Ninja Scroll

H

harkins

Adventurer
I watched the movie last night and thought it was fantastic. So I fancy seeing the TV series now but thought I’d ask for some opinions first in case it’s a poor relation. (Sorry for being years behind still)

So is it worth buying?
 
The TV series is no where near the quality of the movie. It isn't a bad series, but it lacks the violent/beautiful edge that I loved about Kawajiri's movie - its more about cheesy/gruesome horror. If you want something similar; take a look at Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and if you're brave, Wicked City. Both movies are from the same director and share his trademark style and fantastic action direction.
 
I do seem to recall reading somewhere that fans of the film weren’t impressed by the series so with what you’re saying here I think I’ll give it a miss.

Thanks for the suggestions Paul. I’ve just gone and ordered Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust but Wicked City seems trickier to find at a reasonable price. You see, I am feeling brave but not brave enough to spend £26 on it.
 
I liked both, I just look at them as being separate entities each with its own faults and positive attributes.

For example the nutty old priest is a lot more entertaining in the series but the movie has a stronger story
 
harkins said:
I watched the movie last night and thought it was fantastic. So I fancy seeing the TV series now but thought I’d ask for some opinions first in case it’s a poor relation.
Click to expand...
Speaking of poor relations, whatever you do don't get Ninja Resurrection. It was implied on its original release that it was a kind of sequel to Ninja Scroll, but in fact it's not related at all. The main character has the same name, but it might as well be a different person. It's very violent if you like that sort of thing though, and there'll be a Speical Edition of it coming out next year (yeah, thanks for that ADV!).

Ninja Scroll TV does follow on from the film, but apart from a couple of instances they're virtually unrelated. It's pretty naff in comparison to the film, but kind of a laugh anyway.

(if you're not too fussy about how you get your anime, you can probably find Wicked City on VHS cheap somwhere - it's cut by about 90 seconds though so it's missing some of the more sexual scenes. Dub only too but still good.)
 
I liked the tv series. If you don't take it too seriously then it is pretty entertaining, the fight scenes are great although the plot is rather linear. I don't see how anyone can find the series silly and not the film, they are equal in silliness. Some of the special ninja powers are the most inventive I've seen.
 
Basically consider them the same thing as in Film and Series about same characters/people and its a disappointment, but see them as separate things and they are well worth watching
 
I found the series to be a huge, huge disappointment. True, it follows more or less the same blueprint as the film, but it lacks the movie's wicked sense of style, not to mention Kawajiri's eye for spectacular set-pieces. The animation is also some of the worst Madhouse has ever produced. Far too reliant on poorly implemented CGI, and some of the character designs are downright atrocious.

Still, if you’re desperate for more ninja-on-ninja action you can always import the far superior Basilisk TV. It’s much closer, in both spirit and execution, to the original Ninja Scroll movie and the production values are top notch, even by Gonzo’s usual standards.
 
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