script and Toshiya Fujita to direct. Although the two men were friends, they were aware of their differing creative approaches; it was also Osada's first manga adaptation and Fujita's first action-heavy film. According to Osada, Fujita usually preferred a less tight script so he could shape his own films, but Osada presented his first draft to his colleague Kinji Fukasaku, who told Fujita that he would make the film if Fujita was not willing; the director immediately relented. Osada wrote the film with the intention that it would serve as a standalone adaptation of the manga rather than a launching point for a series. The film's production was first announced in the February 1973 issue of Kinema Junpo; although Fujita was stated to be the director, the announcement revealed that was the preferred choice for the title character of Kazuo Koike, the writer of the original manga. When Okuda approached Kaji for the role, she had become increasingly disinterested with the Female Prisoner Scorpion films, and was dissatisfied with playing roles in violent exploitation films, noting that the lead characters of both Female Prisoner Scorpion and Lady Snowblood were vengeful women. She accepted the role due to a desire to work again with Fujita, as they had developed a rapport when both were contracted to Nikkatsu, and after reading the manga. Kaji was also contracted to sing the film's theme song, "Shura no hana" (The Flower of Hell). Toei initially attempted to prevent Kaji from taking the role, although she would return to the studio to make the final Female Prisoner Scorpion film, 701's Grudge Song, after completing work on Lady Snowblood. Lady Snowblood was produced on a relatively low budget, and filmed with a minimal length of film (20,000 feet). Yuki's sword was made from duralumin, weighed approximately 1.5 kg, and swinging it frequently hurt Kaji's arm. Kaji also recalled that at one point during production, a malfunctioning blood squib drenched her in fake blood. Release and reception Lady Snowblood was released in Japan on 1 December 1973, where it was distributed by Toho. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on seven reviews, with an average rating of 8.05/10. TV Guide gave the film three-out-of-five stars, calling it "certainly entertaining, but unnecessarily distancing". Sequel and influence The moderate financial success of the first film spawned a sequel, Lady Snowblood: Love