Juubee Ninpuuchou

Unlike most of the people who watched this movie, I didn't thoroughly love this movie. Maybe because I'm a minor or something? But yeah, here we go.

The story of the movie was just okay, kind of cliche but since this was done in the 90's let's just pass it off since who knows, maybe they were one of the first ones to start the trend.

The story is about A kickass leading lady named Kagero, an uber-awesome male protagonist named Jubei, with the addition of an old smartass called Dakuan to complete the trio, fighting off the evil ones by killing Kimon (because he's a power-crazy ... cunt), Jubei's archenemy who was magically brought back to life, along with his goons nicknamed the "Eight Demons of Kimon".

The movie is enough to entertain you, but there's just really some scenes that disappoints me here. The art is, well... kind of awkward but I appreciate it because the style tries to have a realistic touch. It's just.. meh.

What really disappoints me here on this one is how easy Jubei and friends defeat the "Eight Devils of Kimon". Exactly why were they called 'devils'? Is it because they are really incredibly strong, because they are a one big freakshow (add their horny leader to the family), or just because Jubei is super strong desu? Seriously, the fight scenes was so short and so simple. After a few seconds, tadaaa Kimon devil number one is dead~ And so on and so forth.

I like the designs of characters (especially my mama bear Zakuro and the hawt homo Kimimaru) and their powers, but it's kind of disappointing how they die easily whenever they face Juubei & co. -___-

Another is that I can understand the nudity and all in here because yeah, that's feudal Japan but.. sometimes I really don't know if some of those scenes are actually necessary or just really for fanservice. Sometimes I think this flick is for the fanboys, actually.

All in all, I think this film is just fine if you're bored, but not really the type that will truly fascinate your mind. Well, at least for me.

Story:
It's a fairly simple premise executed in such a fashionable and interesting way. Had their not been so much creativity within the film, I'm positive things wouldn't have worked out so well. The unfortunate part is that creativity stretched into one of the worst, most offensive subplots I've ever had to endure. There's this obscure, fetishistic sexual theme that runs in the film that is the first time I've ever felt the urge to call 'sexist'. It doesn't make the film unwatchable, but it definitely makes the film recommendable (at least in my case.)


Art:
Fluid. Everything flows right into everything else. The animation on this work ... is superb and immersive. I couldn't get enough of it. Not only was the animation great, but the set-pieces were incredible. Unique settings for each act of the film made for an interesting adventure. And better yet, they weren't just backdrops. Characters were seen using the setting practically for their combat. There was definitely a lot of care and planning that went into creative the world of Juubee Ninpuuchou beyond just making a lone shinobi fight strange and exotic warriors.

And speaking of exotic warriors, each one had an interesting and unique design that made each fight enjoyable and unpredictable. Very fun fights with intriguing combat styles beyond simple weapon wielders.


Sound:
Music queues were on point, and the music itself was very cool. It fit the setting very well, but also had an early 90's feel to it that made for fun, slightly nostalgic entertainment.

The combat effects were fitting and never went beyond what I expected. This is good because it isn't distracting, but bad because I didn't get to hear anything new or exciting along with the unique powers and abilities of the warriors in the film. That said, there are points where sound effects are used to emphasize certain characteristics, but they all have a 'stock effect' sound to them, so, again, it's not distracting, but nothing new.


Character:
The biggest hit to the character rating is by the sexist use of the female character, Kagero, and I seldom consider the use of a character sexist considering creative license dictates anybody can be used for anything. That said, I enjoy critiquing things, and that means there are things people create that I think are X or Y, and in this case, that happens to be "I think this thing is sexist."

To elaborate - and I can't get into much detail without discussing spoilers - the use of her character is already only being used as a romance object for the protagonist. THIS PART IN PARTICULAR IS NOT SEXIST. The whole purpose for a narrative is to tell a single theme or message, and the protagonist and how he reacts is how the message is shared. If that means using a female lead as nothing more than a romance for the protagonist, that is fine. In fact, that makes sense in regards to certain narratives, and this one it sort of did.

The problem begins when there's a grotesque amount of sexual content that isn't putting sex in its properly understood right. The forms that sex takes in this film are very fetishistic, abusive, and disgusting. In some cases, there isn't even a reason for a sexual context to the event. It merely happens because the writer has a hard on for the specific idea and decided, "Instead of telling a solid narrative, let me put this useless sexual content in it." THIS is the kind of distraction I'm talking about when I mentioned in the sound part about distractions. It pulls the viewer out of the narrative and makes them go, "HUH?"

The reason I am going off about this in the character section and not the story section is because the sexual content surrounds a singular character like a bat outta hell. It's about all that defines her. Even by the end of the film she has this cheesy line about sex that completely erases any sense of self-awareness.

Thankfully, the protagonist of this film, Jubei, is so freaking cool, that he recovers a lot of the issues. His characterisation is pretty excellent, and his reaction to the blatant sexual content is similar to the viewer. "Ignore it." He has far more important things to do than focus on this woman's body. The irony of this character is that it shows the creator knew the sexual content was a joke.

The villains throughout the film are all incredibly interesting and their fights feel comfortably paced. There are quite a few warriors that Jubei has to fight, and each one is beaten in practical ways. Jubei never comes across as overpowered, and the warriors he fights never feel overly weak.


Enjoyment:
Despite my issues with the sexual content, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It's very likely I would have given this production an 8/10 had there not been an over-saturation of sexual deviancy, and I'll be the first to admit that I really wish I could have given this an 8/10. Things worked out so well in this work, it was as though the stars aligned to make something amazing. The animation, the simple premise, the music, even the characters were really quite cool, but this goes to show you that it only takes one pervert to ruin a film's legacy.


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I am a big fan of katana,ninjas,samurai and stories set in feudal japan so when I heard about anime that considered as a classic featuring ninjas and demons and few other things I didn't hesitate and watched it online (I wasn't able to download it ) and what I got was more than what I thought this anime movie was and still the most graphic and violent and disturbing anime I've ever watched .
story:
Actually the story is simple it's basically an excuse to jump from one fight to another ,it's simple not complex and have some twists on the way towards the end but it ... still serves the purpose since this an action movie so the plot isn't concerned as far as it helps to provide the enjoyment.
Character:
Juubee the main character is a skilled swordsman ,he is cool,badass and carefree his attitude reminds me sometimes with spike Spiegel ,he isn't your typical hero and that what make him interesting he is an anti hero he doesn't care for what's going on and doesn't want to get involved in the mess around him until he has no choice ,the ninja girl is the most unfortunate female anime character ever put to screen watch the movie and you will know what I mean ,I think the creator is somehow a sadist, he made her went through all type of trauma a woman could go through.
what would make ninja scroll violent and creepy without its villains,the creator had taken his imagination too far and provided us with some of the most disturbing and frightening anime villains ,they are very diverse from a giant who could turn his body into stone and his weapon of choice is giant double blade to a blind swordsman to a creepy mutated man whose back is basically a hornet hive (he is the most disturbing of the bunch) I can't remember all of them but those are the most memorable, taking their number into account they didn't developed at all they are their for most of the time to give juubee a good fight.
Art style and animation:
This is were ninja scroll excels although this movie is from early 90's but its animation and fighting scenes are better than most action and shounen animes I've seen they are detailed and awesome and wouldn't disappoint you, the character design is also good men look like men and women look like women (for the most part) many characters look creepy and weird ,it reminds me of fist of north star sometimes .the only thing that irritates me is those unusual long faces of some characters.
music:
It fits very well the music that played during action sequences make you feel the intensity of the moment and the ending theme is memorable and awesome.
Verdict :
Ninja scroll is fantastic action anime but prepare yourself for lots of gore, lots of nudity and disturbing imagery (even rape) if you are going to watch it for depth or complexity then you chose the wrong anime it's like a B action movie lots of fun but no substance that's what prevent me from giving it 8 or 9 , those who enjoyed basilisk ,sword of the stranger and hellsing ultimate would enjoy this.

heard good things of it and decided to look into it.

story:wandering samurai gets pulled into a situation not willingly and has to cooperate with so unusual characters to g

artwork:acceptable

sound: not much to say it was enjoyable.

character:the main character reminds me so much of afro samurai and make me wonder if that where the producers got the idea to make afro from based on this guy.

Overall:was quite enjoyable.

Welcome to ninja scroll. A bloody anime where people are ripped apart, sliced apart and headbutted to death. This is a ninja type of anime as implied by the name and it's a classic.Very unique too.

Action 8/10: The action is crazily exciting. Gore, swords and demons are throughout the movie. It's a really dark brutal anime where people killed and torn apart in brutal fashion. It's not for the faint hearted at all. People wield all types of weapons and have special abilities. Although the action is fast paced, its also intellectual. Characters have to think deeply about the situation to counteract certain circumstances in ... order to live or outsmart there opponents on the battlefield. It's really good stuff.

Story 7/10. Story is generic but hey fair enough, after all basic stories with good endings don't trouble me at all. As an action anime lover this is totally fine with me. man who investigates a case where a group of demons are involved. During this man investigation he meets jubei ( the main character) and a particular female and this group battle there way to defeat the demons without revealing too much detail or any spoilers. It's an all out bloodshed battle as the loser is killed.

Overall 7/10. It's a anime classic, I've watched this movie so much times. It's one of my best ninja animes. It's brutal and the action and swordplay is unique. I'd recommend you watching it. Although it's relatively old, they don't do action animes like this anymore. The gore and action is amazing.

Jubei is the anime hero we need but don't deserve.

This is a movie I shouldn't like at all (the amount of sexual assault is something I could really do without tyvm) but I do. It's got buckets of blood, many boobs, kinetic as fuck fight scenes, interesting character designs, fantastic voice work in the English dub, all wrapped up in a moody score and atmosphere. Despite my dislike for the treatment of the female characters, there's more personality given to them than in a few other 90s anime movies I've seen. Jubei and Kagero are written so well that I feel a genuine emotional investment ... in them and where the story is taking them. The stakes feel real even with the magical element introduced early on.

But the thing that really makes me love it? Fucking Jubei Kibagami. He's my favorite anime ninja and I'll fite anyone that talks bad about him.

I bought this title on VHS in the 90's and remember liking it, but I haven't owned a VHS player in 20 years now and haven't re-watched the movie in all that time. My rating on MAL was based on the hazy memories of a child and so I decided to watch it again. So how does the movie hold up against the fresh eyes of a somewhat more matured self? Well...

- Story & Theme
I can't say I remembered much of the main story and it's easy to see why. The story is good, but it's revealed to us in fragments and chunks and to ... a degree it's actually more of something that happens in the background as the movie focuses on the main characters and their events. The theme is a solid mix of historical fiction and supernatural action and they're woven into each other seamlessly. There's some nudity and a few attempts at sexual violence, but it's not really a theme and doesn't get gratuitous. Huge fountains of gushing blood, however, is a theme and the closest we get to comic relief is the laughable amount of blood that, with an over-the-top sound, sprays out as a body part is chopped off.

- Characters & Writing
The main protagonist is well written and his actions feel motivated and reasonable. Most of the other characters feel the same and they are fairly unique and interesting, but there are a few weak links. The most obvious ones are the main antagonist, who doesn't get enough screen time or development, and the female protagonist, who feels like she doesn't have much of a character beyond 'cursed female ninja'. The script is over-all competent but not great.

- Setting & Worldbuilding
This movie paints an interesting world that is based on Edo-period Japan with a lot of strange humans and seemingly supernatural techniques. We never get an explanation for why or how some people are twisted into these monsters, but there is also never really a reason for us to know. It's just how the world is. I'd like to see more of it and it would make for an interesting setting in a tabletop RPG.

- Style & Presentation
If you've ever thought to yourself 'Gee, I wish there were more pronounced chins in anime' then this is the anime for you. What the style lacks in big eyes and small mouths it makes up for in chins. The style is good and the characters distinctive, but the animation makes it clear that this wasn't a high-budget movie. Plenty of times we are treated to people staring in silence and each time we get a still frame with no movement. Some cels are also blatantly looped and the animation lacks smoothness. There is blood and action in abundance, but most action scenes are fairly short and sweet. Nothing overstays its welcome and the movie keeps a brisk pace even though it has plenty of scenes of silent contemplation or rest.

- Conclusion
This movie is not a masterpiece, but it's much better than one might think. There are flaws for sure but I still stand by my rating of 8, albeit a weak one. With better written female characters, better animation and a more present antagonist this could have risen to a strong 9. Perhaps nostalgia is part of that, but I really do think that what the anime does well it does really well.

This was the first anime movie I ever watched. I was about 12 years old and it was on teletoon, or maybe YTV?, late at night. My older brother had seen it before and made me cover my eyes during certain parts of the movie. All I had to compare it to for anime were a few episodes of dragonball.

I am sure if you have already seen loads of anime this probably feels low grade but, as a young kid the action, fantasy, samurai appeal got me hooked into anime for years. I could see attack on titan being like this for young kids. ... You need the first hook to draw you in.

Definitely one of the most beautiful anime I have ever seen. Its style is different and edgier than that of Studio Ghibli but I would still draw a comparison between the two in sense of beauty. Even the insane amounts of gore is presented artistically.

The gore was surprisingly not off putting for me however, insane intensity and number of r4pe scenes were. There were 3 r4pey scenes which I think added nothing to the story but for someones' sick fantasies.

The heroin's character was also not well presented. She is supposed to be this independent women ninja who has joined the forces despite her ... fate as a woman, however, she is running after a man the entire time and seems to have no backbone, managing to get in the way most of the time. She is mostly there to add something to other male characters. I'm not surprised by this as its an old film but its worth mentioning.

The rest of the characters were also poorly developed with not much depth or back story, so much so that the story was hard to keep track of.

I have scored this film so highly though because I loved the art and the fighting and the concept of the story and I think is 100% worth a watch. Such an amazing piece.

If I could rate it between 6 and 7, it rather would be 6.5/10
I won't be saying anything about its animation, this is undoubtedly the strongest part. What I do want to discuss is the story. Or rather how there is none.
!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
The film is started with the samurai on the bridge, surrounded by some bandits. As they make their presence, it is clear the protagonist owe them something, but we never learn what it was. As we proceed, we don't learn anything about the protagonist, his past, his skills, only the fact that he was somehow related to the main villain. And that ... this villain is back with his supernatural squad. In the best traditions of the old anime, our protagonist doesn't break a sweat defeating them. Jesus, some of them defeat themselves. The only good fight in a whole movie was the final one.
Now the Kagerou, a ninja woman and the protagonist's companion. She was there, fought along, fell in love, died. What was the point of her whole existence? She didn't change anything, at all.
What I am trying to say is that this movie doesn't have neither a good starting point nor a good ending. Its just another day in protagonist's journey and it brings no joy in seeing him winning. Because he didn't win anything - no money, no woman, no better life. What's the point of a story that goes nowhere?
In conclusion, I do recommend watching it because of how good the animation is, but the story is 0/10, it doesn't have one. It goes from nowhere to nowhere and leaves you with the bitter aftertaste

Ninja Scroll Review

"That was sick. I mean really gross."
"That was sick. I mean really cool."

Ninja Scroll viewers will either love it or hate it. It is the anime that will scare your parents. None of that happy, cutesy, Lucky Star dancing shit here. No sir. This is about the supernatural battles, the gore, the tits, the monsters violating our heroine (ewwww), and the revenge. Even though I'm sure many of us watched this when we were young, Ninja Scroll is not for kids.

Story

It's a basic story but well told. The movie opens with magical shenanigans being used to fool people into thinking that there ... is a plague in an area. The plan works and people clear out. However, a ninja clan (correctly) thinks something is up and investigates. And into the action we go.

The story plays its cards one by one and punctuates it periodically with action. I think it's a good pace. I got a little bored and confused in the middle. But once things came together, it got good.

The end has some expo dump and a case of the bad guy being bad mwahahahah. It's all good because the story is not the high-impact part of Ninja Scroll.

Characters

Cool. Our swordman is the cool good guy. He's the laid back ninja mercenary righting wrongs in the world. The lady ninja is cool. She has her code, her vulnerabilities, and her own motivations. The old man is a government spy who is astute, wiley, and powerful in his own right. He knows what's up, fucks around, but is game when it is game time.

The bad guys are cool. They all have their own personalities, powers, and drama. I like how the guy with the string and the chick like and don't like each other. It was an interesting wrinkle in the characters. They all act the way that demon people would act if they were to team up. I look at them and I see the team from Blade 2. They're cool, deadly, and act like villains in a adult film.

The characters are cool.

Direction & Animation

The direction is great. This is textbook show-not-tell. Ex: The scene of the sick woman stumbling into town. She tells the townspeople that she is sick. They zoom in on her mouth as she speaks and they overlay someone else's mouth speaking the same words. It's clear that she is being controlled and there is foul play present. All in ten seconds.

The action direction is great. All the strikes are impactful. I hate anime fights where the characters line up and then punch, kick, and block so fast it's a blur. There is no danger and no impact. There is even less meaning if there is dialog going on at the same time. Nobody is going to get hurt. They're filling run time. It's not exciting.

Jubei's fight against the stone skin guy is amazing. It's short, quick, and to the point. Walking along the wall, horse goes by, hello there, the gut punches that break the lantern (amazing shot btw). And then we get introduced to Jubei's quirk. Not a magic power or anything, but rather, it's simply a string attached to his sword like a surfboard leash. Fuckin sweet. The stone skin guy launches his boomerang sword intentionally high. Jubei doesn't need to dodge, so he doesn't. He's in his crouch ready to pounce. Flies in single sword swipe. His blade shoots a sonic wave. It lands but it's blocked. Baddie taunts. But the sword damage takes its toll.

I love that. I love the reversal of fortune in fights. The Avengers had it when Loki caught Hawkeye's explosive arrow. You think Hawkeye lands it. But Loki catches it and is all "nice try buddy". And then it explodes. What a great action moment. Same with AoT's Eren's broken jaw punch on Annie in S1. Ninja Scroll has those moments and they're awesome.

The animation is delightful. It's not realistic in the least. It's primitive compared to modern stuff but it is incredibly stylized. The characters and scenes have so much flavor to them. The movements are crisp and the physics are great. The fights are not realistic at all but the strikes land and affect the surrounding objects in such a realistic way.

The art is fascinating and the shots are amazing.

Audio

I watched the Japanese version. I don't speak Japanese but I could feel the emotion in their voices. It passes.

The music is atmospheric. It sounds like a proper accompaniment to viewing Japanese wood block prints. WTF is up with the ending theme though? Lol.

Enjoyment and Overall

This movie kicks ass. This is the brutal weird shit that intrigued me when I was young. For all the cutesy Disney and Pokemon stuff floating out there, this was the real shit.

Random thoughts
1) Warning: Our gal gets violated. It was disgusting. "Just be quiet and you'll live a little longer. Either way is fine with me. Could be interesting to fuck a dead girl." Ewwwwww.
2) The dude with the hump was disgusting.
3) Shadow man was cool. I love that type of power. It was Vampire Hunter D 2000. Same studio.
3) The main baddie reverting from his human disguise was so WTF but also really cool. That flesh shifting sound effect. Why was he immortal again? Oh yeah. They just never explain it. I'm cool with that though.
4) Did that dude jump out of a robot suit in the beginning? Hahahah.

I think Ninja Scroll is one of those movies you watch and think, why don't parents show these kinds of movies to there kids. Well maybe Ninja Scroll is a little bit intense for a child, but if i had kids i would show them this, and other movies like Howl Moving Castle, and the end of Neon Genesis Evangelion etc. Well Ninja scroll is not real it still shows how screwed up this world is in certain ways. This movie is good when you have nothing to do. It would not waste your time, it would only enhance your experience of life. This movie ... is filled with awesomely fucked up things that would even make you want to check out the TV series, please don't. Anyhow this movie is sweet check it out. Anyhow I think that kids should know the truth about the world and not have it hidden from them.

Art: The art style and character designs had the same feel but were not as polished or refined as Bloodlust's.

Animation: The animation was fluid although again there was less of it in NS than in Bloodlust. The end fight between Jubei and Gemma was fairly well animated although a bit too short.

Choreography: Not really all that great. The rock guy at the start was boring to watch because he just stood there whilst ninja stars bounced off him. Jubei's special attack made the fight scenes boring to watch because it's just one slash that either kills the enemy or gets blocked and doesn't ... do anything. The blind swordsman's fight with Jubei was also a bit of a letdown since it was just two guys bashing swords against each other. The shadow ninja + ninja girl vs Jubei and the Gemma vs Jubei fight at the end were alright though a bit short.

Conclusion: Not as well drawn or animated as Bloodlust but still enjoyable.

Especially alluring by way of the Devils’ lore, interpersonal subthreads and of course the havoc they wreak as they inevitably meet their maker(s), i.e. Jubei and his squirrely senior companion. It’s because of their very presence that Edo Period trappings involving a clan war and a metric shit ton of gold air on the side of a half-baked, arbitrary through line, because let’s face it: the action set pieces are steeped in the type of imaginative freneticism and ultraviolence that helped root this in “Anime for Adults” history.

Gender politics however are absolutely abhorrent: all females are either sexed up oppai archetypes or – in the ... case of Kagero – an abject failure in terms of the arc presented and in the eyes of those who objectify and assault her. In short, this shit has not aged well. Problematic representation aside, this entirely holds up for the more obvious merits in the realm of excitement and stylism.

For many people of a certain age, Ninja Scroll was probably one of the earliest mature anime films they had watched. Released in 1993, Ninja Scroll stood out at a time when most anime was either family-friendly Studio Ghibli works or of the fantasy variety by being an ultra violent and stylistic take on the classic samurai action genre.

Jubei is a wandering swordsman who is drawn into a fight against the Eight Devils of Kimon, a group of warriors displaying supernatural powers and led by the seemingly immortal Gemma whim Jubei once decapitated. In his reluctant journey he teams up with Kagero, the sole female ... survivor of a previous encounter with the Devils, and Dakuan, a government agent who aims to stop Gemma in his plan to overthrow the government.

The story itself is barebones and exists merely for one purpose; for our main characters to initiate combat with each of the Devils. Although the story prevents it from being as deep as other classic films from this period, the action scenes are simply a wonder to watch. Expertly drawn and with some great sound design (especially during the bamboo forest fight), these scenes get to show of the swordplay, abilities and a gratuitous amount of blood in all of its fine glory.

The lack of a story prevents any deeper character development, although if there is one notable exception it has to be Kagero. At the start of the film she has to force her ill-fated group to accept her as a member, and throughout the movie during conversations with Jubei we hear her disappointment at being the woman that she is and treated in such a poor way. Which reminds me...

Although this film is still enjoyable almost 30 years later and the artistry has aged well, the one thing that has not aged well is the quite misogynistic approach to the few female characters. Of the four female characters in this movie three of them appear naked, one appears only in a sex scene, and another is sexually assaulted twice in the movie. I know that this is a mature anime but for me personally there is just something uncomfortable about it, even if during the first of such scenes it does play an important part for one of the battles and allows for some character development.

Despite my own feelings towards certain aspects of the film, this is an incredibly enjoyable anime which provides consistent thrills but the lack of a compelling plot is its one major flaw.

A great balance of action, fantasy, and grief are present in Ninja Scroll's story telling

Highlights:
- Shockingly mature story, with well-developed characters that have good chemistry and motives
- Fascinating cast of foes that are dangerous and intriguing with their different powers and alliances
- Very well done action scenes that are well animated
- The heavy, dark tone follows the main character throughout and helps avoid cliché by creating situations with less-predictable outcomes

Criticisms:
- Some adult content that is uncomfortable to watch at times [sexual parts and excessive violence]; however, it is used effectively and tastefully to further develop the story/characters
- A lot of the dialogue is fast-paced and ... loaded with information, so it feels easy to become overwhelmed with details
- There is some history between the main character and antagonist, that seems a bit unclear
- The film's tone and the moments of less appealing visual aspects will make it a "one-time-watch" to most

Final thoughts - I really liked Ninja Scroll. It's a very mature and intense film that carries a lot of weight.

I can't see myself re-watching it, but I'm happy I experienced the movie!

8/10

This movie is pretty goo. It doest't give much food for thought but it is drawn very beautifully and while used sparingly, has some amazing anime. The characters and the story aren't deep but they don't need to be. This movie is also one of those movies that you can take a screen shot from it and use it as a computer background. The best part of this movie is how well animated the scenes but are only used in small increments, which is fine for the first half, but going into the second half, the time between each action scene seems to increase. A ... plus about it is that it isn't meant for little kids so it can me as mature as the director wants it to be but theirs never any time that feels like its being sorry or sexual just for the purpose of being gory or sexual. Overall, its a good movie to put on when you have friends over or some time to kill.

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.

Have you ever met somebody who was beautiful but lacked substance whatsoever as a person? In essence that's exactly how I view Ninja Scroll. There is only one positive of this show, and it just barely makes this failure of a movie watchable.


---Story---

In reality the story within this movie functions to move you from point A to point B in the fastest way possible. This type of storytelling allows for no world-building, no character development, no explanation of the ninja power system, among a list of other things. The barebones structure of the actual story is a fairly good concept and I could see an ... actual series being built off of this. If it were expounded upon and correctly presented I could see this being in my top ten as a series easily. Sadly we get a crap tier movie with a story a 5 year old could write. In essence this leaves us with nothing but a fancy movie that is filling with stunning fight after fight but no real reason for these fights to be occurring. This movie had me in the first fifth. By the first half of the movie I was wishing it was over so I could go to bed.

Story score: 3 (Very bad)


---Art---

This is the department where this movie shines. Wow. I mean wow does this movie look good. All of the action sequences are perfect. I actually enjoy the uses of color in the world. Everything is vibrant enough to look alive yet not oversaturated. Images are crisp as hell and character designs are all fantastic and unique. There is not much to say other than that this movie looks incredible.

Art score: 10 (Outstanding)


---Sound---

There is absolutely nothing special about the sound in this anime. I watched the dub since I read in numerous threads that it was a good dub. Honestly it was pretty mediocre. The english voices didn't really match the emotion in many moments. An example would be the protagonist sounding confused for more than have the movie. Major turn off. Music fit the theme I suppose. There wasn't a single song that really stood out or made me nut over anything. Very average. I would never see myself looking up the OST for this movie.

Sound score: 5 (Mediocre/Average)


---Characters---

I could rant here all day long but that doesn't make a good review. To keep it short and simple, one strength this series has going for it character wise is the diversity of different powers different ninjas hold. Thats really it. I have an issue with just about everything else character wise. The MC is way too strong and you know he won't lose because of plot armor and lack of a good story, the different powers aren't explained at all for the different characters, we have no background info or flashbacks that give actual relevant information so we can get to know the characters, I couldn't relate to any character on any grounds whatsoever, the villain was a "oh look i'm evil mwahaha" kind of villain with the simple goal of being ruler, the supporting cast was annoying (looking at you staff guy...even though that staff was pretty dope ngl). I honestly don't remember a single name of any of the characters and won't be bother to go look at the cast again. It was that bad.

Characters score: 3 (Very Bad)


---Enjoyment---

I love anime that looks good. Sheesh I love older anime that looks good. But it simply wasn't enough too keep me interested in this title whatsoever. I did not enjoy this title, which is sad because I had fairly high hopes since I had seen this movie in many peoples top ten. This isn't even in my top 100. I did not like this anime movie.

Enjoyment score: 4 (Bad)


---Final score and ending thoughts---

I don't really like anime movies: they all end up being too quickly paced and do not flesh out their worlds well enough. Sadly this movie further taints the record of anime movies my portfolio.


Final score: 5 (Mediocre/average)

This is definitely Kawajiri's best animated movie for me. The animation of this movie was phenomenal for its time. It has an unbelievably intricate and detailed art, that Kawajiri started to develop from his earlier work to then. Kawajiri's other 2000 film Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust might be even further detailed in animation art than this one but Ninja Scroll's story is better. The development of the movie until the ending climax is really great in building the bond between the main characters, which was much better than what happened in Wicked City for me.

This movie definitely left me with lingering emotions, making it ... very attractive.