Ninja Scroll

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 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 :)

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.

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.

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.