Ninja Scroll

A great movie to just sit back and enjoy, not in the mind set of Akira, Ghost in the Shell or Perfect Blue just a great all out action film. When I first saw this movie I was amazed by the high quality of the action and the animation. To this day they both still stand the test of time. One of the best anime's set around the time period of feudal Japan, although the main reason to see this film is for the characters. Not so much for the good guys but the villains. The designs of the villains are outstanding and there individual powers uniquely brilliant.

As the trailer says. Ninja Scroll is one of the better action movies i have seen from Japan, and explosive anime action, that in times is daring, sexy and passionately beautiful, as it shows Japan in carnage. Plague's spread through the towns, well an evil force lurks, with 8 devils rise to take the land. It all begins with Jubei Kibagami (Kôichi Yamadera, Japanese version) a traveller who passes town to town with a hidden past. Well coming across Kagero (Emi Shinohara) a woman who tests food in her village, and has the curse of any man who makes love to her will die. It's beautiful in parts, and the animation is superb. The directing from Kevin Seymour and Yoshiaki Kawajiri is superb. Also written by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. Winner of the 1993 film festival of Japan and worth the watch, i've owned it since i was 16 now, and still gets a play from time to time. 8/10

Ninja Scroll is definetly one of the biggest gems when it comes to traditional-ninja-mythology Anime. The story isn't too complicated but gives each character enough room to unfold their very own personality and ambitions. The pacing of this movie is perfectly balanced between smashing action scenes and calm dialogues. The great combination of sound fx music dark imagery create an absolutely fantastic mystic vibe so you can click in at any time and I guarantee you'll find yourself in a beautiful piece of art. The fight scenes are to this day one of the best the Anime genre has ever produced. Since every character has their own special set of abilities, skills and tricks every fight turns out to be a unique battle between masters of their very own art. Especially the diversity of the villains give the fights a nice kind of variety. Overall this is just a fantastic classic Anime movie with big impact to this day and an absolute must see for every true Anime fan.

Jubei Ninpocho (Ninja Scroll) ***1/2 out of **** Director: Yashiako Kawajiri

Masterless samurai for hire is "tricked" by aging government spy in order to partake in assassinating eight supernatural beings during the era of feudal Japan. Ultraviolent premise is not for all tastes, but fascinating visual punch and original story telling (emphasized greatly by Kawajiri's expert direction) make this a much see for animation buffs. Kawajiri's finest film to date is dazzling and gripping from start to finish.

Ninja Scroll is an Anime Classic which is usually mentioned in the same sentence as Vampire Hunter D or Fist of the North Star. However, I believe that as a movie, Ninja Scroll has a wider appeal.

The visuals are top-notch, and the action is fast and clean. The sword fights can be watched frame-by-frame (and may have to be, if you want to really understand what is happening) and your awe at the quality of this movie will just increase. Do I sound like an obsessed fan? Because this movie impresses me so greatly that I cannot over-rate it.

The story and characters, though, are the main focus of this presentation, which each battle, duel, and other confrontation serving to move the story forward, develop, reveal, or eliminate the characters - all of whom are revealed in a way that is engrossing.

Some maybe turned off by the gore, violence, and low value placed on human life; but that is what this time period was about. This is definately for mature audiences.

If you do not yet own a copy of this, watch it as if you had never heard of it and enjoy the story developing. Then be plesantly surprised by the superficial stuff - action, animation, sound, and depth of characters.