Ninja Scroll is Beautiful, Wild, Brutal, and Tragic! || Anime Discussion and Review 

Jubei head butting Gemma until his face caves in only for it to reform almost immediately is one of my favorite moments in any anime.

A man of culture I see :)

Hey. Just wanted to thank you for this video. It had been a while since I had enjoyed so much a youtube video + the anime itself. 10/10, will definitely watch it again

Wow you’re doing anime reviews too! I still have my original ninja scroll dvd from way back in the day. Always been an old favorite of mine too and pretty timeless. It captures that wandering ronin feel of old Japanese films I love watching. I haven’t had a chance to watch this whole episode yet but it’ll be fun nostalgia. Will likely make me want to watch it again 😂

Have you seen any of Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s other movies? Like Wicked City or his part of the Neo Tokyo anthology? You would probably like those too. Vampire hunter d bloodlust was also directed by Kawajiri so thats why they seem similar

Fantastic assessment of a classic movie! I'd agree that your take on Kagero is spot on as you discuss her in relation to cinema at large these days and female characters. It's easy to appreciate how offensive this might be to modern sensibilities, and yet the nuance of her character is above and beyond most anime (and also most movies). I would also agree that given the role of sexuality in this movie (e.g. - the backbone) that it is primarily a tragic romance that just happens to have a ton of awesome action in it. Her feeling of alienation (by way of poisoning anyone she touches) articulates a loneliness I suspect most people can relate to at some point in her life, which is marked by a tender ache for connection that is barred in some way. And yes, Jubei initially comes across as a stereotypical macho dude, but his sensitivity and concern for others becomes almost immediately obvious (e.g. - why would he try to ask for directions in "the scene," where something obviously bad is happening? It's because he intends to save her, as he does). So he too expresses a depth that most action cinema doesn't compare to. Shout out for the Metal Gear Solid comparison in regard to the villainous squad consisting of a variety of unique characters; I can't believe I never drew that conclusion myself before. +1 for Kurosawa reference! If you haven't seen the movies Sword of Doom and Harakiri, those are other samurai classics I'd heartily recommend. And for anime that is somewhat similar to Ninja Scroll (though don't reach that height, never mind surpass it), Blade of the Immortal (amazon prime) and Shigurui: Death Frenzy (funimation) come to mind.

Thanks dude, I just had to rewatch the Ninja Scroll today after seeing your vid's title in my feed. Now after seeing your review, I would say you did it justice both with your character analysis and general ideas behind the movie. It's funny how our perception and understanding changes over those decades, isn't it? Kinda feels like I saw much more in this movie today than I did back then (despite remembering it well, as it left a lasting impact / influence on me to this day). Does anyone still make something like this? I'm not up to speed anime-wise either, esp. not into lengthy series that drags for 100 episodes and stuff.

While there are villains the real focus is Jubei's & Kagero's relationship development throughout the film. A tragic tale indeed.

Man it must be Ninja Scroll season because I was JUST talking about this movie with my homie. They just don't make seinen anime like they used to. Shonen is so vanilla.

Amazing like always.. just want to say that Ninja scroll remembers me alot of Samurai Shodown

Love this film. My hero Gemma nearly got away with it but that pesky jubei always butting his nose in.

yo man, i have been playing Dark Souls 1 & 3, Neo Geo games on arcade like metal slug series, Shock Troopers, and all the Ghosts and Ghouls series across mame, snes, psp, windows. I liked your hygan snes lets play and would enjoy more "hard game" overview/ lets play / reviews on here as well as this anime

I'm a fan perhaps you can tell.

Ninja Scroll has to be watched several times facts!

Going to watch this! It's on Hulu. First scene on the bridge peaked my interest. I'll have to come back to your thoughts afterwards 🏌️‍♂️

One of my favourite animes if not the most favourite one

I bought Ninja Scroll on DVD back like 21 years ago when my only DVD player was my PC and before some of the folks around here were probably born.

The dub is awesome just like the original pre pioneer akira dub

The first time I saw this film was when it was released in the mid-late 90s, they had a free screening at the local art gallery. I think anyone could just walk in and watch it, and I distinctly remember a young girl screaming when the big rock dude got a face full steel, and slid down the blade. Great film anyway. I have often wondered whether the film would be better without the sexual violence, based on your review it sounds like you think it would lose some of the horrifying nature of the demons, and catharsis when they are killed... but it might also make the film much more accessible to a wider audience (women in particular.)

Being honest, I'm subscribed for everything other than your shmup content.

one of the greatest anime ever created.

love ninja scroll i stil have the VHS of it lol and a dvd.

I saw this at about 15 so 19 years ago at my local video store I rented another anime with it the second one turned out to be some really gory hentai and it was just next to normal stuff

You should give Ninja Slayer from Animation a go if you like Ninja Scroll.

Metal gear solid 3 is definitely influenced by it big time...