Ninja Scroll: The Series (2003) User Reviews

No connection whatsoever with the movie, but fun

[siderite · 7/10 · 21 June 2006]

The animation is good, but the music (an instrumental combination of techno and traditional Japanese) made it feel like a video game. The ideas are original, but then again, completely bogus: electric ninjas, mutant ninjas, surgeon ninjas, undead ninjas, huge ninjas, parasitic ninjas... you get the idea.

The movie was a great thing, not only as animation is concerned, but also as the plot unraveled. This one is mostly "Jubei is cool". True enough, he kills just about everything that moves, and strong and weird opponents they are: electric ninjas, mutant ninjas... :)

The end is just as pointless as the rest of the series, but you feel good looking at it. It has the feel of Might and Magic (1 to 5) and you half expect to find out in the end that the entire land magic has the source in an extraterrestrial spaceship. Fun.

Ninja Scroll – The Series

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 5 January 2014]

This series is set in a feudal Japan where demonic beings are common; in this land Jubei Kibagami, a mercenary ninja is given the task of delivering something called The Dragon Stone to a woman known as The Light Maiden. Meanwhile a village is attacked and the sole survivor is Shigure, who many believe is The Light Maiden. The two of them meet up fairly soon and travel together along with elderly monk Dakuan and a young thief named Tsubute. As they travel together they meet numerous Ninja clans who are desperate to get their hands on the Dragon Stone and the Light Maiden so they can get their hands on the treasure they are rumoured to be able to access.

Having not seen the Ninja Scroll movie I can't say how this compares but as a stand-alone series I found it surprisingly enjoyable. There is a decent plot arc along with monster of the week side plots. This means that there is a fair amount of action in every episode; this is well animated and rather violent… expect to see plenty of blood. Away from the action there are some laughs; mostly provided by sidekicks Dakuan and Tsubute, there are also a few poignant moments as some of the bad guys aren't entirely unsympathetic. There are of course some clichés and we never for a moment believe Jubei could lose a fight; still these scenes are handled well so it doesn't really matter. The characters were pretty good for the most part although the main antagonist was a bit over the top.

These Comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

Pretty good

[kung_fu_master_uk · 7/10 · 23 August 2006]

I read some mixed reviews of this anime so I was hesitant to watch it, in the end I ended up getting what I expected, not better or worse than what I expected. What I'd like to say is, firstly, if you haven't watched the full Ninja Scroll movie please watch it, its one of the best animes there is. Secondly, if you have seen the full movie, I would recommend you rent this rather than buy it.

One of the main things I didn't like about this anime was the animation itself, I don't know why but it seemed as if it was animated for a Saturday morning kids show. Don't get me wrong, if you're expected blood and gore don't worry you will not be let down, there's plenty of it. If you can imagine the different in animation from the early 90's X-Men cartoon to the new X-Men Evolution cartoon, that is sort of the change the animation has undertaken from the Ninja Scroll movie to the series. Another letdown is the bland and basic story. Its not like I can spoil the story for you much but don't expect any twists and turns here, it basically Jubei protecting an important princess having to face a more deadlier enemy every episode, easily defeating every one of them.

I suppose this review sounds negative so far, but please don't take it that way, I did enjoy this anime somewhat and thats mainly because I love the Ninja Scroll type anime action, and in the series there is a LOT of it. Not one episode has a lack of fighting, and you get to see Jubei use some of his cool signature moves from the movie quite a few times and it just looks really cool. So to sum it all up, I'd say rent this series if you can, if you can't borrow it from a friend and buy it if you like it.

See the movie instead

[dbborroughs · 11 February 2005]

I've seen hundreds of hours of anime and this is one of the dullest series around.

The animation is good, the designs are intriguing, the plot...

What plot?

The plot is basically people fighting over an object, again and again and again. Its six episodes of material stretched to 13 as we get fights and more fights and people running through the woods and more fights and not a heck of a lot more than that.

Its a step down from Dragon Ball and Pokemon.

Watch the movie instead. Watch the movie and you'll see what great animated story telling is all about.

This is on my very short list of things to avoid at all costs.

Nicely realised samurai series

[cobra31 · 9/10 · 19 October 2010]

I've seen quite a few anime over the years and this ranks as one of my favourites. On the other hand, I can understand why some people may not have liked it because it's really a genre anime that people will either like or not like - in this case, if you enjoy action, and a highly unusual array of monsters, demons, and magical creatures drawn straight from Japanese folk legends, then you've come to the right place.

Anyway, the reason I liked it was the non-stop action, the atmosphere and the music is great at times, perfectly complementing the scenes. Furthermore, I thought the imagination that went into some of the characters and monsters was interesting and quirky; one example is a swordsman infected with a carnivorous worm-like parasite, which attacks when threatened and so he has to find an opponent that can better him in combat so as to induce the parasite to appear so that he can try to kill it and be rid of it - WEIRD! There are many scenes like this which I felt made the series intriguing and worthwhile.

Let's face it, most anime are aimed at young teenagers and so the plots and characters reflect that, whereas I felt this had a bit extra. It should probably be an 8/10, but I gave it a 9 because the average score didn't reflect its quality. Enjoy!

Not as good as the Movie (Sorry, previous reviewer)

[Mami02 · 4/10 · 11 June 2008]

I had seen Ninja Scroll, the Movie first before I watched the series version. The gap was about a year and a half apart, and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie despite its mature content.

The series takes place after the movie's storyline, obviously. But I'm disappointed in its lack of strong structure or character. Two rival clans compete for total power as they try to capture a girl and a magic stone necessary for the task, and Jubei and friends are caught in the middle. That's just what it's all about, really.

Especially after seeing the breathtaking action sequences of the movie, the series has a little rusty version of those that left me a bit jaded to be honest. The characters aren't that well developed, Jubei also lacks a lot of character, the animation is not as vibrant and alive as the movie. The bottom-line is that I don't think there is anything new or interesting to be seen here, regretfully speaking. It just tries to parrot the movie : violence, "sexiness" and stuff; and is doing a bad job at it.

Word of advice : if you have seen the movie first and are about to see the series now, I told you so; and if you have seen the series, but haven't yet seen the movie, go see it NOW!! Thirdly, if you haven't seen either of them yet, definitely go for the movie, trust me!!

Bit cheesy and horrible soundtrack

[scscustomshop · 5/10 · 26 October 2017]

Well... its watchable. Very disappointed though. I think basilisk is a better bet for anyone into ninja scroll the movie but the NS series is here... worth a look... maybe.

Why so negative... Animation and voice over in English was average at best, story was crap and chatacters shallow, all up it was like watching dragon ball with a bit more blood.

If i ever again hear that boring 10sec melody that pops up every minute ill kick the TV lol

Hard core sword slashing action.

[Creedonjj · 3 May 2006]

Ninja Scroll Is an animated, action, adventure that has raised the bar for animation. Directed by Jack Fletcher and Tatsuo Sato, and written by Toshiki Inoue it is one of the greatest animated series to ever hit the market.

Ninja Scroll follows the exploits of Jubei Kibagami as he attempts to fulfill a promise he made to a dieing man; however something always gets in the way and prevents him from fulfilling the promise.

This series was drawn out very well the action scenes didn't miss a beat everything was done excellently, the plot was outstanding, and the theme music for the series was excellent as well.

I liked this series a lot it has an awesome plot great writers and amazing artists. This series was outstanding even if you haven't watched the movie I recommend watching the series.

Not a classic like the movie, but not horrible

[SoulfulFX · 1/10 · 17 March 2007]

This appears to take place some time after the events in the 'Ninja Scroll' movie since Jubei and Dakuan seem to remember each other. The events revolve around a young girl named Shigure and a magical object called the Dragon Stone. Shigure's village is attacked by members of the Kimon clan while another group is also after Shigure but seems to have another motive entirely. Jubei gets entrusted with the Dragon Stone by a dieing member of the latter group so has both sides after him while he's accompanying Shigure to deliver the stone to her. Along the way they pick up a good hearted thief and Dakuan who of course seems to know more about what's going on than he's telling anyone. All in all this series seems kind of average, nothing like the classic-level of the movie. It seems to have more of the monster-per-episode feel of a lot of other series, reminding me of a slightly less well-thought-out Samurai Deeper Kyo. Plenty of fights, monsters, and some character interaction. So not horrible, but not high on the list either.

Excellent!!!

[animefreak24 · 13 November 2004]

I actually love this series. I found it very entertaining. I've heard some missed reviews. Never go into any movie, anime, etc expecting something better or greater than the original. I hate that and i don't do it until watching it first. And that's what you shouldn't. And that's probably the results of the negative reviews 13 episodes of great adventures and excellent battles. I recommended this to any Anime fan around. WATCH IT!! You wont' regret it.

Better yet Buy it. Also check out the soundtrack. i enjoyed the music as must as the movie. I give it a 9/10. It will have you wanting more after it has went off.

Not even close

[WeeBey · 27 March 2004]

This Tv show is okay, but nowhere near as good as the movie. After watching the 1st 4 episodes, I was not very entertained. The characters are nowhere near as cool and innovative as the movie, but try too hard to be, and the story is pretty mediocre. Jubei has this new power where all he has to do is draw his sword and people are sliced in half. And theres all these pointless duels by characters who have lame powers (tree girl, girl with long hair that can control her hair, translucent glowing guy who controls moths, cat girl etc.) They even have robots and all this other crap that shouldn't be in Ninja Scroll. Every villain in the movie was really cool. Sadly everyone on the show is lame.

Standard Lame Anime

[lycetus · 23 April 2005]

Despite a run of extremely good newer anime series (such as Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Samurai Champloo), the vast run of anime still seems to be stuck in plot less limbo. Ninja Scroll: the Series is no exception.

Despite being based on a fantastic anime feature film filled with intrigue, fascinating characters, and amazing artwork, Ninja Scroll falls astoundingly flat as a continuing series. Considering the writing and directing are done by entirely different people, this is no surprise; it is, however, vastly disappointing. Jubei devolves from a witty, sarcastic character to a poorly-written shadow of his former self, complete with bad dialogue. Where the Eight Devils of Kimon were fresh, original villains with an interesting theme, the villains in the ongoing series are just an endless list of "I have this power, and I die by the end of the episode" throwaway thugs. The plot (or lack thereof) is not at all engaging, the heroic characters aren't worth watching, and you find yourself wishing the episode was already over five minutes in.

Do yourself a favor and watch the original film, and don't bother with the pale imitation that is this series.

Prepare yourself, Jubeï is BACK...

[themightyimp · 30 April 2005]

Mad House productions have done it, they succeeded in bringing the feature length anime legend to the small screen. OK the new style of the characters takes a little while getting used to, and the story has it's weaker points, but when you compare it to other samurai-sword-fight-anime it's way superior to all others. First of all the series looks good, very good, almost as good as a feature film. The animation is snappy and the colors are great... no negative marks on this point. Second of all the action is way cool, the enemies get really crazy towards the end of the series and Jubeï has to hack and slash his way through them. Which is quite a job believe you me, because there are more enemy characters then you can shake a stick at. A minor point here, maybe some of them die a little too fast, but on the other hand this underlines Jubeï's superiority. His ultrafast attacks are very cool and if you should not understand his technique, you should watch the movie and maybe you'll see he does hit his enemy with his sword... Now the story itself. The story is pretty basic, but has some strong points still. The return of certain characters in later episodes gives the story an emotional charge. Also we know more then the main characters so we begin to sympathize with certain enemies. Still the story is the weaker aspect of this series, still cool but sometimes (not often mind you) a little disappointing. Conclusion: If you are a fan of anime you should check out this series NOW, if you are a fan of the movie, BUY NOW, you won't regret it. But remember it's a series, with a much lower budget and a smaller team as the movie. Still pretty nifty though.

Not as the movie but OK

[scobbah · 6 October 2005]

Alright, I did read a few comments at the IMDb boards before I decided to watch the TV-series of Ninja Scroll. And I have to admit that it weren't that lame as I have seen some people ranting around in the forums claiming it to be. I actually enjoyed it quite well, and I do think I captured at least some sort of vibration being radiated from the series that reminded me of the masterpiece (yes I'm speaking about the movie). The story develops.. well it does in some way throughout the series, but as some other users mentioned, there are a set of duels that are not as good as those from the movie and the majority of duels are according to me taking up too much space throughout the shows (and will get quite repetitive). But I wouldn't deny that I would recommend this to all those who liked the movie - and of course anyone who's into ninja-style anime. The series are quite braindead in general though (which might be a good think depending on what you're looking for) and it doesn't require much attention from the viewers side nor concentration. I would probably give this one a 6 or a 7 out of 10, but if you yet haven't seen the movie I'd suggest you do that before you'll hook yourself up with the TV-series...

Confusing

[benjamin-ryan · 7 May 2005]

Violent, confusing and repetitive these are just a few of the words to describe Ninja Scroll the series. Don't get me wrong this is a good show but it isn't worth watching unless you don't minded violence, no plot and a story that doesn't make too much sense. Some of the confusing parts are: there are two clans the kimon clan and the hiruko clan which are trying to get the dragon stone but you don't know which ninja is from which clan and only the "light maiden" can use the dragon stone. While the most annoying thing in the show is how jubei can defeat an enemy with the flick of his sword (literally) which is very repetitive since practically every battle lasts about less then 2 minutes or so. Overall I think Ninja Scroll the series is OK but not really worth watching, so turn your brain off, relax and get ready to watch some mindless violence. 7 out of 10.