Synopsis
Feudal Japan - A time of danger, intrigue and deception. Jubei Kibagami is a masterless samurai who travels the land alone, hiring his services for any amount of money he can get. His fearsome abilities have served him well, but a hideous plot to overthrow the current government threatens to end his wandering ways and possibly his life. When a small village succumbs to a possible plague, a team of ninjas are sent to investigate, and realize that all is not as it seems. Ambushed, they are wiped out by a fearsome man-monster with incredible powers, leaving only one alive - Kagero, a beautiful female ninja, whose very touch can bring instant death. Jubei saves her from a fate worse than death, and unwittingly becomes drawn into the web of treachery. He is soon faced with his greatest challenge, an enemy for whom death holds no fear, with the power to destroy Jubei’s world.

Review
Ninja Scroll is an anime classic in the sense that brainless live-action movies like The Rock are classics. The story is simple and straightforward and the backstory doesn’t make much sense, but so long as the blood is pumping and the next action sequence isn’t far off, we are glued to the screen. Ninja Scroll should seem familiar to some; it was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, who has a very distinctive flair (he was also responsible for Wicked City, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and the “Program” short from The Animatrix). If you’ve seen any of these, you know Kawajiri can direct incredibly riveting action sequences, and Ninja Scroll is no exception. The action is fluid and always on-screen, and we are never confused as to what’s going on. This is helped by the animation, which looks very good for its age and clearly had a big budget so everything could be animated.

While the action is sweet and the animation nice to look at, the same can’t be said of the characters. They are archetypes through and through, and never break their cliched personalities. This means no surprises and no twists. Fortunately, Jubei is an easy-going, laid-back samurai, and is instantly likeable and fun to watch. The Eight Devils of Kimon, the main villains of the film, are easy to hate, and are clearly made to look evil and despicable, but nothing more. The most interesting character (which isn’t saying much) is the old goverment spy Dakuan, whose motives are unknown and whose character gets the most dialogue. There’s also Kagero, the beautiful female ninja. Her main purpose is to be the sex object; who is raped by two different villains in the show and is mainly there to show off some gratuitous nudity.

But, that’s what Ninja Scroll is all about. This was THE film that defined the cliched anime action genre (at least in the US, from what I understand Ninja Scroll went unnoticed in Japan for the most part). It has all the gratuitous sex and nudity, excellent action and battle scenes, throwaway plot, and pointless blood and gore that make this genre what it is today. It inspired a million imitators, but this is still the best. I think if you’re a heterosexual male with a strong stomach, that you should definitely give this a try. Its badass and tough and manly and bloody and everything else that plays to that carnal male instinct.

The Breakdown
Give the film a shot. You’ll probably enjoy it, but the movie certainly doesn’t have any artistic merits beyond the action sequences. The film just last year received the deluxe treatment from Manga Entertainment, who put out a 10th Anniversary Edition DVD of the film commemorating its original US release. I recommend renting that, if not outright buying it. You’ll have a lot of fun.