Ninja Scroll (1996)

Jubei Ninpucho is cleverly structured and although it is not an inherently complex narrative, it features a very clever approach for presenting vital background information. Together with the mostly great animation, this makes for a thrilling viewing for anime fans and fans of (Japanese) action movies. There are some minor drawbacks, like characters that could be more fleshed out and the uneven animation quality - however, the movie succeeds in telling the story it wants to tell and uses very creative visual effects for telling a mature story.Overall 7/10 Full review on movie-discourse.blogspot.de

First of all, the fact that this has a 7.9 on IMDb is freaking retarded. This isn't an action anime masterpiece. Its dumb, its shallow, its exploitative. If anything, it takes itself too seriously, taking time away from the action in an embarrassing attempt to develop the plot, characters and romance. Ninja Scroll is not an anime you wear proudly on your shoulder.But it is one of the better bad anime out there. Its so over-the-top in its gore and sleaze, its impossible to not laugh. The eight evil villains are a blast - they're less ninjas, and more X-men. They're very powerful and unique, but our hero always manages to survive. The action is pretty sweet. I had to rewind because the first scene was so fast, yet so busy! Add some good animation, and you've got action that never gets old.Do not expect a great anime going in, or you'll cringe at the awful dialog and rape scenes. Watch it when you have no dignity to lose. Then you can appreciate Ninja Scroll's bloody insanity.

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.

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.