The worst part about this anime is just how predictable and straight forward this story is. It almost feels like watching a "let's play" video of a fighting game where each episode should be titled something like Jingoro vs. Gyoubu or Nenki vs. Hotorubi.
This anime definitely has a cool premise, but where it fails is its execution with every episode just being another long fight scene making the story feel like mindless violence. There are a couple of scenes where we see the characters not fighting and just relaxing together, but it just feels like an intermission between the fights that adds nothing to the plot.
Furthermore, another problem with this anime is its lack of world building or exposition. All of the ninja have these crazy powers, but it's never explained where their powers come from or how they work. For example, Kazamachi is like this half-human half-spider thing that spits acid and eats people's brains, but it's never explained why. Was he bit by a radioactive spider? Is he possessed by some spider demon? Is he a mutant born with those powers?
Characters 7/10
Not just the story, but the characters too feel like they're right out of a fighting game where all we learn about them is their name, what attacks they can use, and nothing else.
Part of the reason for this problem is this anime has such a big cast of characters and they all get such little screen time. A character maybe in one or two episodes and then they die. This problem is made even worse by the fact every character has the exact same motivation which is revenge. Why do the Kouga hate the Iga? "Because the Igga killed our ancestors!" Why do the Iga hate the Kouga? "Because the Kouga killed our ancestors?"
The only characters who we learn anything about and go through any kind of development are Gennosuke and Oboro, but they're both far from ideal protagonists.
While I do like the drama of this forbidden romance Gennosuke and Oboro have, it's undermined by how quickly Gennosuke turns his back on Oboro when he learns the peace treaty has been dissolved and how little emotion he shows. Seriously, it looks like he doesn't even struggle with his decision; it's like he hears "we're at war with the Iga" and then says "well, I guess the weddings off. Bye."
Oboro is even worse with how it seems like she's trying to best Sakura from Naruto and steal her title as the WORST NINJA EVER! Oboro is such a burden to the other characters who constantly risk their own lives protecting her. Furthermore, I don't know if you can call it taking the moral high road to just do nothing and close your eyes as your friends and family are dying and you have the power to help them.
Art 8/10
While the story and characters maybe unimpressive, one thing that does stand out about this anime is it's art.
The fight scenes are really cool with the ninjas having all kinds of different powers and the ninjas themselves having interesting character designs like Jingoro is like a human-slug and Josuke being a human-blob.
Another aspect of the art I liked is the backgrounds. While other anime like Naruto are set in their own unique world, the animators clearly were striving for more realism here while doing a good job depicting 17th century Japan with the clothes the characters wear, the architecture of the buildings, and other things like the boat and the palanquin.
Overall 7/10
While I do really like the idea of a ninja war, this anime really should offer more than just have one fight scene after another while leaving no room for character development thereby making the story just seem like mindless violence.
However, the fights scenes are really good and there is some character development between Gennosuke and Oboro. Also, while the story was mostly predictable, I was surprised by the ending.
