Ninja Scroll (10th Anniversary Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Good anime for grown-ups
Review: Well, isn't most anime for grown-ups anyway? There's some children ones too I guess. For every Tenchi and Pokemon and Ranma 1/2 there's Evangelion, Hellsing, Vampire Hunter D and Akira. Yet for some reason, people always think that animated means children based. Well this is one film you should show people that have that mindset, it's gory, it's violent, and yet it's entertaining.

Jubei is basically a wanderer, a mercenary ninja taking odd jobs for money. Kagero and fellow Kogi clan members investigate people caught in what looked like a viral outbreak. While investigating, they find Tessai, a strange guy who can turn his body to stone and throws a heavy blade, in what results in probably the most goriest scene in the film. He captures Kagero and tries to make love to her(really bad at that too by the way), enter Jubei who rescues her.

She takes off and he encounters an old man whose name escapes me oddly enough. He tells him to take a mission which Jubei refuses until he's poisoned by him so he reluctanctly takes it. There, Jubei finds there's a plot to get rid of the Tokugawa Shogunate(the political party in control of Japan at the time) and ascend themselves to power.

Not only that, Jubei finds the 8 Demons of Gimon: 8 people with incredibly bizarre abilities. It reminded me of the Metal Gear games recently with enemies and bizarre abilities. In the film, you'll find a woman with control over snakes, a ninja who can disappear into shadow, a blind man with incredible hearing, a man with a hive in his back and the leader, who is capable of reincarnation and regenerating his limbs.

The gore is quite violent with ripped off arms, a man torn into 2, other men ripped in half and one's head sliding down his own blade. There is nudity also, one woman has a habit of being nude quite a bit, while there's an attempted rape in the beginning and something that looks like anal sex(or just entering from the back, who knows).

This film is definately not for the little kiddies but for the adults? They just might enjoy themselves.

Rating:
Summary: This anime is so sadistic and gory.......... IT'S PERFECT!!
Review: I saw this movie at my friends house and I have to say. This is one of the best well done detailed gory, marshall arts anime I've seen so far. CAUTION though this movie is for MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY not for kiddie's. Thats why on the front of the DVD it says Suggested for ages 17 and up. Anyways this movie is very good it lives up to the name of ANIME!!!!!!!! People who get affended easily shouldn't buy this DVD. But for those people who could give rats ass about offensive crap such as myself well love, and cheerish this Anime title!

Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars, but -1 for the BS Widescreen version.
Review: This movie is what anime is all about, anyone who says differently is probably watching Sailor Moon. The illustration is starting to show it's age but the flow of the action doesn't seem to be affected. If it has Yoshiaki Kawajiri as the director, you won't be dissapointed. Buy this, then checkout Wicked City.

I haven't seen this particular "Anniversay Edition", but I've read many reviews that state the the letterbox version is bogus. They actually cut from the top and bottom to make it widescreen. That's a new low.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: Anyone who has anything bad to say about this is just plain dumb. Too much violence, sex? blah blah blah, Who ever said anime was for kids? Only western people would think this way watching bugs bunny and crap, and even then there's violence in american cartoons like blowing characters up and such, they just don't show blood or make it realistic. Anyhow, most western people would not understand the ideas and stories from asia for obvious reasons, they're not asian! They're raised in a white western culture. Just the same, people in asia wouldn't understand things about western folks. Anyhow, the great thing about anime is they're for mature audiences, these kind of movies, they ain't no Disney so don't be expecting that. Most are beyond the comprehension of younger audiences. But in any case, take it for what it is and that's entertainment. Ninja scroll has nonstop action and excitement. So if you looking for a cool anime to watch this is the ticket.

Rating:
Summary: Ninja Droll
Review: Okay animation + convoluted plot + extended graphic anime violence + brief anime nudity = a movie any 14-year-old boy should love. Unfortunately, not many of us are fourteen years old anymore.
If this is indeed a "peak achievement of Japanese anime" you can keep it. For those of us spoiled by classic western animation this could be a big disappointment - only the lips moves when a character speaks, static images are panned and scanned by the animators (or brought forward rapidly if the character is supposed to be running towards the camera), cels sequences are repeated over and over (a scene of a river filled with dead fish uses this trick - the same fish, in the same relation to the others, are repeated rather than freshly drawn.) On the other hand, there's a nice use of color in NINJA SCROLL and some of the fight scenes are very well rendered.
Still, being mildly impressed with a scene or two doesn't make a movie recommendable.




Rating:
Summary: Stylish
Review: Similar to its Samurai predecesors Ninja Scroll is all about style and pays very little attention to the plot. That's not necessarily a bad thing though; next to animes like Cowboy Bebop and Akira Ninja Scroll is among the most stylish of series. While Cowboy Bebop is infinitely stronger in plot and is equally a stylish, making it perhaps a stronger series, I have a genuine soft spot for Ninja Scroll's Samurai/Ninja elements. (Also similar to Cowboy Bebop) You have a hybrid of time periods; combining elements of the traditional Samurai flick with futuristic cyber-enemies and magic powers that render the dueling/battling both incredible and amazing.

Scroll, the protagonist, is Japan's greatest swordsmen, wielding unfathomable power that can slice virtually anything in two with a little more than the twitch of his wrist. He embodies all that we love about the typical Ronin (wandering masterless Samurai) - he's a loner, he's funny and, dag dabbit, he's a bad-ass. I often find that the enemies steal the spotlight. Every enemy that is throw at Scroll is bigger, badder and uglier than the previous. While the baddies often adhere to an anime mold (the quiet guy that chuckles all the time, the insane hairy guy, the shrieking femme fatale, etc) they are nonetheless very original and I always find myself looking forward to see what enemy will come lurking out the shadows next. From half-naked ladies with small gremlins crawling out their bodies, to snakemen, to beastmen, to vampires, to see-through blue [...] with blue flames for intestines; there is never a dull moment on the battlefield.

While the plot's weak (a young-common-girl-who's-super-powerful-but-she-doesn't-know-it-yet named Shiyu finds out she's being hunted down by ungodly evil doers she finds protection from Scroll and together they seek out her destiny before she is captured), the animation itself is to die for. The characters are cool, sexy and hilarious and, on rainy saturday nights, it's that much better than re-runs of SNL.


Rating:
Summary: Magic
Review: I saw Ninja Scroll on a whim several years ago and I was blown away. It was the first anime movie that I ever saw, so I had no idea that animated features could be so impressive. The characters were amazing and diverse. The film had funny instances at times and it was deeply engaging. I was stunned with a new respect for anime.

Rating:
Summary: Sometimes action alone a great anime makes
Review: Normally anime shows would be boring if they just put in "shoot-shoot bang-bang,swish-swash,GAAAAH!" for no reason and the story would really suck.But for Ninja Scroll, it's an exception. It's action packed,ultra violent,and it is just plain cool. Not to be sick or anything,but seeing the characters decapitated and all bloody was quite awesome.
Drawbacks well the story is quite dull. Basically it's good against evil battles and that epidemic. Second like every anime DVDs' it's kind of pricey,$30-$40 for a 90 minute movie. And sure there's widescreen format but really the price antes up for that? Nonetheless Ninja Scroll is a great anime if you need some action.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent for riveting fight scenes and unique opponents.
Review: An exhilarating story about deadly ninjas, lightning-fast swordfights and battles with bizarre demons. The violent and sexual scenes in the movie make it suitable only for adult audiences. The devils that the hero, Jubei, fought against all have their unique lethal ability and costume. Each battle is exciting because Jubei always seems to be overmatched by his opponent and so the viewer has to watch each battle to the end. The devil Yurimaru's costume and appearance reminded me very much of the character "Kojiro Sasaki" in the Musashi Miyamoto trilogy.

Rating:
Summary: Best there is!
Review: This anime may not be sexual or sexy kinda but this has to be the best action anime in the world. Its very original and the plot is great all exept the end is flawless so in my book this is a 5 star. peace homes