Story & Characters
One is a skillful ronin named Manji, cursed with the sacred bloodworms, remarkable creatures that grant him immortality,
he wants to make amend for his past sins by killing 1000 villains. The other is Asano Rin, a young girl desiring revenge
on the Itto-ryu school that has destroyed her family. And their paths are about to cross. With little swordmanship
skills, Rin's left with little choice but to hire Manji as a bodyguard and they wander around Japan on her quest
for vengeance. The journey heats up when Manji has to battle the deadly swordmen of the head of the Itto-ryu, Anotsu
Kagehisa, and in the process, tries to find a way to lift his curse.
Following in the footsteps of titles such as Samurai Champloo and Sword of the Stranger, the anime adaptation of Blade
of the Immortal is, if nothing else, a crowd pleaser. Action-packed, exciting, hair-raising and if marketed correctly,
it could have a long appealing mainstream. But consider this is only a thirteen episodes anime, which equates to the
first five volumes of the manga, it is hard to believe everything will resolve itself satisfactorily.
That said, the anime kicks off from introducing Manji's past guilts. Inspired partially by Kurosawa and other anime
with the same genre that made sword play something of an international phenomenon, it brings the appeal of a strong
system of narrative story, but quickly subscribes to the normally unsatisfying climax. There's no end, no closure
here. It ends right when it's blessed with the glut of future episodes in the last minutes; not even the manga
first arc has been resolved. All mysteries are paraded out in the last episode or so, and all are left flapping
fruitlessly in the wind of the series' passing. Conclude like that and you have something very much like four hours
of animated dead samurai.
Amusing, but slightly less involving are the pair of protagonists. Manji tries to be self-sufficient and when they meet
he's nasty in that way Rin get when she tries to assert dominance. The introduction of both paint them a bright
performance, Manji's may appear as an arrogant, foul-mouthed ronin but his reasons to do good deeds are reasonable,
and the massacre on her house makes Rin faithful to her quest even when facing shaky grounds. However, aside from that,
there's issues with Manji's immortality and the sacred bloodworms he carries, it never explains how he got
them and though he may look skillful in the first episodes, after encountering the Itto-ryu, his skills are showed
weaker; Rin is torn by doubt that continue her revenge will one day turns her into the enemy she despises is intriguing,
but it's not as simple as that since the anime leaves off just when she begins to act mature.
Slightly better written are the villains. While painted as the main villain, Anotsu has had many scenes devoted to
making the reader sympathetic to his views and goals; not only he embodies Rin's greatest hatred but also her doubt
and fear about the treacherous path she has chosen to tread. One of his finest swordmen, Magatsu Taigo, is given an
extra story when he has to face another enemy from the shogun, but it too, like the main pairing, are left with
questions. The story about Kawakami Araya, the man who raped Rin's mother, is one of the anime's best, an ugly
little parable about evil, violence and redemption that relies more on impossible life questions and suspense than on
action for its climactic rush. Instead the series can aim the better with a few more episodes, those superfluous threads
of first arcs, muddies the series until it's a murky, saggy and arbitrarily terminated tribute to a much better
work.
Rating: 5
Art
Perhaps the most strikingly appeal of Blade of the Immortal is its beautiful, realistic artwork. Author Samura
Hiroaki's art is impossible to replicate with any traditional form of animation, features uniquely expressive poses
and angles that require accurately detailed shots of hands and feet, making them almost as reflective of characters and
mood as theirs faces.
It's a very pretty tribute. Bee Train has always been known for their distinctive background arts, but they really
outdid themselves here. Atmospheric backgrounds and landscapes of forests and buildings of medieval Japan drip with
comely gloom, and the action sequences are kept surprisingly intricate as limps, heads and major arteries get chopped up
in a gritty view and completely unforgettable image. It's really quite involving.
Rating: 8
Sound
Notably, most of the voice casts has a blunted, toned-down feel that fits well with its forgettable content. Three of
the most prominent roles went to veterans: Seki Tomokazu plays the arrogant Manji and gives him a brash but appropriate
rather than being dull voice, while Hirofumi Nojima brings a sense of regret and energy to Anotsu's cool exterior.
Rin is played by Satou Rina, who provides the right balance of annoying and attempted self-reliance to the girl. The
music helps building tension and samurai ballad themes work well, but for the most part, it sounds weird and certainly
won't light up your ears.
Rating: 6
Presentation
There's little about Blade of the Immortal you haven't seen before. There's the poorly constructed pacing
about the anime you haven't seen before. And there's the right amount of excitement at the end that makes you
urge for more you haven't seen before. While it possesses the attractiveness and ruthless power the manga has,
it's expected to come unsatisfied. The only way to ensure it's a tribute to the manga is its gorgeously gory
artistry, which the animators did well; it, however, may not be as sexy as it appears to be.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Story: 5
Characters: 5
Art: 9
Animation: 7
Voice: 6
Music: 6
Overall: 6.75
Good:
+Breath-taking action scenes wrapped around a decent story that makes sense.
Bad:
+Main leads are a mixed bag.
+Shouldn't have ended after it becomes intriguing.
Rating: 6
Final Verdict
6.0000 (average)
Reviewed by Weskalia, Jan 23, 2012