tension high while still making Kaji both likable and fallible. As someone of a generally conservative, diciplinarian mindset, I still find myself rooting for Kaji more than his Authoritarian-minded superiors. The scenery and camerawork used in the camp is superb; the acting is great; everything measures up to the previous one. There were a few small details that detracted a bit. His wife showing up and being allowed into a military camp seemed silly. The pacing, while good, does slow down at times (which is almost inevitable in such a long series). I didn't think all the lines/dialogue hit as emotionally as they did in the first part either. Otherwise, fantastic. Can't wait for the final part.