Samurai Recommendations

[Rpgkid32]

I'm looking into starting a series that surrounds Samurai in some form or another.

What do you all recommend?

---I have seen some of Samurai Champloo and I thought it was pretty good but I like darker stuff too.

---I've read Lone Wolf & Cub and some of Samurai Executioner.

[AbeChinchilla]

Samurai 7.
The Seven Samurai with a GONZO twist.

[Dagger]

Samurai 7 is excellent. It takes a little while to get going, but it's definitely a quality watch. I would also recommend the Rurouni Kenshin prequel OVAs, Trust and Betrayal, which have been released under the title of "Samurai X." They're mature, deadly serious, very gory and beautifully animated. I wouldn't bother with Samurai X: Reflections unless you take a more active interest in the Kenshin story, however.

Jubei-chan and Jubei-chan 2 are probably more comedic than what you're looking for. But J2 simply has some of the most awe-inspiring (not to mention improbable) swordfights you'll see in any TV series. It's worth watching the first series just to get to that.

[DanielJr]

I hear Otogi Zoshi (http://www.otogi-zoshi.com/about.html) isn't bad.

[demondragonking]

ninja scroll comes 1st to mind.
Samuri champloo
Kekko Kamen
Ikki-Tosen
Ronin Warriors

hopefully comming to r1: basalisk

[Puppet Master]

[ QUOTE ]
demondragonking said:
ninja scroll comes 1st to mind.
Samuri champloo
Kekko Kamen
Ikki-Tosen
Ronin Warriors

hopefully comming to r1: basalisk

[/ QUOTE ]

Basalisk supposed to be released by Funimation in the Summer. Anyways I second Samurai 7 the more I see of it the more I like it. Also Shura no Toki is pretty good

[CrazyAsano]

[ QUOTE ]
demondragonking said:
ninja scroll comes 1st to mind.
Samuri champloo
Kekko Kamen
Ikki-Tosen
Ronin Warriors

hopefully comming to r1: basalisk

[/ QUOTE ]
Ikki-Tosen has absolutely nothing to do with Samurai and (in my opinion) not worth recommending.

[Puppet Master]

[ QUOTE ]
demondragonking said:
ninja scroll comes 1st to mind.
Samuri champloo
Kekko Kamen
Ikki-Tosen
Ronin Warriors

hopefully comming to r1: basalisk

[/ QUOTE ]

Basalisk supposed to be released by Funimation in the Summer. Anyways I second Samurai 7 the more I see of it the more I like it. Also Shura No Tokis pretty good.

How did you come up with Ikki Tousen??

[pianocello]

Jubei-chan the Ninja Girl

Despite the title, Jubei is NOT a ninja but a samurai.

[Magic_Knight]

I'd also recommend Dagger of Kamui (http://www.animeondvd.com/reviews2/disc_reviews/2259.php). Chris gave it an A, and while I wouldn't give it that high of a grade, it's definately worth buying. The animation is dated, but it's still very beautifully animated. It's also sub only, not sure if that matters for you or not, though.

[aquapermanence]

Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal - The story of a young assassin who fights for the new government in the Meiji Restoration.
Otogi Zoshi - The first half is an epic fantasy in which samurai hunt for stolen holy relics in an effort to restore the Heian glory. The second half is a mystery adventure set in modern Tokyo.
Jubei-chan the Ninja Girl: Secret of the Lovely Eyepatch - A comedy about a girl who becomes the successor to Yagyu Jubei and fights ninjas carrying a 300-year-old grudge.

[scorsesefan]

[ QUOTE ]
Dagger said:I would also recommend the Rurouni Kenshin prequel OVAs, Trust and Betrayal, which have been released under the title of "Samurai X." They're mature, deadly serious, very gory and beautifully animated. I wouldn't bother with Samurai X: Reflections unless you take a more active interest in the Kenshin story, however.

[/ QUOTE ]

Basically all I have to say is ditto. I watched Trust & Betrayal knowing nothing about the Kenshin mythos. But lo and behold, the first five minutes was the most emotionally overpowering experience in cinema I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. And being a film buff who has seen hundres upon hundreds of films from all over the world and different periods, I don't say that lightly. When Tarantino said that Chunking Express made him cry, not because he was said, but because he was just so happy to love a movie so much, I wasn't sure I would ever have that emotion. Trust & Betrayal proved me wrong.

But yeah, Reflections is pretty much a confusing ass waste of time if you don't either a)have a general knowledge of what takes place in the mangas and TV series prior to it's events through researching the story online or b)have actually seen the series in it's entirety. I say this having watched it with neither.

[mcarocks2003]

Yotoden OVA (only available on VHS)

[yatsuhashi]

Ditto for Samurai 7. It's soooo good it's scary. The best, BEST anime I've seen in ages.

[vegeta11]

read my review here on Samurai 7. That is a mondogood time. Basilisk starts getting released in August there is another thing you should look into.

[J_is_for_Genius]

[ QUOTE ]
Puppet Master said:
[ QUOTE ]
demondragonking said:
ninja scroll comes 1st to mind.
Samuri champloo
Kekko Kamen
Ikki-Tosen
Ronin Warriors

hopefully comming to r1: basalisk

[/ QUOTE ]

Basalisk supposed to be released by Funimation in the Summer. Anyways I second Samurai 7 the more I see of it the more I like it. Also Shura no Toki is pretty good

[/ QUOTE ]

Basilisk is more strange ninja powers than samurai action. Think of it as all of Jubei's adversaries from Ninja Scroll fighting each other.

[balthier2012]

Samurai Champloo
Samurai 7
Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal

Peacemaker - This is the only one no one else has recommended. So I'll give a short summary: It's about a boy who's <span style='color:#dddddd;background:#dddddd'>parents were murdered </span>and he's driven by revenge to join the Shinsengumi, a powerful squad of Samurai law enforcers who cut down all those who are fighting for a revolution of government. Anyways it's mostly about him changing and learning that if he's going to live his life fueled by revenge that he's going to become a beast. It's a good coming of age samurai story filled with comedy, drama, and action.

[treatment]

[ QUOTE ]
Berzerk said:
I'm looking into starting a series that surrounds Samurai in some form or another.

What do you all recommend?

---I have seen some of Samurai Champloo and I thought it was pretty good but I like darker stuff too.

---I've read Lone Wolf &amp; Cub and some of Samurai Executioner.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ninja Scroll movie -- dark, supremely violent, bloody, gory, etc,etc. extra nachos on the kewlness factor.

Samurai Champloo -- awesome TV-series! irreverent, non-conformist, action-packed, dialogue-heavy, comedy blends well with the action. extra nachos with cheese on the kewlness factor.

Jubei Chan 2 -- weird humor, sometimes blatantly loli, but OMGJAWSOME SWORDFIGHT ANIMATION!!!1111 And as the icing, two very pretty ninja-girls. I repeat, TWO NINJA girls! That's like double kewlness!

Samura X (Rurouni Kensin OVA Trust &amp; Betrayal) -- Kenshin in badass-mode. Story is dark, violent, bloody, no humor, very serious and very dramatic period-piece. There ain't no oro-shit in these OVAs.

[nakimushi]

One show that hasn't been mentioned is Tsukikage Ran.

It is by the same director as Jubei Chan (Akitaro Daichi) and is also on the lighter side, but the humor is less over-the-top.

I think the more someone has seen (and enjoyed) traditional Japanese TV samurai shows, the more he/she will like this show, because it is very much an homage to them.

The fight scenes are very realistic, and very well animated, and the characters are a lot of fun.

In general, the show is rather light-hearted in tone, but there are a couple of poignant episodes too.

You can get it pretty cheaply at the TRSI Bandai sale right now.

[Doom Tone]

My favorites, picked out from what others have said:

Samurai 7
Ninja Scroll
Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal

And secondarily, since it's not quite the same kind of thing:
Jubei-chan the Ninja Girl

[CrazyAsano]

I enjoyed Ninja Scroll TV a lot more than the movie, although I'm not sure if that's a very common view around here.

[scorsesefan]

[ QUOTE ]
nakidasu said:
One show that hasn't been mentioned is Tsukikage Ran.

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe I should start another thread about this, but I wonder what the word and/or phrase "ran" stands for/means? It is also the one word title for Kurosawa's 80's comeback tour de force. Hmmmm...

[CrazyAsano]

[ QUOTE ]
SkullLeaderOne said:
[ QUOTE ]
nakidasu said:
One show that hasn't been mentioned is Tsukikage Ran.

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe I should start another thread about this, but I wonder what the word and/or phrase "ran" stands for/means? It is also the one word title for Kurosawa's 80's comeback tour de force. Hmmmm...

[/ QUOTE ]Based on SuperGALS, I can only assume Ran means Ultimate Awesomeness.

[pomru]

[ QUOTE ]
SkullLeaderOne said:
Maybe I should start another thread about this, but I wonder what the word and/or phrase "ran" stands for/means? It is also the one word title for Kurosawa's 80's comeback tour de force. Hmmmm...

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, it's not as straight-forward as that... /images/graemlins/sweat200.gif

The full title of Tsukikage Ran in kanji is 風ã?¾ã?‹ã?›æœˆå½±è˜* (Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran). The Ran (è˜*)(orchid) used here is different from Akira Kurosawa's Ran (ä¹±)(chaos) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ran_%281985_film%29). However, Ranma from Ranma 1/2 is spelled 乱馬 in kanji (chaos horse?), which is rather fitting.. don't you think so? /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[nakimushi]

[ QUOTE ]
Pomru said:
[ QUOTE ]
SkullLeaderOne said:
Maybe I should start another thread about this, but I wonder what the word and/or phrase "ran" stands for/means? It is also the one word title for Kurosawa's 80's comeback tour de force. Hmmmm...

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, it's not as straight-forward as that... /images/graemlins/sweat200.gif

The full title of Tsukikage Ran in kanji is 風ã?¾ã?‹ã?›æœˆå½±è˜* (Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran). The Ran (è˜*)(orchid) used here is different from Akira Kurosawa's Ran (ä¹±)(chaos) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ran_%281985_film%29). However, Ranma from Ranma 1/2 is spelled 乱馬 in kanji (chaos horse?), which is rather fitting.. don't you think so? /images/graemlins/sdsmiley.gif

[/ QUOTE ]


Yes that is the title. Tsukikage Ran is the main character's name, it translates to "Moonlight Orchid".

Japanese is full of homonyms, (a lot more than in English) so unless you see the Kanji, it is very easy to confuse words based only on sound.

It is actually interesting when you see Japanese people talking and they will sometimes draw the kanji for a word on their hand to clear up any confusion caused by homonyms.

[Azumangaman]

A really great Samurai series is Samurai 7. I own the first 3 volumes, and it's great. There is a slight problem with some mixes of 3D and 2D though. However, it rebounds with phenomenal fight scenes.

-Azu

[Leon_Belmont]

I honestly never found the swordplay in Samurai 7 to be all that great. Fairly fun watch though.

But I'll echo the sentiments of many:

Samurai Champloo - crazy fight scenes yet not too much in there that would be totally impossible to pull off. Very fluid.

Jubei-Chan 2 - polar opposite to Champloo. Totally crazy maneuvers and very cool. Didn't care much for the story though and this coming from someone who enjoyed the original's story. Just go and buy volume 4 if you want to get a quick action fix. Insane stuff.

Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal - fluid and cool fight scenes. A must see classic to boot.

Ninja Scroll - generic action flick piling on the unnecessary violence and sex, but the fighting scenes were pretty clever. Fairly fun.