Ninja Scroll: 10th Anniversary Special Edition

Many anime fans consider Yoshiaki Kawajiri's 1994 Ninja Scroll to be among the classics of the genre, and this special 10th anniversary DVD release offers them plenty to celebrate. The dual-sided disc includes remastered versions of the full screen and widescreen versions in both the English dubbed edition (which is horrible to the ears) and the original Japanese version with crisp English subtitles (which is infinitely better). A droll special feature interview with Kawajiri finds the director casually claiming he was originally aiming at a teenage audience, which is rather curious given the film's excessively high level of gore and frank depiction of sex; even by anime standards, Ninja Scroll is constantly pushing the proverbial envelope. Yet the film itself is somewhat formulaic and predictable: the lone swordsman Jubei rescues the female ninja Kagero from being raped by a mutant being, and together they try to stop the Shogun of the Dark from taking over Japan with his army of homicidal warriors possessing over-the-top superhuman powers. The Japanese animation studio Mad House (Perfect Blue, X) does a stunning job in recreating the pastoral landscape of 17th century Japan and goes into imagination-overdrive with sequences of nature gone amok, especially with an attack by bees and a lady warrior with serpentine qualities. Diehard anime fans will, however, easily overlook the storyline flaws. Unrated, but suitable for 17-up, this is a strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (P. Hall)