This show upset me, and I’m usually lenient on most things I watch. I generally enjoy any media about ninjas, and this “supposedly” had a Romeo x Juliet love-story. Of course, I was sold! Unfortunately, the execution, flat characters, and the general angst and unwarranted bloodiness the show is drenched in turned me off. For starters, I was surprised by the ninjas' zany, X-Men-like abilities, but I let it go. Some historical fantasy can be fun.
First, I fully understand a show about ninjas could (and probably should) get bloody/realistic, but, here, the deaths hold no weight. Characters die gruesomely (some worse than others), but I feel nothing. The show doesn’t develop any of the characters, save for one flashback at the most, so no amount of blood splatter, shocked faces, or sad music in the background can save a lifeless corpse of a character. The death toll kept rising, and I kept shrugging.
Admittedly I liked Gennosuke’s bushy eyebrows and mysteriousness, but there wasn’t much to him. He didn’t want any more war, and he seemed kind. Great. Oboro, the female love interest, is utterly useless. All she does is CRY, and the one ability she has gets locked away by her own doing. Bruh.
This show doesn’t deliver on the romance either. Where is the yearning? The kiss scene(s)? I need to believe these two are in love, but their only moments together are Gennosuke playing the flute and Oboro dancing around. Perhaps, the time period and arranged-marriage makes them so chaste and distant, but you could at least hold hands. Or look into each other’s eyes, or something substantial. Is this the woman you love so much you would defy a centuries’-long resentment, or is she a lampshade with lipstick? Answer quickly.
Also, I don’t care if the creator never admits to it. A character that consists of raw demon trash is the show’s favorite character/creator’s pet. There are definitely heinous characters who would try to sexually assault a character. My problem is the continual parading him around in our faces. This character literally tried to raped his own comrade, not just a woman from a rival clan. He had no limitations. I hated seeing this character be a part of the main cast. Usually, rapists in anime are filler characters or outright villains, and usually it’s one and done. There were too many rape scenes here. His death is so prolonged it feels like torture.
In addition, the way female ninjas were handled bothered me. One character has such a sexist suffering. She’s tied up, fully naked, has been raped, and brutalized. No other ninja is treated like this (maybe Okoi to a lesser extent). I'm not so naive to think women, who are prisoners of war, don't get treated as such, but it felt majorly gratuitous. Akeginku’s titties stay out for no other reason than fan service too. Yes, I’m aware female ninjas often used seduction tactics/sex, but the execution here felt cheesy.
::MISCELLANEOUS::
The pacing seemed unbalanced. Clan A has the upper-hand for over 7-8 episodes. Talking. Clan B eventually finds out, but they already have a huge deficit. Clans try to outdo each other. Oboro cries. Filler episode that should have been in the beginning. Flashback. People be dying. Rapist dude doesn’t get his comeuppance. People be dying. Rinse. Repeat until the last two episodes.
I watched the Japanese dub, and I have no qualms about the voice acting. It’s very good. One character sounded like literal gargled death. Very talented performance from his voice actor, but I definitely muted him.
The music was forgettable. I didn’t pay attention to it.
The animation was fine. No wacky in-between shots and it looked pretty fluid. Because the show is SO angsty, the coloring appeared ashy at night. Very dark gray or blue. Again, I liked Gennosuke’s bushy eyebrows. He looked very dashing. Hyoma had an interesting design. The ladies of the show were pretty. The more mutant-like ninjas weren't cool to look at, but they served their purpose.
::POSITIVES::
I liked Saemon. He was a ninja who had some empathy. As the show progresses, he doesn’t stop killing, but he’s able to see the other clan as human beings. A nice touch to show both clans had desires/dreams/loved ones, but they were too fixated on a dumb war.
Gennosuke and Hyoma had nice designs.
Koushiro had a fun power. I would’ve liked to see it more.
Overall, I don’t recommend. For me, I had no enjoyment from this show, and I shouldn’t have wasted my Saturday binge-watching it.
