Wrath of the Ninja

By Chris Stefanowitz     February 13, 2002
Release Date: June 15, 1999



The Review!
Someone once said to me, "You never get a second chance at making a first impression," and if that is true, well my first impression of this DVD is positive. After removing the shrink wrap I found a small return card from CPMUS Manga Corps, but no manual, as I soon found out however there would not be a need for one either. This DVD is packaged in a clear plastic snap-tight case (different and cool at the same time), with all of the information printed on the reverse side of the jacket art. Chapter stops, some background information, as well as, a few black and white pictures from the film are among its contents. After placing my shiny new disc in my new Pioneer DV-414 DVD player, I got my next impression of this disc. A CGI animation of the CPMUS Manga Corps mascot, the MD Geist Mecha, zoomed in across my TV. Next was the main menu, a logically arranged menu screen with all of the disc features in a neat column at the left side of the screen. On the right a small preview of the main event, was playing a number of the fight scenes from the film. The menu itself is not animated, however selections made are quick to appear.

For those who haven't seen this particular video, I'll give you a quick summary (without any spoilers). Set during the sengoku-jidai (warlord states period) of Japan's history, the year is 1580 and the forces of Lord Nobunaga Oda are sweeping across Japan. After barely escaping the destruction of her clan, a young female Ninja Ayame, escapes with the families ancient relic, a magical dagger, as her brother faces his destiny against the oncoming horde. Later she is joined by Sakon and Ryoma, who also carry magical weapons, a sword and spear respectively. These three Ninja must unite their schools and fulfill the prophesy of the enchanted swords or die trying. This DVD has something for almost everyone, a tight story line, very good animation that borders on excellent most of the time, and not to miss fight scenes with superhumanly quick reactions. Oh, and did I mention the bodies pile up so fast, if you blink you just missed a few gallons of blood and about 5+ corpses hitting the ground. Anyone who has, or has seen Ninja Scroll, and enjoyed it, will find this DVD right up his or her alley.

Now on to the meat and potatoes of any review, the technical aspects. First the picture quality is very good overall, what I've come to expect from DVD, aside from a few picture artifacts on the master itself (not due to DVD encoding ), the picture is sharp and clean to look at. The Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is well recorded and sounded full in the native Japanese soundtrack, as of yet I have not heard the dub soundtrack, but I'm working on it. Subtitles are Yellow on a Black background (kudos to CPM for doing that right!) for ease of reading.

There are a few issues with this disc that I'll point out. First the credits only list the English dub actors and actresses, and not one mention of who was who in the native Japanese, a BIG disappointment in my opinion. Also those said actors and actresses aren't listed on the discs jacket art anywhere. Next the "Meet the Cast" feature on the DVD is kind of lame. Where I was expecting actor and actress Bio's of who brought the cast to life, and some such information, all that was there was small clips with the four main cast members (the animated ones that is) of the film. Not too much of a "Meet the Cast" in this reviewers opinion. Well, am I happy with my purchase. Yes and No, Yes to the fact it was a fun watch and something I would recommend to friends who haven't seen it. But No, to the fact that in a few small instances the disc itself seemed somehow incomplete. Hey, you don't have to take my word for it, give it a try yourself you may not be disappointed.

Well and now for the final roundup of ratings, and Pro's vs. Con's:

Animation: A-

Story: B+

Picture Quality: A

Sound: B+ (it's only two channel stereo, but it is good.)

Pro's: Fast paced and fun, excellent fights that move at superhuman speeds.

Con's: Incomplete credits, some "features" are lacking.

Review Equipment
N/A