The Dragon Within: Unleashing the Demon Pond

Demon Pond” is a film that has been adapted from a play by Keishi Nagatsuka based on the 1913 play by Izumi Kyōka. The story is set in a small village where the only stream is Demon’s Pond, and the locals believe that a dragon resides there and that the water is poison. The film has been directed by Takashi Miike and Masahiro Shinoda. In Shinoda’s adaptation, the story follows Yamazawa, who stops off to see Demon Pond, a lake that is reputed to be the home of a dragon, on his way back from a field trip in a remote mountainous area.

The pond is said to be the place where the Dragon God is sealed, and each day, a sacred bell is rung to prevent the Demon Pond from releasing its angry demons and washing away the town. The film has been reviewed positively, with some critics praising the acting and the collision of the real world and the world of fantasy, politics, comedy, theater, and cinema.