Jûbê ninpûchô (1993)

A vagabond swordsman is aided by a beautiful ninja girl and a crafty spy in confronting a demonic clan of killers - with a ghost from his past as their leader - who are bent on overthrowing the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Director:

Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Writer:

Yoshiaki Kawajiri (original story and screenplay)

Stars:

Kôichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Jubei Kibagami (voice)
Emi Shinohara	...	Kagero (voice)
Takeshi Aono	...	Dakuan (voice)
Osamu Saka	...	Masked Samurai (voice)
Daisuke Gôri	...	Genma Himuro (voice)
Ichirô Nagai	...	Doujin (voice)
Ryûzaburô Ôtomo	...	Tessai (voice)
Akimasa Ohmori	...	Shijima (voice) (as Akimasa Ômori)
Gara Takashima	...	Benisato (voice)
Katsuji Mori	...	Hanza (voice)
Yûsaku Yara	...	Genpachi (voice)
Norio Wakamoto	...	Mujuro Utsutsu (voice)
Toshihiko Seki	...	Yurimaru (voice)
Masako Katsuki	...	Zakuro (voice)
Reizô Nomoto	...	Mushizo (voice)

Storyline

A Journeyman ninja by name of Jubei stumbles upon a plague, an evil clan of demons, a national crisis, and a beautiful ninja girl.

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Plot Keywords:

death of a companion | female ninja | death by sword | poisoning | horse riding | 

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Taglines:

The man who must fight to live! A woman who doesn't wish to live!

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director James McTeigue cited this film as one the influences behind his film Ninja Assassin (2009).

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Goofs

When Doujin (the leader of the bandits on the bridge) raises his wooden hand to shoot Jubei, the details on the hand that indicate that it is man-made (ie. exposed joints) are missing from the first two shots in which it appears.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bandit Boss: Thanks to your interference, Jubei, we lost 300 pieces of gold! I can't go back empty-handed!
Jubei: Well, perhaps you won't have to go back completely empty-handed...
[shows the bandit the rice ball he's eating]
Jubei: Bite?

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Alternate Versions

In 1995, the BBFC cut the UK version by 52 seconds. This included the rape of Kagero by Tessai and all footage of throwing stars. The UK and Australian DVDs were affected by these cuts. In 2004 these cuts were waived by the BBFC and the film is now uncut.

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Connections

Featured in Scrolls to Screen: A Brief History of Anime (2003)

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Soundtracks

Somewhere, Faraway, Everyone Is Listening to a Ballad
Composed and performed by Ryôhei Yamanashi
Lyrics by Sho Jitsukawa
Arranged by Hiroshi Shinkawa

User Reviews

A straight shot of mythological action with no room for a chaser.

let me start out by saying i'm not an anime fan. that is to say, i have an interest in the genre, but for me it boils down to the big three; "ghost in the shell", "princess mononoke", and the movie this review is for. i'll have to explain that i'm reviewing this movie after seeing it an estimated 8 times at least, therefor i'm trying to think as if i'm seeing it for the first time. this presents the problem of wanting to rave for this movie, but knowing that it is one that truly gets better the more times you watch it. when the opening scene is over you'll give a sigh at the predictably bad diologue and spoon-fed character development coupled with the cartoon fantasy world. however, you're a fool if you don't stick with this movie. these flaws become faint as your engaged in the simple yet brilliant plot and you begin taking note of a few "wow, that was cool" moments that this movie is littered with. before you're 20 minutes into it your skepticism takes a back seat and you have no choice except to enjoy the ride.

i feel like this is a horrible place to stop the review, but in writing it i've reminded myself of how fun this movie is and i need to go watch it. so in conclusion; if you are looking for a movie that oozes entertainment: violence, sex, love, and intrigue. do not pass this up... really, don't.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

5 June 1993 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Ninja Scroll

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,073

Company Credits

Production Co:

Victor Company of Japan (JVC), Toho Company, Movic

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1