Ninja Scroll: The Series

[areaseven]

Jubei Ninpucho: Ryuhogyoku-Hen ( 獣兵衛忍風帖「龍宝玉篇」 )

Madhouse/Filmlink International/WOWOW/Amuse Video, 2003

Urban Vision Entertainment, 2003-2004

Directed by Tatsuo Sato (Martian Successor Nadesico, Uchuu no Stellvia)

Not Rated. Contains extreme violence & gore, slight nudity, mature situations and strong language.

Fourteen years after defeating the immortal warrior Himuro Genma and thwarting the Shogun of the Dark's evil plans, Kibagami Jubei continues to roam all over Japan as a masterless swordsman. During his journey, he meets Shigure, a priestess who has never seen the world outside her village. But when a group of demons destroys the village and kills everyone, Jubei becomes a prime target after acquiring the Dragon Jewel - a stone with an unknown origin.

Meanwhile, Shigure - along with the monk Dakuan and a young thief named Tsubude - travels to the village of Yagyu. And with two demon clans now hunting down Shigure, Dakuan must once again acquire the services of Jubei to protect the Priestess of Light.

Story: C+

After watching the critically-acclaimed movie, you'd be expecting the same storytelling and action in the new TV series. Well, something's just wrong with it. First off, what are these demons doing with high-tech gadgetry during this era? Stuff like audio-recording robot birds have no place in Feudal Japan. As for the story itself, it's very slow-paced with nothing much happening on the first two episodes. Maybe the rest of the story will kick in after episode 3.

Animation: C+

In many ways, the artwork and animation are not very impressive. The character designs by Takahiro Yoshimatsu (Trigun, Jubei-chan) look too cartoonish and the fight scenes are pretty boring. And these demons aren't as interesting as those in the movie.

Soundtrack: B+

Legendary new age musician Kitaro, along with Peter McEvilley, supplies a blend of traditional Japanese folk and rock music to the musical score. While I highly respect his works, his compositions somehow don't go together with the anime that well.

Sub vs. Dub

Jubei Ninpucho: Ryuhogyoku-Hen features Rikiya Koyama as Jubei, Houko Kuwashima (Quon in RahXephon, Kirika in NOIR) as Shigure, Romi Paku (Maki in Air Master, Katie in Macross Zero) as Tsubute, Yuzuru Fujimoto (Kojima in Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team) as Dakuan, Rica Matsumoto (Jim in Outlaw Star, Rumi in Perfect Blue) as Nekobe, Hideyuki Tanaka (Riding Bean, Fujitaka in Cardcaptor Sakura) as Mufu, and Seizou Kato as Yamidoro.

I've only seen this series in fansub form. So far, I haven't decided on whether or not to rent the DVD and check out the dub. Featured voices include David Rasner as Jubei, Daisy Torme as Shigure, Scott Menville as Tsubute, and Dwight Schultz (Murdock in The A-Team, Barclay in Star Trek: The Next Generation) as Dakuan.

DVD Extras

Undecided.

The Bottom Line

The series is okay, but it just doesn't feel like Ninja Scroll. As a matter of fact, it feels a bit like Samurai Deeper Kyo. I'll wait until Ninja Scroll 2 comes out.

Links

Official Ninja Scroll Homepage (Japanese)

Urban Vision's Official Ninja Scroll Homepage

Reference

Anime News Network

Edited August 6, 2004 by areaseven

[GobotFool]

Gah! I hated this anime. Even the man who transformed into the lawnmower of doom couldn't save the show

[bandit29]

I think once and done will be my attitude for this show. The character designs are butt ugly. The characters themselves are boring anime cookie cutter(sans Jubei and Daukowon sp?). The music is boring and repetitive. The story isn't really that interesting. The action scenes have been done before and better. The dub is atrocious. The only good thing about this show is that its cheap at Best Buy.

Edited April 9, 2004 by dejr8bud

[JELEINEN]

I never cared for the original, so I haven't bothered with the TV series. From the negative reactions I've heard to it, I wonder how this bodes for anime produced specifically for the US.

[GobotFool]

I never cared for the original, so I haven't bothered with the TV series. From the negative reactions I've heard to it, I wonder how this bodes for anime produced specifically for the US.

It was made specifically for the US? Damn, I knew the Japanese thought lowly of us, but not that lowly...

[JELEINEN]

It was made specifically for the US? Damn, I knew the Japanese thought lowly of us, but not that lowly...

Urban Vision was the primary force behind getting it made. From my understanding, the original movie certainly was not popular enough in Japan to justify making the TV series for that market.