Basilisk is a pretty good watch. Yes it has the cliched Romeo and Juliet plot going on but Ive watched 2 versions of Romeo and Juliet and I would rather watch Basilisk any day over those. There are a lot of elements that are differentiate the show from a typical R&J series. First Oboro and Gennoske are both the leaders of their respective clans which makes the pairing a little more difficult. Second the action is quite spectacular, both clans are literally in an official death match sanctioned by the late shogunate, if anything one could at least appreciate the cool fight scenes. The story also goes a little more in dept of supporting character roles. Its a bit more dramatic when each side suffers losses. Although the fate of the 2 doomed lovers is the same as R&J it feels a little more tragic and heartbreaking, whereas in Romeo and Juliet their deaths are somewhat accidental. (SPOILER) Oboro chooses to die for Gennoske rather than taking her own life because Romeo is dead already. Anyway its not a flowery end and kind of leaves a bitter taste but a feeling that lingers much more than a happy ending.
Anyway Id give Basilisk a solid 8/10. I rated it 10 because I feel it deserves more than what it now has but in honesty its definitely a solid 8.
Some of the flaws that might not appeal to people is the artwork, some of the characters have very unreal figures, however that didnt quite bother me, other than that the art was beautiful especially the landscapes. Pretty good considering its from 05.
The music was pretty good, not a masterpiece but it captured the moments well, especially dramatic scenes. OP was OK, I liked the ED better though.
Ive already gone over plot and how I feel about it overall, so I recommend Basilisk, for anyone who enjoys action (with blood), or romance (tragic).
