This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Ninja Scroll aka Jūbei Ninpūchō is an simply amazing piece of Japanese anime cinema. Originally released in 1993 in Japan and released in 1996 in America, it tells the tale of Jubei a samurai for hire who gets poisoned and must defeat the Eight Devils of Kimon. Lots of top notch fight scenes occur with fluid animation. The voice acting was very well done by the English voice actors and they stayed true to their characters. The story is very in depth and deep and you will surly enjoy this film. I give Ninja Scroll a 8/10.

Am I missing something here? Why is this considered Kawajiri's best? If anything it is his worst. You enter the world with no explanation to the weird giant rock men or snake women or beehive men, Seriously what the hell is going on in this movie? I got as far as the guy is killing somebody he thinks is already dead who ends up being an immortal cyborg in 15th Century Japan (seriously - gimme a break).All of the movies that I have seen - if they're weird then they have some kind of "we're breaking it slow" here you have a lot of weird $h!t with no cause or explanation.Watch Kawajiri's other stuff instead.

The Plot: Jubei is a master less ninja who travels the land alone, hiring his services to those with gold...or a worthy cause. His fearsome abilities have served him well, but a hideous plot to overthrow the government threatens to end his wandering ways and possibly his life. When a small village succumbs to a terrible plague, a team of ninjas are sent to investigate and realize that all is not as it seems. Ambushed, they are wiped out by a fearsome man-monster with incredible powers., leaving only one alive - Kagero, a beautiful female ninja whose touch can bring instant death. Jubei saves her from a fate worse than death and unwittingly becomes drawn into a web of treachery. He is soon faced with his greatest challenge, an enemy for whom death holds no fear with the power to destroy Jubei's world. It's an all-out bloodbath when ninja warriors come face to face in this action-packed tribal war. Ninja Scroll features a wicked cast of characters, extraordinary fight scenes and stunning animation from Yoshiaki Kawajiri and Madhouse Studios! My Spiel: Ninja Scroll is a feast of animation perfection. This is a blast to watch every time, from the sweet fight scenes and the sweet visual's this film has to offer. If you are looking for a Samurai/Ninja Anime search no further at only 94 minutes this is full of Adventure from start to finish. I can't say enough of how this movie blew me away after watching it in sync with Wicked City by the same Director. Granted this movie has a partial sexual content just so you know. But but don't let that discourage you, this anime does more then makes up for that with its fights against fantastically gifted enemies and visual aspects and fantastic ideas. Ninja Scroll with it's sweet top of the line animation is truly a joy to watch every time. Easily one of my top 10 favorite animes of all time.Ninja Scroll (1993) Review: 9/10

Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Ninja Scroll (1993) is a stunning, animated fantasy adventure, set during the feudal period of Japanese history, and focusing on a renegade assassin forced to take on a clan of mystical samurai warriors with supernatural, or indeed, superhuman abilities. For me, it is one of the most memorable and rewarding Anime films that I have ever seen, and yet another success for the prolific and highly talented Kawajiri; a director whose notable credits include Wicked City (1987), Hell City Shinjuku (1988) and Cyber City Oedo 808 (1990). The world of Ninja Scroll could be seen as a direct continuation of the worlds of Wicked City and Hell City Shinjuku, with monsters and demons invading a seemingly naturalistic environment and subverting it, whilst simultaneously offering us a film rich in character, action and convincing period detail.The story is full of texture and information, while still managing to find room to pander to the genre's prevalent notions of sexual violence and gore; as limbs are hacked off in jet-streams of blood and characters engage in brilliantly rendered scenes of balletic swordplay, magic-tricks and martial arts. If you're a fan of Kawajiri and of Anime in general then this will appeal, but even so, the style of the film and the world that the filmmakers create is seriously impressive, even for someone unfamiliar with this particular animated sub-genre. I certainly wouldn't class myself as an Anime expert, but I love film, and will generally watch anything, especially animation. If you think a film like this is simply for adolescent boys, you're very much mistaken. The creation of this world shows real skill and imagination, while the overall direction of the characters and the narrative are seriously out of the world.The design of the film reminded me very much of a particular style of Japanese cinema prevalent in the 1960's, when elements of history, folklore, theatre and expressionism were combined to produce ethereal, other-worldly and incredibly stylish supernatural dramas like for example Kaneto Shindō's Onibaba (1964), or perhaps more directly, Masaki Kobayashi's epic, slow-burning masterwork Kwaidan (1964). Like Kwaidan, Ninja Scroll exists in a carefully created, abstract fantasy world of vivid colours and intangible images. These images both tell and propel the story, pushing us further from one vibrant, violent and imaginative fight-sequence to the next as we are introduced to a number of notable characters, from a seductive female assassin whose lethal snake tattoos literally come to life, to a giant man-mountain murderer seemingly made of stone.By the end of the film we start to see elements of political intrigue and corruption developing alongside the historical and supernatural themes, and a depiction of literal inferno of revenge and retribution. Granted, most of these themes can be taken as window-dressing to pad out the scenes of violence and combat, but you could probably level the same criticisms at films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and Kill Bill (2003-2004). I often wonder why so many supposedly serious film fans are snooty when it comes to animation? For me, it presents cinema at its most limitless and pure; a world of possibilities where anything is possible. Just look at Jubei's fight with the blind swordsman in the forest for instance to see an absolutely peerless use of movement, sound, colour and composition. True, it might not be an absolute classic masterpiece, but it is, regardless, a great piece of work.