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Nov 12, 2008 11:00 AM
#1
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Apr 2008
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THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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Well that wasn't bad, although I saw some seriously bad animation reusal.

The fight scenes and animation were really good quality, but the gratuitous nudity was a bit silly :P

Overall, good in a sort of grind-house way, you know it's not going to have an amazing plot but you know it's got good action :P
KinetaSep 14, 2012 12:07 AM

Nov 19, 2008 4:39 AM
#2

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Jun 2008
5241
I'm disappointed I thought/expected it to be better, but at least it was kinda enjoyable.
kie_Mar 12, 2009 8:14 AM
Dec 5, 2008 5:07 PM
#3
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Sep 2008
274
It was pretty awesome.
Sep 22, 2009 1:49 PM
#4

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Sep 2009
11
yeah,it is a good one,the begining was so potential,stone-demon,part of man's bodies a lot of blood and so on,but i don't like some moments:
-why did they include that many demons? some demons died too fast,in 1,5h film,i didn't got a thing about them(for example the blind demon)
-the story is too long,they rly better made the lenght is 1h
Oct 26, 2009 1:57 PM
#5

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Jun 2009
235
Pretty good for early 90s, must say that I've had what I expexted. Plot holes and weak plot overall are signs of that time, they are not even perceived as strong defects. Up to 7.5/10.
Nov 11, 2009 9:37 PM
#6

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Feb 2009
3436
Now this was a fan service spectacle. It had nudity, sex, swordfight, action, violence, blood, gore, heck even a cliché story. But it was everything very well directed, with cool characters, great fights and an amazing final showdown. Enjoy it and rate it for what it is... Entertainment at its best!

8/10 from me.
Nov 29, 2009 12:17 AM
#7

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Oct 2008
7710
All I can say is the gore bits were awesome. (:
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.~
Nov 29, 2009 4:37 AM
#8

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Jan 2008
4847
Anyone that doesnt like Ninja Scroll has no taste, smells of onions and is all round a terrible person.

It's true.
"I'm starting to think mal is run by Xinil generating electricity on a bicycle." - idklol
Nov 29, 2009 6:43 PM
#9

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Feb 2009
163
But I don't wanna smell like onions!
Dec 30, 2009 1:18 AM
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Oct 2009
678
where is that emo ninja with red eyes?
Jun 4, 2010 10:30 AM

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Dec 2008
3168
Pretty good animation for 1993.

The action and the gore were also great.

The problem is that a few demons died too fast. 8 demons in one 1h30 movie? Bad idea.
Also, the gratuitious nudity was ridiculous.

Also, plotholes. But that's to be expected when you watch something from the Action genre.

Wasn't expecting a masterpiece so it ended up being enjoyable. This was supposed to be an Action flick and was good at that.

8/10
Nov 11, 2010 9:01 AM

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Jun 2008
5006
Loved this movie, it was insanely great. :-D

watching, waiting, commiserating
Sep 22, 2011 10:01 AM

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Aug 2009
1335
This was my first anime. Funny enough, I watched the movie when I was in my late 11 years old. The movie was only rated 13+ in my province. I totally did not expect it to be that violent.
-Fixing-
Sep 22, 2011 12:21 PM

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Jan 2008
4847
Cowabunga said:
Also, the gratuitious nudity was ridiculous.


That's one of the great things about it. One of my favourite scenes is when one of the monster dudes starts sucking on a tit with relish.

"Garrg, I'm a monster made of rock, but I still like boobs!"
"I'm starting to think mal is run by Xinil generating electricity on a bicycle." - idklol
Oct 21, 2011 11:18 AM
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Aug 2011
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Beatnik said:
Cowabunga said:
Also, the gratuitious nudity was ridiculous.


That's one of the great things about it. One of my favourite scenes is when one of the monster dudes starts sucking on a tit with relish.

"Garrg, I'm a monster made of rock, but I still like boobs!"


Damn strait. This movie was a lot better than what it had any right to be. Pure, unpretentious fun.
Apr 9, 2012 8:39 PM

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Sep 2009
1570
InfinityPal said:
Beatnik said:
Cowabunga said:
Also, the gratuitious nudity was ridiculous.


That's one of the great things about it. One of my favourite scenes is when one of the monster dudes starts sucking on a tit with relish.

"Garrg, I'm a monster made of rock, but I still like boobs!"


Damn strait. This movie was a lot better than what it had any right to be. Pure, unpretentious fun.

Definitely.
I didn't mind the pacing of the enemies at all.
It kept the fights short, bitter, and sweat.
No pointless bullshit that dragged on and on and on like a lot of other action movies.
Jun 8, 2012 1:20 PM

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Sep 2008
1624
meh. Just a bunch of pointless stuff happening. The idea is quite interesting though, but the writing kind of sucks at most parts. Although I have to admit it wasnt that bad considering its a B-movie. Not bad at all.

My rating is anywhere between 5-7, cant really decide, so I went for a 5 right now because I'm not in a good mood.
"...our faces marked by toil, by deceptions, by success, by love; our weary eyes looking still, looking always, looking anxiously for something out of life, that while it is expected is already gone – has passed unseen, in a sigh, in a flash – together with the youth, with the strength, with the romance of illusions.” - Joseph Conrad ('Youth')
Jun 11, 2012 12:25 AM
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Apr 2012
39
One of the best anime movies Ive seen. Not that kiddy stuff but real mature themes.
Nov 16, 2012 11:07 AM

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Sep 2008
1909
Had just bought the BD and after watching it again I have to admit, regardless of flaws Ninja Scroll will always be an all time classic. It gave off a feeling of nostalgia of when I was in high school and my geeky friend had highly recommended this movie after having just watched Fist of the North Star(and really liking it). Whilst Ninja Scroll isn't for everybody, if you were watching anime around early 90's this movie was already a cult classic of its time for westerners and comparing it to western cartoons was like comparing shit to chocolate. This movie is pure eye candy. Only reason why my score is a 9 and not a 10 is due to the test of time, but even then it's done well for itself over the myriad of crap that's been out since.
Jul 12, 2013 9:34 AM

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Feb 2012
187
Awesome movie, short and epic.
Also nice homage to the violent exploitation b-side samurai movies from the 70s.
Jan 31, 2014 8:31 PM

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Feb 2013
6196
I think I caught part of this on the sci-fi channel a couple years ago... I remember that burning boat...

The fights had some nice violence and were pretty epic (although a bit too short)... but the storytelling wasn't that great.
Jul 29, 2014 10:37 PM
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Jul 2018
564091
I saw this as a bigger budget and more badass version of the movie Black Lion. Both were entertaining, but this one is clearly better. Better than expected as-well

(Can't be too critical when watching these types of shows)
Feb 5, 2015 3:40 PM

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Jun 2014
22512
I saw Ninja Scroll twice, once when I was 11 years old in 1999 on Teletoon(which I taped off my TV,) and again when I was 17 or so.

This Anime is both boring and disgusting, and is the worst Anime I have ever seen in my life, and at the time of this post, it is the first "1 out of 10" I have ever scored anything.

Avoid like the plague.

Apr 10, 2015 10:47 AM
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Nov 2014
32
^^ jeez if this is the worse anime you have seen in your life, you can't have watched very many. (worse than your typical hentai for example? c'mon.) either that you haven't lived very long.

ninja scroll will always be one of my favourites :D
May 3, 2015 12:18 PM

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Jul 2014
2800
7.6 is an hideous score (for MAL standards) for this movie. The direction and style are superb.
May 26, 2015 6:30 PM

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Nov 2014
5009
Ninja Scroll was the first anime I saw back in 1995. I just re-watched it, and I'm really surprised by how well it holds up. First off, the pacing was great. I tend to get bored easily, but my mind didn't drift once during this movie. And it seems even more stylish now for some reason. The artwork was beautiful, and the soundtrack and sound design were strong. Aside from the rape scenes, which I felt were a bit gratuitous, I loved it overall.
Jul 17, 2015 9:54 PM
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Jul 2018
564091
Wow, what a great movie. Brilliant sword fights with a cool main character, nice romance, well-paced... Beautiful animation as well... I wish that they had more anime with this kind of art... 90's art was the best. The soundtrack was solid, and the ED theme was wonderful. I was surprised at how good the dub was, too!! They just don't make anime like this anymore...
9/10 from me ^^

Also LMAO:

Working_Designs said:
I saw Ninja Scroll twice, once when I was 11 years old in 1999 on Teletoon(which I taped off my TV,) and again when I was 17 or so.

This Anime is both boring and disgusting, and is the worst Anime I have ever seen in my life, and at the time of this post, it is the first "1 out of 10" I have ever scored anything.

Avoid like the plague.
removed-userJul 17, 2015 10:03 PM
Aug 7, 2015 10:57 PM

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Oct 2013
1766
Aria-da-Capo said:
7.6 is an hideous score (for MAL standards) for this movie. The direction and style are superb.


Agreed, this movie is fantastic. The art is simply amazing in the later half.
Sep 27, 2015 9:35 AM
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Dec 2014
780
Working_Designs said:
I saw Ninja Scroll twice, once when I was 11 years old in 1999 on Teletoon(which I taped off my TV,) and again when I was 17 or so.

This Anime is both boring and disgusting, and is the worst Anime I have ever seen in my life, and at the time of this post, it is the first "1 out of 10" I have ever scored anything.

Avoid like the plague.


Don't watch this movie if you prefer cute slice of life anime, sure. But if you like action, nudity and lots of violence this movie is a must see.
Dec 3, 2015 10:05 PM
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Jan 2008
537
NINJA SCROLL may be considered be many to be one of the greats in Anime, but I personally can't stand this movie. To me it's a bafflingly overrated, repulsively violent, misogynistic, unpleasant, and altogether uninteresting bloodfest that seems more tailor-made for fans of this kind of slice-and-dice/raunchy material. In order for a movie to truly entertain, there has to be substance behind the violence. Well, the biggest problem I have with NINJA SCROLL is that the story itself isn't very good at all. It does have its points of interest at times, and ironically, as disgusting as the opening ten minutes are (in which a group of ninjas are literally cut in half, another has his arms ripped off, and a girl is ripped), it's actually the strongest part of the movie. By the second half I was just losing interest in the characters and not even caring about the resolution one way or another.

The worst part of the movie isn't even the sickening violence. It's the "love story", or whatever you want to call it. It's weakly defined and lacking in heart and emotional resonance. The leads aren't particularly likable, or frankly, all that interesting either; he's a lone ninja who just goes around killing and saving while chastising others, she's a woman whose schtick is poisoning anyone who dares to mess with her. The latter could have actually provided for an interesting role, but the problem is, despite her seeming toughness, her role is reduced to damsel in distress from monsters who want to rape her. This was a problem I had with director Yoshiaki Kawajiri's similarly reprehensible WICKED CITY, but here it's worse: the woman's change of heart feels very tacked on, and she's bumped off without given a proper opportunity to really complete her arc. The resolution to the love story also plain does not work. If your characters are not likable, then whatever attempts there are at creating a "romance" is simply not going to work.

With nary a sympathetic character, a lack of a compelling story, and a heavy dose of bloodletting, why does NINJA SCROLL not get my lowest rating?

Because the film is, to its credit, meticulously staged and well animated. I may have misgivings about Kawajiri's choice of presenting content, but he has a very stylish way of directing his movies. His action scenes are handled as skillfully as any live-action movie, with lots of dramatic cutting and well choreographed fight scenes. The animation lacks the colorful oomph of a Ghibli movie, but frankly, the film is still quite impressively detailed and lovely to look at. On that level it's easy to appreciate NINJA SCROLL as a technically apt production for a 1993 film.

And the dub, while not by any means great, is not too awful either. It does have occasionally stilted-sounding dialogue, but the voices are well matched to their roles and the acting is, for the most part, very good, with Dean Elliot and Wendee Lee both turning in solid performances as Jubei and Kagero.

But even these qualities are not enough to elevate NINJA SCROLL into classic status for me as a viewer. It ended up leaving me with a sick stomach and underwhelmed. Kawajiri IS talented (for me his best movie is VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST, mainly because it's his LEAST gory movie), but it's too bad his skills were wasted on this joyless film and WICKED CITY. As such, I cannot recommend NINJA SCROLL. It gets ** out of *****.

I'm aware that I am going to cause controversy for this review, but I sincerely dislike this movie. If anyone else disagrees, fine. All the more power to you. But I just can't watch this movie without wincing.
Apr 23, 2016 6:16 PM

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Apr 2012
845
^ post that in the reviews section

What are these plotholes people talk about?

Also some complaints seem to be "it was too short for all the devils" and simultaneously "it was too long".

It's not high art but it's a fun little film. I think I've seen it a few too many times now though.

Anyway, try to find an old DVD of this - the HD remaster makes daytime scenes bleached and pale, and the nighttime scenes excessively dark to the point where you can barely see a thing. I think this was a stylistic choice but it totally sucks IMO.
I don't know what the old US DVD was like but the UK one looks great and is so much more colourful.
May 2, 2016 6:33 AM

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Jan 2012
31479
It's good as expected of ninja movie bloody as afro samuraui , the rape scene was on other level though
soundtracks were kinda like inuyasha especially that scene with bees
gemna died by gold lol , the ending theme is nice.

@JTurner like someone said , write that in review sec lol

Jun 13, 2016 5:39 PM

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Oct 2010
2265
But why is is called Ninja Scroll?



Oh, okay. Ever since I first heard the title I thought there was going to be a scroll in the movie.

Interesting perspective from JTurner, as it never even crossed my mind while viewing that it was remarkably violent or raunchy. (And I barely even saw any R-rated movies before I was 18.) How sensitive must a man be to be so offended and repulsed?
Jun 21, 2016 3:36 PM

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Jun 2015
2509
It would have been a very good movie if it weren't for the two completely unnecessary scenes in the beginning. They could have used in something more useful
If you are going to disagree with me, don't bother talking to me. I will seriously hurt you!
Sep 10, 2016 11:29 PM

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Jul 2008
10984
This was a classic that many people grew up on. May not hold up as much by today's standards but I respect what it means to anime fandom and history

8/10
Jan 8, 2017 6:01 PM

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Jan 2015
1301
Some details don't really add up and the villain was a letdown, but I'm willing to look past it because overall it was a very solid movie with strong 90s vibes. Good pacing, closure on all sides and a meaningful relationship between the two leads.
8/10

I for one appreciate when a piece of media doesn't shy away from showing violence and nudity where it belongs.
To people saying the nudity was gratuitous, the only part I would agree with this statement is the one when the shadow-ninja applies his saliva on Kagero's vagina to take control of her... That didn't make sense to me either. But otherwise, I can totally see a renegade ninja raping a female enemy after capturing her, or a daimyou fucking a courtesan at night. These scenes help defining Kagero's character while also contributing to establish the tone of the movie.
This is not a love story, go watch some highschool romance if you want butterflies in your stomach while you wait for the chaste kissing scene at the end.
Jan 24, 2017 7:40 AM
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Mar 2015
11
Nice movie, but demons died too fast. :P
Jan 30, 2017 1:59 AM

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Mar 2016
1089
Awesome fight and without cencorship
now, I want more show like this
:D
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Feb 10, 2017 8:26 PM

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Mar 2008
171
Man that was a creative end boss exit :D Kudos!!!

Such an entertaining ride overall. Can't believe it took me this long to get around to it.
Aug 16, 2017 5:29 PM

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May 2012
25828
Fairly decent movie I must say, not a too huge fan of the weird pacing but the battles were rather intense and the progression was pretty solid as well.

All in all a pretty nice movie.
Aug 19, 2017 6:21 PM

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Dec 2015
15143
That wasn't bad. I liked the animation, the fights were nice and the chicks were hot.
"At some point, I stopped hoping."
Oct 28, 2017 10:57 PM

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Mar 2016
224
Why does this movie have such a low rating? 7.6 you gotta be kidding me. This is one of the greatest action animes ever. That last fight with Genma is one of the greatest fight scenes I've ever seen and the dub has this macho 80s vibe to it, it was great. Sub was excellent as well.
Nov 20, 2017 7:10 PM

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Mar 2012
730
Kinda meh overall. Not bad, not great. About the only thing i can really attribute to this show is the path it paved for also equally meh ninja anime that took notes from this. Action is really all this has, but that's just it, so many other anime have great action as well but also have the plot, the characters and definitely are more flushed out than this.

Lots of demons with cool fights but the plot? Horrendous. What's the point of so many demons? I mean, they essentially billed Yurimaru as Gemma's 2nd in command, at least among this cast of demons, but he dies in under a minute in the only fight he's actually in.....by another demon. What was his purpose...at all?


Beyond being flashy and gory, this has little to no substance to it. Like what Juubee thought of Kagero after being raped twice, its a hollow movie.


"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment"
Feb 7, 2018 8:24 AM

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Dec 2016
3523
An extremely fun and campy movie. I can now see why some people speak so highly of it, as for it's time it's pretty damn good
“I love heroes, but I don't want to be one. Do you even know what a hero is!? For example, you have some meat. Pirates will feast on the meat, but the hero will distribute it among the people! I want to eat the meat!” - Monkey D. Luffy
Mar 26, 2018 1:38 PM

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When you're bored or in doubt about what to watch...Ninja Scroll! Wam. Bam.
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May 13, 2018 7:52 AM

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Jun 2017
633
this was quite enjoyable and was done beautifully,although there were some minor plotholes.
glad i watched it :)
Aug 30, 2018 1:50 PM

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Apr 2017
2720
I loved the art style, as often with these seinen anime films from the 90's and early 00's. Very entertaining film. You could tell Basilisk was inspired by this one.
Sep 22, 2018 11:20 AM

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Feb 2010
1775
Rewatched it. I forgot how much I liked Kawajiri's eye for visuals and action, such memorable kill scenes in here and fantastic climatic fight. The film is lean & mean and doesn't overstay it's welcome.
Nov 14, 2018 11:38 AM

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Nov 2016
31871
The plot was mediocre and I couldn't care less what was going on, but the style on the other hand was superb. This alone made it worth watching.

Definitely recommended for anyone who is looking for an action flick with some cool scenes.

One Piece episode 914 & 915 & 1027 were a mistake and 957 brought the salvation - FMmatron


Feb 16, 2019 2:45 AM

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Oct 2016
229
Arthur said:
Rewatched it. I forgot how much I liked Kawajiri's eye for visuals and action, such memorable kill scenes in here and fantastic climatic fight. The film is lean & mean and doesn't overstay it's welcome.

Right. Rewatching it at the moment. Just browsing through my DVDs for something to put on for background noise and I find myself constantly distracted by how much I love the art and animation style, as well as just the slow pace, despite it being 'action'. Most of the scenes seem far more about the mood than anything else to me.
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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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