Jûbê ninpûchô

let me start out by saying i'm not an anime fan. that is to say, i have an interest in the genre, but for me it boils down to the big three; "ghost in the shell", "princess mononoke", and the movie this review is for. i'll have to explain that i'm reviewing this movie after seeing it an estimated 8 times at least, therefor i'm trying to think as if i'm seeing it for the first time. this presents the problem of wanting to rave for this movie, but knowing that it is one that truly gets better the more times you watch it. when the opening scene is over you'll give a sigh at the predictably bad diologue and spoon-fed character development coupled with the cartoon fantasy world. however, you're a fool if you don't stick with this movie. these flaws become faint as your engaged in the simple yet brilliant plot and you begin taking note of a few "wow, that was cool" moments that this movie is littered with. before you're 20 minutes into it your skepticism takes a back seat and you have no choice except to enjoy the ride.

i feel like this is a horrible place to stop the review, but in writing it i've reminded myself of how fun this movie is and i need to go watch it. so in conclusion; if you are looking for a movie that oozes entertainment: violence, sex, love, and intrigue. do not pass this up... really, don't.

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

If you want to see a poor version of this, watch Sword For Truth. If you want to watch how Manga should be made, this is the film for you! The characters match those of folk tales, yet are completely believable, and lovable/detestable at the same time. The storyline is interesting, and the relationships between the characters.

The animation is terrific, and even though this film was made in 1993, it still captivates today.

Fans of this genre will enjoy this movie, but so will people who aren't into animé.

This is a terrific film, and one that you will be able to watch over and over again, if you love quality.

This week I was fortunate to watch three fantastic animes(which I love from watching the likes of Studio Ghibli) in a row, Akira, Ghost in the Shell and this, Ninja Scroll. Ninja Scroll captivated me from start to finish, with the ultra-violent scenes and gore it is perhaps not for all, but from an animation and storytelling perspective it is really one of the most engrossing animated films I have ever seen. The animation is stupendous, every action has so much detail but the backgrounds and colours have many moments of dark or ethereal beauty to them. The music is haunting and sweeping, the characters are interesting with a lot of depth and conflict in them, but other than the fast, clean and incredibly compelling action the star was the storytelling, often dark and poignant but never less than riveting. Overall, captivating from start to finish, a must see. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Ninja Scroll is easily one of my favorite anime movies. Great animation (the minimal movement in Japanimation far superior to the over-produced Disney cloned animation style), great story and characters, a decent running time - it all works for me.

Recently here in Australia, the movie has thankfully been re-released in the 10th Anniversary Uncut version. After a controversial screening on commercial TV some years ago, the video version was upgraded from MA to an R-Rating, and had some sex scenes cut. The new DVD has been restored, uncut.

A classic, highly entertaining and impressive anime - strongly recommended to Japanime newbies :)