Ninja Scroll - The Series (Vol. 1) Great stuff here.... Anime and soundtrack is kicking. A must have for an anime collection. Great fight scenes, killer bosses and one hot babe.
Really, I was surprised, it is as good as the movie If you saw the Movie, you must see those episodes. They are really good. I was thinking, hey they can't be as good as the movie, but, they are, really, I was surprised. Got to have it. the DVD presentation is not all that, but it is OK.
I was wrong (THIS REVIEW IS FOR ALL 3 VOLUMES OF THIS SERIES) --- Ninja Scroll TV Series was actually pretty good, regardless of some bad initial reviews I've read online. It's still not as good as the OVA, probably the best anime ever for those into violent swordplay dramas, because that was more serious, had better animation and a great overall "style". Granted TV series do not have the same animation budget as the OVAs and movies. I thoroughly liked the subtle humor in this series, it's not overdone or overexaggerated with funny faces, magical teardrops or the running in place B.S., especially the one-liners from Jubei when he laid the smackdown. The other thing I liked was how creative each ninja bad guy was designed. They seemed to have used the Dragonball Z'd template as every episode introduces 1-3 new ninja enemies that each have a certain look and power that talk a lot of garbage and then get their @sses handed to them. The 2nd Volume is kind of lame as they stretch out too little plot (with a couple of stand alone "one off" episodes), it all could have been wrapped up in 2 episodes instead of 4. Plus they changed the world a bit where there's technology present, at least in regards to some of the ninjas and their powers (i.e. guns, tires, electrical currents, butane flame, etc.) I read somewhere that the creators wanted to distance themselves from the OVA even though they keep the characters of Jubei and the tiny old man with the hat and staff (can't remember his name). Some of the musical score was created by Kitaro, his first for an anime series. They replayed the same 5 themes over and over again, they are all pretty cool except for one of them which is like aggro 80's rock guitar, I don't know if he wrote that piece as it doesn't sound like his usual new age/traditional "Japanese" style work. Overall this series is definitely worth watching at least once, it's different when compared to the OVA, but still good on it's own merits. Maybe rent it first before buying if you are still on the fence. Good stuff !!!
disappointing graphics, boring plot/dialog The graphics are a big disappointment after watching the movie.
The plot/dialog has dropped to the hero searching for a quiet place to sleep. On his quest to find a good night of sleep, he has to defeat lots of villains/monsters who have magical powers.
I would skip Ninja Scroll the Series. Samurai Deeper Kyo is a better alternative. Rune Soldier is also a better alternative.
not amazing, but good, not the movie, but thats a plus! I remember seeing the Ninja Scroll movie back in 1999 when i was just getting into anime. i thought it was bending backwards to accomodate testosterone-addled teen boys. i still do, but i've learned to appreciate the style and tone of the film. the series takes a couple of the characters, and the general idea of the movie and completely changes the animation style and tone. its definitely less mindlessly violent, though still violent. i like the fact that its sort of liesurely paced, mainly because Jubei never loses his cool. its not the greatest series i've ever seen, but its well produced, the music is actually pretty good, and its just fun and playful enough to almost act as a foil to the original film. i recommend it, but know what you're getting. dont expect just more of what was served up with the original film and you'll enjoy it just fine.
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