Based on Masaki Segawa’s popular manga series, this is a sequel to the earlier Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls series, and while knowledge of the initial series is not mandatory, it does help lay the groundwork for subsequent character development and story trajectory. Set in the year 1626, some 10 years after the original series, Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls introduces a slew of male and female ninjas who display supernatural powers that range from the curious (one has the ability to control centipedes) to the downright bizarre (another can remove his eyes and send them into the field for observation). The story centers on the continuation of two regal bloodlines: the Iga, whose glory is carried on by female warrior Hibiki Iga, and the Kouga, with male inheritor Hachiro Kouga taking the helm. But the show’s energy derives from the odd mix of X-Men-style battle powers transplanted into a highly unlikely 17th-century Japanese setting. Also playing into the tale is something called Destiny’s Passage, a mirror that wreaks havoc on anyone who looks into it. While the series is not perfectly logical, it does compensate with stylish violence and exhilarating surrealism. Presenting the first 12 episodes from 2018 in a dual-language Blu-ray/DVD Combo set, rated TV-MA, extras include an episode commentary. Recommended. [Note: Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls, Part Two is also newly available.] (P. Hall)
Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls, Part One
(2018) 4 discs. 300 min. Blu-ray: $64.99. Funimation (avail. from most distributors). Volume 34, Issue 5
Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls, Part One
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