I had to stop myself from throwing up at times when I viewed the film!  The gore and the violence was almost intolerable but there was something darkly interesting with the way the director presented the scenes and scenarios.  There are surreal and unrealistic yet brilliant shots that will amaze and shock you out of your wits.  Truly, Takashi Mike is a master of his game and this movie is a testimony of the sinister yet genius way of his film making style. Nao Omori as Ichi was  boyish, naive yet sadomasochistic and a mental case; a great choice as Ichi for the physical features of Omori didn't match well with the killer side of the character, making the character more mysterious and a complete puzzle for the viewers. Omori won Best Supporting Actor for this film at the Yokohama Film Festival.  Do check this out if you're into slasher and crime genre films.