BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

jadavix "Ninja Scroll" is a story told so confusingly it makes you think it is much more complicated than it is. Is that the point? You get sparse plot details in the first few minutes which aren't explained until an hour later. By that stage, you can't remember the beginning details, or you don't care.Perhaps as a result the movie feels much longer than it is, at only an hour and a half. The sparse details make you feel like you are watching an epic, when actually, the plot is pretty basic.It is something to do with a battle between ninja teams and a "vagabond" caught in the middle. On one side, the ninja are all superhuman or supernatural beings, with abilities such as turning their bodies to stone, generating electricity and being able to hide in shadows. The movie is, really, just a series of fantastic fight scenes, but I kept coming back to the confusing plot.But there is only one reason why anybody watches "Ninja Scroll", and I'm aware it's not the plot. It's the action scenes, and they are impressive. "Ninja Scroll" is one of few animations I've seen that is sickening in its violence. There are scenes I can't watch, with limbs being torn from bodies by blood-drinking golems and faces being headbutted in.There is also a fairly misogynistic streak in the film you might detect. The female lead, and love interest to the protagonist, is the victim of sexual violence not once but twice. Aside from that the only female character in this movie is spurned by her gay love interest.

kengipowell Fans of this film often declare Ninja Scroll to be one of the best anime films of all time. Do not listen to them. Ninja Scroll is average at best. The characters are one dimensional and so is the plot. Nothing is ever really given context. Even what many acclaim to be fantastic fight scenes and animation are at best a B-. And a B- in animation is not enough to save this film from everything it does wrong. If you want fantastically animated fight scenes, watch Sword of the Stranger. A lot of anime films are weird. The great ones use the weird in a way that drives the plot or adds another dimension to the story/characters. This is not Ninja Scroll. Ninja Scroll is one of those films that is weird for the sake of being weird and nothing else. It doesn't ever apply any context for its weirdness.All in all, if you've no other anime films to watch go ahead and watch it. If you set your expectations low enough and look past its faults you can find an enjoyable film.It has a similar feel to it as the Rurouni Kenshin TV Series.

fire-lizard This is a review coming from a true anime fan. I must say that it really is a great film to watch. The animation is done brilliantly and the English dubbing is done realistically.The characters are all quite likable when they are made to be liked. The villains are very scary and the stone guy at the start, damn i won't want to mess with him. The animated scenery is amazing for the nineties. It really makes the characters stand out.The plot is very tense and exciting. Its about a young hero who has to protect a girl who has poisonous body which kills any man who sleeps with her from evil and demonic beings. He is assisted by a con-man and faces someone from his past. This does seem pretty similar to other sorts of films but it is still very gripping.But don't let this cross your mind. It is not a kids cartoon. This is strictly for adults. This is very graphic and the most violent anime since the legendary AKIRA. There is also a rather disturbing rape scene near the start which has definitely earned its 18 rating.

poe426 WICKED CITY was among the bootleg anime that was circulated in this country before AKIRA came along and proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that American audiences were ready for adult animation. ("Adult" in the approach to animated storytelling.) I caught AKIRA during its initial theatrical run and it was satisfying, indeed, to not only see it on the big screen, but to also finally see it dubbed in English. While most anime doesn't make it to the big screens hereabout (curious, indeed, when one considers the fact that Animego is based here), there's anime aplenty at the local retail outlets. It's expensive, but there are several titles worth their weight in cost: WICKED CITY, VAMPIRE HUNTER D, VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST, ROBOT CARNIVAL, GENOCYBER, TETSUJIN 28, any ASTRO BOY (the original black and white series being the best), DEVIL MAN, GILGAMESH, FULL METAL ALCHEMIST, YU YU HAKASHO, NARUTO, KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, GOLGO 13, GHOST IN THE SHELL (any), PRINCESS MONONOKE, METROPOLIS, GACHAMAN (any), PROJECT ARMS, WOLF'S RAIN, WITCH HUNTER ROBIN, BAOH, and NINJA SCROLL, to name but a few. NINJA SCROLL, with its seemingly endless invention, is probably my all-time favorite. The animation is about as good (great) as it gets. Kawajiri's direction is to be envied (even WICKED CITY and VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST, as nigh perfect as they are, can't beat NINJA SCROLL). If you're tired (as am I) of the lackluster Americanimation being cranked out by the studios, switch gears and check out some of the aforementioned anime.