As mentioned in my previous article about the cult hit anime Perfect Blue, there was once a strange and dark time where most anime fans didn’t seek a particular film or series; they merely stumbled upon them like a moth flying into a flame. And, much like Perfect Blue, some of the movies were less than appropriate for the Western cartoon-watching audience, such as the influential and oft-mentioned Ninja Scroll. Part ninja action, part monster horror and part political thriller, Ninja Scroll became one of the most popular animes outside of Japan in the mid-90s and a frequent midnight feature for geeky teens everywhere. It’s a pop art of grotesque violence in an otherworldly feudal Japan that, while visually stunning, doesn’t offer much in the way of a comprehensible plot and mostly spends its time ham-fistedly adding in some pretty sweet fight scenes. In other words, come for the titties, but stay for the gore.
The movie is set in the ultra-violent world of feudal Japan somewhere around the Edo period. The lead character, Jubei, is a wandering samurai who picks up jobs where he can whilst running from a secretive and destructive past. One day, he saves a member of the Mochizuki Koga ninja team, Kagero, from getting raped and quickly finds himself embroiled in a world of politics and death. You see, a former associate of Jubei, Himuro Genma, has somehow crawled his way out of the afterlife and is now working on behalf of the Shogun of the Dark: at his disposal are a group of specially trained ninjas named the Eight Devils of Kimon. Genma uses the Devils to extort money and gold from the populace, intending to buy up weapons from the Portuguese and take over all of Japan himself. With his demon ninjas and immortality, it seems like there is no one to stop him from taking over the country, unless a certain samurai steps up to the plate. Cue dramatic music!
Despite appearances, Ninja Scroll does have a smidge of a plot, just enough to get the lead character out and about killing demon ninja monsters. In fact, the whole thing plays out like an old school video game: Jubei kills ninjas until he reaches the mini-bosses and kills the mini-bosses until he gets to the big boss. The story seems to only exist to keep him moving from one fight to the next and even he ends up being reluctant to do it (in the movie, he gets poisoned and is promised the antidote if he fights). It’s a pretty by-the-numbers action narrative which is only exacerbated by the tropey characters. The female lead Kagero merely exists to show off her tits, fall in love with the lead and die, which leads to Jubei’s only emotional scene right before his big fight with Genma. She’s got a tough exterior and a wounded heart, but in just two days, love is in the air for this buxom babe! Jubei doesn’t fare much better. He’s your typical John Wayne tough-guy lone wolf with an unprecedented amount of sword fighting skills, but only if his hand is forced. After 25 years, it just doesn’t age well.
So with all this in mind, what exactly makes Ninja Scroll ‘one of the greatest animes of all time’? Honestly, it’s probably the animation. The film has a beautiful fluidity to it and a rich color scheme that plays well in the disparity of the movie’s landscape. The character design breaks out of the popular big-eyed illustration style and instead makes the characters (sort-of) more grounded in realism. Granted, they all kind of look like dudes and the chins are out of this world, but it’s definitely more of an aesthetic choice than a poorly constructed idea. And the fights, oh boy, the fights! Ninjas hopping in trees, limbs getting ripped off, snakes pouring out of a woman’s body; it’s the erotic grotesque action adventure of your dreams! Every Dark Ninja has his or her own fighting speciality, forcing Jubei to cleverly think his way out of each trap (or in some cases, become somehow indestructible). The action sequences are done in full gory detail, leaving little to the imagination, while offering a couple of surprises along the way. Ninja Scroll is best seen as akin to Predator: the fights are where it’s at.
All in all, I wouldn’t say that Ninja Scroll is the best thing ever; hell, it’s not even like the twentieth best thing ever, but it’s definitely a classic must-watch for anime and animation fans. Also, it’s streaming right now, so it’s not like you have to go anywhere to watch it. Check it out if you have a couple of hours!