One of those rare sequels that only improves upon the promises of it's predecessor, a dynamic and sprawling adaptation of the franchises infamous Kyoto arc. THIS, and the previous film should be held in high regard, and be looked to as the gold standard of how to adapt a long running arc to film format. This film seriously trims all of the needless filler character fat from the source. What they changed turned out to be good for it. Incredible action direction once again coordinated by Kenji Tanigaki. The devotion from the actors here, as they all performed their own stunts and mastered their own choreography, is really a feat to behold. All in all, Kyoto Inferno is just as good as the first film, if not better. Despite being the first of a two part sequel, it manages to be a self-sufficient, coherent story. Virtuosic.