Sword of the Stranger (2007) User Reviews

A Technical Marvel in the Animation World

[evilmugsy · 9/10 · 27 January 2009]

My perception of 2D animation practically changed after seeing this movie. No doubt about it. Since today's standards mostly rely on 3D technology to capture realistic and fluid movements in animation, this movie shatters the limits I thought really existed in 2D animation. Since animation marvels like Samurai Champloo back in 2005, Chinese and Japanese sword arts never looked so good in an anime. However yes 3D technology was used in making this movie but only to a limited extent to which it only deemed necessary like cameras panning to arrows, panning fluidly on background terrain and such. All the organic character movements were hand drawn so perfectly well that even all the action was so clear which is just a marvel to see over and over again.

The story may not be the most original but at the same time it isn't bad at all. In fact the characters of this movie retain their depth throughout the entire film which makes it easy for any viewer especially who appreciates animation to look past it as the movie alone offers plenty of intriguing visuals that sincerely complement the story backed by a superb soundtrack which captures the very essences and themes of the setting.

Highly recommended for anime enthusiasts as well as anyone who appreciates cartoons. in fact they shouldn't miss this one as watching this film once simply isn't quite enough.

Most detailed animation i ever seen

[beenno1 · 9/10 · 4 May 2008]

One of the most outstanding action animation movies.

(sorry if you are confused with my comments cause i'm not a native English speaker :>)

The storyline is quite simple and unlike the other tedious Japanese animation movies, the audience don't need to smash their head onto the wall to get an idea about what's going on. Actually the only down side of the movie is you can guess the ending more or less at the beginning.

The blood spilling scenes are very astonishing, and the Chinese swordsmen who take secret pills and never feel pains will give you chill in the bones with their cruelty.

Actually In real history, the famous emperor who sacrifice his people to find a medicine of Immortality, is Yíng Zhèng, the first emperor (we call him Qin Shi Huang)of a unified China from 221 BCE to 210 BCE. Later in his life, Qin Shi Huang feared death and desperately sought the fabled elixir of life, visiting Zhifu Island several times to this end. He even sent a Zhifu islander Xu Fu with ships carrying hundreds of young men and women in search of Mount Penglai, where the Eight Immortals lived. These people never returned, as they knew that if they returned without the promised elixir, they would surely be executed. Legends claim that they settled down in one of the Japanese islands, a view that many Chinese and Japanese people are familiar with today. (from HTTP://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang)

Although the movie is mainly animated in 2D, the 3D effects used in scenes are perfect and only used when necessary, It's more practical 3D than showing off the techniques.

Music used in the movie is extraordinary, you can actually feel the cold wind passing by your face and hear the echos among the mountains. Bamboo flute used in the music gives an amazing oriental feeling throughout the movie.

As a native Chinese speaker, i think the Chinese dialogue reflects the way people talking at that time pretty well, but sometimes they speak Japanese as well, which breaks the reality of the movie, hope they could manage to get more voice casters in Chinese.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in actions, orient myths or violent scenes.

Anime Chambara Movie

[mmushrm · 9/10 · 29 January 2011]

For those of you familiar with Chambara (samurai) movies, Sword of the Stranger, is the anime equivalent. Story line is typical Samurai storyline, wandering samurai helps out a kid and gets caught up in a plot by foreigners and "bad" samurai. without giving the plot line away I will say that if you are familiar with chambara movies and enjoy the stories/genre you will enjoy this movie. Technically wise, this movie is very well animated. Traditional hand drawn cel work mixed with some CG. It is beautiful to look at and the fighting scenes are amongst the best I have seen in anime or in real life action. A beautifully crafted movie that needs to be seen just on the technical aspects alone.

A must SEE!!!!

[juggiman · 9/10 · 27 April 2008]

One of the Best samurai animation action flicks I have seen in a very long time. The story isn't drawn out into a long story about nothing. You get a good sense of the main character without them going into a long epilogue. The characters are well drawn with great attention to detail especially in the action sequences which in my opinion are drawn very well. The score goes perfectly with all the different scenes of the movie. I am pretty good on what good anime samurai flicks are out and I am surprised that I never got a heads up about this one and also why this film wasn't nominated for any type of award. Honestly from the action to the music this movie will grab you. :)

Cliché concept, yet a Must see animated movie

[Fbh91 · 10/10 · 13 October 2012]

The concept in Sword of the Stranger isn't new. A wandering samurai who killed a lot of people during the war is tormented by his past and has "Sealed" his sword and decided not to use it anymore. Without having to look far you can already find earlier animes/mangas with the exact same concept (Rurouni Kenshin is the first that comes to mind).

Still I really loved this movie and consider it a must watch, specially for people that like animated movies. The animation one of the best I've seen in recent animated movies, with great design, fluid animations and great image quality. While not many in number, the battles are masterfully handled by BONES (animation studio) with great (animated) choreography.

As I've said the concept behind the story isn't new but it's enjoyable nonetheless, I really liked the trust relationship that forms between the main character and the boy he is escorting and there is also a special connection between Nanashi and the main antagonist. In the end you will be caring for the characters.

Finally, and it should not be overlooked. The Soundtrack for this movie is truly wonderful. Composed by Naoki Sato, it's an amazing OST filled with emotion and fits the movie like ring.

Even the dub is good!

[zeez5 · 16 August 2009]

I first watched this film online and was completely swept up in the story, the characters, and the amazing action. I immediately ordered my own copy, and I think it was the best twenty bucks I ever spent.

I was particularly pleased at the quality of the English dub. I generally prefer to watch anime in the original Japanese, but I actually prefer the English in this film. For one thing, there's too much wonderful detail in the animation to be distracted by subtitles. I also liked the fact that they kept the original bits of Chinese dialog. You can't tell the difference in the voice actors! I thought Scott MacNeil did a wonderfully sinister job as the blond Luo-Long. Michael Adamthwaite sounded comfortingly strong as well as kind-hearted as our ronin hero.

If you can find a place to rent this movie, go ahead, but if you're any kind of anime fan or samurai movie fan, this film should have a permanent place in your library!

Acceptable action movie that feels too long

[tenshi_ippikiookami · 6/10 · 26 November 2016]

Young Kotaro lives with his dog when he is attacked by some mysterious swordsmen. Luckily for him, in the old temple where he was hiding a nameless ronin was just chilling out. The nameless ronin helps Kotaro, but the dog gets hurt and they leave the temple to try to find someone to save the dog's life. Why do this people want to get Kotaro? Will they get to him? And what hidden past does this nameless ronin have?

"Sword of the Stranger" is a very basic action movie, that follows all the: a wandering samurai saves someone and decides to stuck with them because of some memory of the past while hordes of enemies keep coming and thousands of battles ensue. The plot is a little bit silly, but it really doesn't matter because anyone can follow it. It is a little bit slow paced and some editing to take out around 10 minutes would have improved it.

The strongest point is the character development and the relationship between Kotaro, No Name and the dog (and the horse). It feels real, and the movie does a great job in making us care for all of them. The uninteresting bad guys fare worse, even if Rarou has an acceptable well developed personality, but in the I-am-bad-but-respect-my-enemies category.

"Sword of the Stranger" will be enjoyed by fans of the chanbara genre or action movies and anime, but it could have been so much better it's a pity it settles for just average.

A great animated movie (not for kids)

[Dreamyy · 10/10 · 13 May 2008]

I really enjoyed this movie a lot. I have not seen such a good animated one in years and I'm still wondering how people can rate it 1 or 2.. I mean, the taste in movies is always different, but even if you didn't like it that much it is not possible to give it such a low score. In my opinion it is flawless in its way and even though I do remember that there was a movie (not animated) which felt almost the same, because in it there was also a samurai walking around with a child, it still felt fresh and cool and not old fashioned at all. Oh well, just give it a shot and you will most likely have a good time watching it.

I would have given it a 9, but I'm trying to fix the impossible votes a bit, even though.. it may even deserve a 10 for what it is.

Cheers

One of the best action animated films

[jose-cruz53 · 7/10 · 23 November 2012]

Note that I am very rigorous on my ratings: films with 7/10 are excellent films. I reserve higher scores for truly outstanding films.

Overall, this is a well constructed and executed action thriller that will please fans of animated action films. It is more entertaining than most Hollywood action films and will also please fans of animation as it is very detailed and pleasing to the eye. Overall a very good effort but this is not a work of art and shouldn't be treated as such. Therefore, don't watch it expecting a timeless work of art, but instead watch it expecting a very good action movie, which it is. It deliver high octane action in a consistent way.

Stunning

[hawkeyefla-1 · 10/10 · 5 February 2009]

I just got back from seeing this film locally thanks to Fathom Events. I don't normally take the time to write reviews for movies, but I felt the need to here. I don't watch a lot of Anime, so what I do watch has to be *good*. This surpassed my expectations 10fold. A truly epic take of a certain amount of eastern mysticism intermixed with a tale of redemption. I haven't walked out of a movie feeling this good about my time spent (which *flew* by) in a long long time. I certainly hope Bandai can get this out on DVD soon, as it is a must own for my collection. And hopefully whatever DVD release that comes out will have the commentary that we got to see at the end of the Fathom Events presentation as well.

Just needed a little more polish.

[connorveenstra · 7/10 · 21 October 2017]

Sword of the Stranger has all the ingredients of a Japanese epic on par with Seven Samurai. Strong, realistic characters with fantastic back stories, incredible fight choreography and a sweeping scope. However, I feel it could've done some things better. The dialogue, like with a lot of English dubs, can be really awkward. Sometimes I struggled to tell what was going on in the fight scenes and the editing can be funky sometimes. The biggest change that would make the greatest impact, though, would be to put more focus on the character's different motivation. they all do get mentioned in some capacity, but not enough emphasis is put on them so I don't feel anything when their arcs are completed.

None of this makes the movie not worth your time, however, just slightly disappointing. It's still one that you should definitely see.

A complete samurai anime in 105 minutes

[max_soxy · 9/10 · 13 May 2008]

It follows the same style of action, drama and legendary aura like sensation as in Samurai Champloo or Samurai X.

The graphic is amazing and the music score isn't too far behind.

Still what really gets you about this anime movie besides the high paced action is the showdown between your classic Nippon samurai master and a barbarian with god-like skills in sword wielding serving under the emperor of the ming empire (in his search for the elixir of immortality).

So, if you like anime, really cool sword-fights and a jade empire sort of atmosphere then you're in for a treat.

Enjoy! :)

Basic anime storyline, great animation, especially the fight scenes

[vithiet · 7/10 · 1 January 2019]

While the story is not all that original for an anime, the animation - especially the fight scenes - is really great.

Cliché Samurai Anime Movie

[eman182 · 2/10 · 4 August 2009]

I read the other reviews on this site, and I watched this movie expecting an anime movie with the plot of Lone Wolf and Cub and the action of Ninja Scroll.

And the movie started that way. The first action scene is cool, but after the first ten minutes the movie stops the action and starts the boring exposition. No interesting fights happen until the end of the movie.

I watched this movie with people, and after the fifty minute mark we skipped to the end because the story was so flimsy and poorly developed we just stopped caring. When we saw the samurai riding on a horse with the child along the beach, while the child yelled how it felt like he flying, and the water splashed and shined in the samurai's face, we stopped giving a dam n. This scene was meant to make us care about how the samurai and child were bonding, but it was so forced and so cliché we didn't care to watch anymore. This is how the entire plot of the movie works.

If you've seen any samurai movie, you've seen a better version of this movie. The few fights the movie has are cool, but the rest is a wan k fest that is what is wrong with anime.

like a minimalistic piece of art it shines without blinding

[mani_za01 · 10/10 · 27 May 2008]

as a anime fan i must say first that i saw these movie whit great expectations. What i saw was far beyond what i expected or could have imagined. lets start by explaining that the plot is simple but poetic at the same time and it never gets in the way of you enjoying the action, now i am a big fan of action anime and i must say that there is where these movie shines above anything that tries to stand in its way art direction is superb these movie has incredible character design the best weapon design in any movie that i can remember, each character has a unique weapon minimalistic but beautiful simple enough not to draw attention to themselves but so well designed that they give each character a different feel and a different fighting stile that ads variety to the already amazing action.these movie also has animation that makes Hollywood action cheap in comparison, music is great but it blends so well whit the rest of the movie that its hard to notice its there the background just like many other superb pieces of the puzzle, setting are like paintings and have a unique style but again they blend together and are hard to discern. Voice acting is amazing and makes the characters believable. Watching in the original language is a must. the movie isn't perfect but then again nothing is and the little flaws it has may have been sacrifices for the greater good of the movie or simply don't get in the way of the main purpose of the flick. sword of the stranger is a great movie that has a mixture of elements in the exact measurement to do one thing and that is make the incredible action stand out, never the near perfect art direction, incredible music and voice acting,the well written plot or any of the other elements of the movie take the main stage but that is how it was intended. action is the most important element and the rest is there to make the action rock but like a masterful painting it shows what you as much as want to see, it can be great action or much much more but that is for the viewer to decide. These movie is a classic in my book and must not be missed, movies these good don't come close to one another and it may take many years before another piece of these magnitude takes form.

Movies like this should be seen by every kid in the world

[enkid2 · 8/10 · 18 June 2010]

I watched this movie last night with my dad and we both loved it. I'm 27 and he happens to be in his 50's. I expect everyone younger, older and in between will love it as well.

I'm sure you can imagine what an anime title like "The Sword of the Stranger" might hold in store for you. A young boy named Kotaru and his faithful companion Tobimaru. A deadly swordsman with blue eyes. A hungry samurai with a troubled past. The Sword of the Stranger doesn't re-invent the wheel but it is more than the sum of it's parts.

All in all: If you enjoy anime watch it. You can also expect to hear a great score.

Cliché in the most adorable way

[TylerNess · 9/10 · 6 May 2008]

To be really honest the movie contains a few clichés. It just has to be sad. But with that part out of the way, I can only speak of great appreciation for this movie. The story is not the most brilliant and again it might be a little cliché, but in a very adorable way. In my case it didn't bothered me for a second. This might be because I really love the traditional anime way of capturing samurai hero stories. For people who have a little more trouble with that, just looked passed it. Because the other parts of the movie have been worked out better than most of the movies I've seen so far. Let's begin with the looks of the movie. For a pretty much traditional drawn anime it is just beautiful. And it gets even better with the action scenes. They are drawn, animated and captured very well. They are fast but clear, they contain a lot of cool moves (if you can put it that way) and are supported by absolute wonderful sound effects and music. The thing that really captured me and makes me watch the final scene over and over again, is the perfect balance between action and music. This movie might not be the industries best, but contains something a lot of the other movies don't: Heart.

If you like traditional anime, samurai and hero stories, this is absolutely one to watch!!

It was okay

[savarkar-12942 · 7/10 · 13 September 2020]

I mean much better than hollywood animation in terms of story and fight. Music was also good. Fight scenes where good.

A great telling of the past

[blackmamba99971 · 10/10 · 27 February 2010]

This was a refreshing movie about the life and times of the Samurai. A noble house that is being used by the emperor of china to find and kill a small boy for his blood in order for immortality to be achieved. In the middle, are the boy and the hunters, yet in the grey corner is a lone wolf Ex-general who's past is as mysterious as the ritual itself. And when the boy and this past soldier cross paths, they develop a close bonding friendship which defeats the fanatical cultists. But not too far away is the samurai who is also hunting this boy for negotiations leverages. Between the Samurai, cultists, and one psychotic warrior who wants nothing more than to cut down any opponent in his path, it's all or nothing for the no named soldier to save this small boy from inevitable death. This movie had every known element to give the fans a real look at what the life was to being a samurai. And how even the common folk struggled to get by each day between dynasties. Beautiful fight scenes and no holds barred sword play, the music was top notch, and the scenery was captivating. I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys to watch the old school ways of what it was like to be a part of the samurai code. And what it means to understand those conflicts. Excellent film.

Best Samurai ninja anime since Ninja scroll

[decore79 · 8/10 · 8 July 2011]

For a long time, feature film anime had been lacking when it came to top-notch production. I found this title not expecting much but from the very beginning it had me. Everything that was great about the ninja/samurai animations in the 90's re-emerged onto this film and I think its safe to say that the choreography far excelled that of its predecessors. The story as vague as it may have been did enough to keep my interest ,but in the end it was the fight scenes that kept me compliant to watch further. Not often do you find a final battle to be so intense pushing the boundaries of fluid animation that your eyes are glued to every moment of the fight. I really can't say enough about this film. At a time where many anime have become primarily viewed in a TV series format, Sword of the Stranger was a breath of fresh air and nostalgic return to what I loved so much about anime feature films. For any fan of Ninja Scroll,Dagger of Kamui, Samurai X, and other great anime classics, this one is for you trust me.

What movie did I just watch?

[keithomusic · 3/10 · 20 June 2020]

Not really action packed, some action in the first ten minutes, then a short sequence at about the hour mark, then a five minute scene fifteen minutes later, then a short time later the five minute final fight. Mostly this film is boring, especially the beginning, plus this is pretty much generic, I have seen movies like this many times before and some done much better. Some of the artwork is good, but most seems average, but it is hard to tell as the version I watched was probably 480p. And the animation was not as good as many thought. The editing made it look better than it really is. I apparently did not watch the same movie as the ones who gave it 8-10 stars.

A Samurai story with lots of action, and with a cute kid companion

[burakcopur · 10/10 · 19 February 2012]

This animation was a great fun for me. I gave this title a generous 10 but, let me warn you. You may not like this movie as much as i do.

First, the plot is not a work of genius. A good story of a regretful Samurai and a kid, with some touchy parts. Overall, story just sets the mood and feeling for audience.

But the action is strong in this one. Action and sword fight scenes were the best I've ever watched in an animation. As good as Samurai Champloo, maybe better. Our protagonist is a charismatic character. You might feel like blood runs faster in your veins while he fights. Choreography in fight scenes are nice and aesthetic. Blood makes scenes even better.

If you like sword fights, samurais, with some blend of Chinese and Japanese myths; this movie can give you good fun hours. You won't be disappointed. But if you are not interested in these things, please don't watch.

A beautiful movie and a beautiful story.

[deanocware · 9/10 · 19 August 2019]

I am usually a casual connoisseur of anime but this film was everything that is good about anime. The scenes are breathtaking and beautiful at times, from humble temples to the rugged but picturesque countryside the movie tells the tale of a young Ronin who has forsaken service to feudal lords in exchange for a life of wandering who meets up with a young boy and his faithful dog fleeing assassins. In the end the Ronin finds a humble but worthy "lord" in the little boy and the boy finds a friend in the tormented but caring Ronin. And they both find a measure of redemption. The fight scenes are typically asian-extreme but fantastic nonetheless. Very glad I found this.

I didn't think they made anime this good any more

[offaroundthebend · 9/10 · 26 July 2009]

I very rarely write reviews on IMDb but I've just watched Sword Of The Stranger (subbed. Always subbed.) for the 3rd time and I feel like this has the potential to be a classic example of great Japanese animation, but somehow hasn't attained the popularity.

I'm not going to write a massive in-depth review. I will simply say that if you enjoy samurai action anime films, you will absolutely love this. Visually and aurally, this film blew me away. I cannot begin to describe how artistically beautiful it is, and how full of tiny details which enrich the entire viewing experience. The characters are very clichéd, and the story itself contains little that you haven't seen elsewhere, but the details in the characterisation still make this movie feel totally fresh.

The boy's relationship to his dog, Tobimaru, is particularly touching, and is rendered beautiful by one scene in particular which has the boy getting water from a river to give to his sick dog. Keep an eye out for those 5 seconds, because they contain unnecessary detail which just brings the whole film to life. Every character has its quirks which just makes the whole experience so much more dramatic, as if you're watching great acting on screen rather than flat drawings, and this really lends the movie a Disney-esquire sense of magic to it. At no point do you doubt the existence of the world you're watching, and it's authenticity just sucks you completely in to the experience.

It goes almost without saying that the fighting in this film is superb. Easily the best action scenes I've ever seen in an anime, and very reminiscent in feel and technical accuracy to Samurai Champloo's fight scenes. Every move here is perfectly choreographed, and you won't find an attack which doesn't feel like it has weight behind it. The film's antagonist is a fantastic character who, of course, rivals our ronin hero in skill, resulting in an epic climax...you really need to see it for yourself!

Bottom line is that if you have any interest in animated films, Japanese or otherwise, see this movie. I would compare it tonally more to a Disney film than to a stablemate such as Ninja Scroll, in that the characters feel real and the world has such a beautiful, almost nostalgic feel to it. Yet be aware that when the swords are drawn, you are gonna get action like you've rarely seen before, and it is quite a bloody film. Definitely not for kids.

If the story were just a little more original I'd give it a perfect 10, but as it stands it gets a 9. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Really well made and moving a little from the classic Japanese storyline

[siderite · 8/10 · 5 February 2016]

Chinese agents come to Japan hunting a boy. They are well prepared, have a lot of money and seem to be indomitable in battle, especially one of them, who is a blue eyed blonde. The boy is clueless, rude and his only companion and friend is a dog. When they meet a mysterious samurai, he reluctantly agrees to help them escape pursuit.

Well drawn, cool action scenes reminiscent of Ninja Scroll, credible characters, doing things for reasons that one can believe, rather than the classic "I will protect something, hear me roar!", and an interesting story with roots in a real event.

It lasts for one hour forty minutes and I warmly recommend it. It has some issues at the end when some of the characters are just ridiculously overpowered, but overall it was really cool.