Ninja Scroll TV

[Yuriko]

Hello and thank you for reading...

I recently finished Basilisk from Funi and really enjoyed it, more than I'd expected to. I've always l loved ninja shows (who doesn't?) and this really hit the spot. I'd seen the live action variant a couple of years ago but this was sufficiently different to keep me interested. Wonderful box presentation too.

I understand the old Ninja Scroll movie (which I also loved in the VHS days) has shared origins (and obvious similarities between some characters). My question is, given that I liked Basilisk and Ninja Scroll, would I like Ninja Scroll TV?

Normally I'd just go out and blind buy it, but I heard a lot of bad reviews back when it first came out so avoided it. However, if it's just that people were disappointed it wasn't exactly like the movie, but it's still good, I don't mind ignoring some bad reviews.

I'd really appreciate some views from people who have seen the TV show and can attest to it being more of the same. If even a couple of people enjoyed it I'll probably give it a try on my next order. If everyone agrees it sucks, I'll just rewatch the old movie.

Thank you~

~Y

[Captain Impulse]

It's good to okay, depending on your expectations. It's not as good as Basilisk, but it has a similar feel, I guess. Basically it boils down to this:

Every episode, Jubei (and occasionally the other characters) run into some freaky-ass ninja monster (as weird or weirder than the ninjas in the Ninja Scroll movie), kick its ass, and move on. Sometimes he'll kick it up a notch and kill two or three per episode. It's monster-of-the-week action with sub-par animation (compared to Basilisk, anyway), but I still enjoyed it for what it was: fluff action and violence. Don't expect any nudity or explicit gore as it was a TV series, although there are some suggestive scenes and implied uber-violence usually off-screen.

I dunno, I liked it, and I can be kinda hard to please sometimes.

[TheLaughingMan]

Originally Posted by Captain Impulse

I dunno, I liked it, and I can be kinda hard to please sometimes.

That's funny as i found it quite average not to say boring, and i'm really easy to please...

Anyway it is inferior to Basilisk, which i found to be a letdown. Not bad but i expected much better. Ninja Scroll tv is similar though much inferior in characters/depth and animation, mainly.

I seriously would prefer watching the movie a dozen times than rewatching the tv series. Which is most likely how it will go...

[Mazinkaizer]

Perhaps if you watch it as a stand alone show and try to forget that it's a Ninja Scroll then it might be an ok show. For me, the series failed to impress me either a sequel/reboot to the movie or as a stand alone one. Moreover, Kouichi Yamdera didn't reprise his role as Jubei

[JackProton]

Yeah, the Ninja Scroll TV series wasn't much like the movie at all. I seem to recall them tossing in a couple of kids and toning down the more mature aspects. The result was fairly run of the mill and predictable.

Try Wrath of the Ninja if you want something a bit more interesting. (Though I've only seen the cut-down version so far -- the more recent full-length version is still somewhere in the tottering backlog stack.)

[Leon_Belmont]

Waste of time. Move on. Maybe Jubei 2 or something if you need a fix. Fast forward through the drama straight to the fight scenes. There's just too many titles I'd put ahead of this one to waste even your time, let alone your money, on it.

[Mazinkaizer]

I would recommend those instead:

Ninja Resurrection
Yotoden OVAs (better than the condensed movie)

[Yuriko]

Thanks for the replies, sounds like I should skip it for now and pick up some other stuff on my wishlist. Maybe if I catch it in a great sale I'll take the plunge

~Y

[Legion]

It's something that I'd only recommend getting on the cheap. I liked it, but at the same time it felt kinda pointless. Not nearly as bad as some make it out to be. It could've been a whole helluva lot worse.

[Vicserr]

Well, if you want over the top ninja action with a Go Nagai Twist (ninjas that shoot missiles and breathe fire!!!!), You could track down Go Nagai's Black Lion, Listen to the review from AWO. It will change your life... or drive you insane!