"Jûbei ninpûchô: Ryuhogyoku-hen" (2003) TV series

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

Jack Fletcher
Tatsuo Sato

Writers:

Ardwight Chamberlain (adaptation)
Mutsy Erskine (translation)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

10 October 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy

Plot:

Fourteen years after defeating the immortal warrior Himuro Genma and thwarting the Shogun of the Dark's evil plans...

Plot Keywords:

Demon | Japan | Gore | Ninja | Martial Arts

Cast

Alex Fernandez

...

Tatsunosuke (unknown episodes)

Also Known As:

"Ninja Scroll: The Series" (USA)

Runtime:

Japan:30 min (13 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:MA | New Zealand:R13 | UK:15

Company:

Mad House

Trivia:

The TV show visits locations are references to the movie; the sets aren't the same as they were in the movie but are very similar (the "bamboo" scene and the "bridge" scene from the opening to the movie, for instance).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Troldspejlet: (#35.10)" (2006)

Pretty good

I read some mixed reviews of this anime so I was hesitant to watch it, in the end I ended up getting what I expected, not better or worse than what I expected. What I'd like to say is, firstly, if you haven't watched the full Ninja Scroll movie please watch it, its one of the best animes there is. Secondly, if you have seen the full movie, I would recommend you rent this rather than buy it.

One of the main things I didn't like about this anime was the animation itself, I don't know why but it seemed as if it was animated for a Saturday morning kids show. Don't get me wrong, if you're expected blood and gore don't worry you will not be let down, there's plenty of it. If you can imagine the different in animation from the early 90's X-Men cartoon to the new X-Men Evolution cartoon, that is sort of the change the animation has undertaken from the Ninja Scroll movie to the series. Another letdown is the bland and basic story. Its not like I can spoil the story for you much but don't expect any twists and turns here, it basically Jubei protecting an important princess having to face a more deadlier enemy every episode, easily defeating every one of them.

I suppose this review sounds negative so far, but please don't take it that way, I did enjoy this anime somewhat and thats mainly because I love the Ninja Scroll type anime action, and in the series there is a LOT of it. Not one episode has a lack of fighting, and you get to see Jubei use some of his cool signature moves from the movie quite a few times and it just looks really cool. So to sum it all up, I'd say rent this series if you can, if you can't borrow it from a friend and buy it if you like it.