Still fun, 30 years later

Key foods

• The iconic film Ninja Scroll recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with a limited theatrical release, showcasing its lasting impact.
• An ero-guro action show that combines eroticism and grotesque, offering an unforgettable and daring viewing experience.
• While Ninja Scroll's narrative may be thin, its exciting action sequences, artwork, and charismatic characters have helped it achieve cult status.

Few anime studios are as famous or respected as Madhouse, and of its many notable creative leads, few are as iconic – either for their imagination or influence – as Yoshiaki Kawajiri. Recently Kawajiri Ninja Scroll It celebrated its (late) 30th anniversary with a short North American run, and all these years later, it's still a ferocious ride expertly crafted to get the blood pumping.

For three nights only, starting September 11, Iconic Events is bringing the film to theaters as part of Anime Expo's Movie Nights with a special pre-screening interview with the director. Released in Japan in 1993, Ninja Scroll It is considered one of the best Kwajiri. An action show that gained attention during the anime boom in the 90s after its western release.

You know why this is a cult classic

Light sensitive viewers beware, this movie has a lot of flashing lights. Even the trailer posted below contains a lot of flash effects.

Ninja Scroll The Perfect Storm is a film that is both a love letter to the director's influences while also becoming a highly influential work in its own right. Joins the likes A soul in a shell As the anime that helped inspire creators like the Wachowskis The matrix. For everyone else, it was and remains an afterthought, especially for younger viewers, to whom the film's brand of ultra-violence and action shows are foreign.

The story of Ninja Scroll

It follows Jobi Kibagami, a drifter who wanders Japan as a sword for hire until a chance encounter sends him on a mission where the fate of the country hangs in the balance. While he has no interest in politics, he has no choice but to help the last survivor of a ninja clan as he investigates the cause of a plague that has killed a village. Along the way, he must fight Kimon's demons to thwart a plan to overthrow the government.

Structurally, there's something very video game-like about its narrative, which greatly contributes to its appeal. The film is an adventure whose journey is structured with a series of creative boss fights, where each demon has a unique aesthetic, skill and/or power. By contrast, Jubi is comparably “normal” aside from her masterful swordsmanship skills. This gives him the vibe of a weak man while also making his victories feel even more so.

An Ero-Guro action goggles

After the opening sequence and introducing the audience to Joby, the film sets up its main plot through what is effectively a horror film. A group of ninjas whose training is blindingly obvious are being slaughtered by a force unlike anything they could fathom. A man whose skin is as hard as stone. The sole survivor of the surprise ambush, Kageru, watches in horror as his clan leader is separated.

“Ero Guru” is a genre that describes the intersection of erotic and grotesque, which cannot be fully described. Ninja ScrollIt's fair to call it pornographic, but that term applies as much to fighting as it does to sexual content throughout. Sensual and exciting inevitably collide with the monster and the occult, making for a daring and unforgettable viewing experience. You will not forget the first time you see this movie.

A simple story, but a thoughtful execution

Everything is simple, but at the best of times, it doesn't seem simple. The execution is too skilful and the artwork too beautiful to be dismissed as such. The story is weak in all respects, but the way it is narrated gives the film a good feel. The action is exciting, but remarkably patient. There is an emphasis on making predictions before sparks fly. The battle between Jubi and Tsai is a great example.

An ordinary-looking swordsman—hardly different from the countless men who have witnessed the slaughter—vs. a goofy monster with a body of stone. It's a nice standoff that allows the tension to build organically, making the gruesome conclusion that much more satisfying. Ninja Scroll It always has a new trick to show the viewer and rarely shies away from its most graphic images.

Glasses cannot solve everything

The pacing is solid, the characters are stunning and unforgettable, and the action is relentlessly violent at its best. These qualities are what have given this film its cult status, yet even with that blessing, anyone who has watched Ninja Scroll Could probably agree on a few things. First and foremost, whenever there's a show, the film is practically allergic to cheesiness.

Admittedly, the historical context of the film is fascinating, but everything that is done with it is rather lackluster. That might have hurt the final showdown, but it's saved by the presentation, which is no small feat. “cognitive beauty” is not the lack of narrative; it is narration, and Ninja ScrollThe climax of the film is masterful in every way, despite the weak plot structure. What significantly hurts the narrative as a whole is the sexism that runs throughout.

Second, Kagro's problem

In a film that centers around the characters, their journey and their relationship, a lackluster plot can easily be forgiven. Unfortunately, even this is tarnished by the lameness of Kageru's portrayal. Despite a strong introduction, he never gets the chance to do anything interesting. He never gets to kill any of the bad guys, except for the first one, Tsai, and even then, there's a hunt, and a very big one at that. Kageru's body poisons anyone who sleeps with him.

Tsai died because she sexually assaulted Kageru before fighting Jubi. Even then, his poison turns into an assist, as Jubi ends up making Tsai fall on his sword, reducing his assists to a pittance. Meanwhile, her whole arc is about the shame of having a toxic body. One might charitably interpret his arc as Kageru learning to see himself as more than just an object thanks to Juubi treating him like a person, but that's giving it too much credit.

He lacks too much agency to take that message seriously. Plus, even if Kageru hadn't been sexually assaulted (twice, I might add), it's not like her and Jubi's relationship would have been very interesting to begin with. It's a huge problem just because of how important he is to the story, and so how annoying it is that a movie with so much epic action can't give one of the main characters more to do.

There are better movies

Ninja Scroll

but at the same time, there's nothing like it, and the combination with such inspired artwork and direction makes all the difference.

When I went back to the theater to see this movie, I was ready for things that don't age (naturally) in a 31-year-old movie. So the biggest disappointment was to find out how much those negative qualities remained throughout the film. The title didn't lie – this is still a very entertaining action movie. It's not as great as I remember, and that makes it harder to appreciate what it did right. Make no mistake, though: it wasn't impossible.

There are better movies Ninja Scrollbut at the same time, there's nothing like it, and the combination with such inspired artwork and direction makes all the difference. There's no harm in celebrating what's going right as long as we don't pretend its problems don't exist.

Ninja Scroll It will be available on limited edition SteelBook Blu-ray on October 22nd by Sentai Filmworks.