Vagabond,on Netflix. Good enough to work through the English subtitles.
I watched "My Name" first, (very good) and was rewarded with the recommendation of "Vagabond." I wasn't sure I was going to get into it because two intense revenge films seemed a bit much, back to back. But, I put these on as background noise so I thought I didn't have anything to lose. By the time I made it to the main turning point in the first episode, I was rewinding the episode to start over from the beginning. Wow!
Plot is captivating. A young man, Cha Dal-geon, who has no real rudder is suddenly tasked with raising his nephew. The boy's mother gave him up to an orphanage, which is shutting down, so they reached out to the uncle. The first part of the first episode dealt with the burgeoning relationship between the two. Dal-geon's big dream is to be a stunt-man and make it big like Jackie Chan. The first episode shows his audition, which is so pathetic, because he keeps performing stunts that are failing, but his confidence in undaunted as he keeps trying to sell himself, until his nephew, Hoon, starts to cry because his uncle is hurting himself.
So, Dal-geon is given the work, out of sympathy, one presumes. And more fast clips follows showing how his stunts work out, sometimes ending badly, which puts him in the hospital. But, Dal-geon never stops smiling and acting positive for Hoon.
Though the pay is not great, Dal-geon keeps the boy focused with tae-kwan do classes, which is much in line with hat Dal-geon is doing as a stuntman. He has to practice moves and prepare for any kind of role, from martial arts to espionage.
Dal-geon still maintains his positive attitude even when he drops his stuntman job to get a better job to pay for their expenses, but he doesn't tell Hoon about it, because Hoon really bonds with his uncle over the stuntman work. Dal-geon is so supportive of Hoon's taekwondo that he insists that the boy accompany his class to Morocco for an exhibition, even though the boy has figured out it's a financial hardship. They part on bad terms as Hoon boards the plane, while "stupid uncle" is at his new job.
And then, it happens. The plane goes down and suddenly it's a different kind of show.
There's massive grieving, corporate espionage and hired assassins. And through it all, Dal-geon's skills and instincts as a stuntman and desire to find justice for his nephew explode on the screen. But, he has help from the Korean equivalent of a CIA agent, which has her own personality quirks, along with her bestie in the business.
In fact, watching the heroines in "My Name" and "Vagabond," I wonder if there is an equivalent in US movies? They're just 10-20% Kristen Wiig, and the rest, brashy actresses from the forties.
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I watch about two hours of anime every day, all of which are subtitled. I have no issues.