|
Blade of the Immortal
Bloodthirsty samurai Manji is famed
throughout his homeland for having slain dozens of skilled swordsmen.
Thugs and wandering ronin all try their luck, hoping to make their name
by defeating the legendary killer, but Manji has a secret; he has been
granted immortality by an 800 year old witch and is impervious to any
form of attack. When his younger sister is murdered, however, Manji
begins to regret his violent past and as a form of repentance swears to
kill 100 evil men. Only then will he be allowed to join his sibling in
the afterlife.
Based on Hiroaki Samura’s award-winning
manga series, Blade of the Immortal doesn’t quite live up
to expectations as an anime. The storyline is somewhat disjointed, and
though the animation is strong it isn’t as luminous and expansive as
that of other Madman imports like Shigurui: Death Frenzy. Both
the English and Japanese audio tracks are solid, but the English voice
acting is at times lacklustre and there is a curiously substantial
difference between the spoken English screenplay and the subtitles on
the Japanese dub.
All in all this is an enjoyable but
ultimately frustrating translation of what is possibly the most lauded
and well-known manga series of its day. There are some strong action
sequences and well-staged battles, but the animated effort fails to do
justice to the source material and the dearth of extra features offers
little in the way of further incentive. Worth checking out if you’re a
stalwart anime or Samura fan, but unlikely to turn many viewers on to
the genre.
Special Features
Textless opening and closing
Trailers for Samurai Champloo – Complete
Collection, Samurai 7 Collection, Afro Samurai and others |
