Still entertaining 30 years later

Key findings

• The cult film “Ninja Scroll” recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with a limited theatrical release, proving its continued influence.
• An action spectacle in the erotic guro genre that combines eroticism and the grotesque and ensures an unforgettable and daring viewing experience.
• Ninja Scroll's plot may be thin, but its exciting action sequences, graphics, and charismatic characters have earned the game cult status.

Few anime studios are as famous and revered as Madhouse, and of its many notable creative minds, few are as iconic—either for their imagination or their influence—as Yoshiaki Kawajiri. Kawajiri's Ninja Scroll celebrated its (late) 30th anniversary with a brief theatrical run in North America, and all these years later the film is still a wild, blood-pumping ride.

Starting September 11, Iconic Events released the film for three nights as part of Anime Expo Cinema Nights, with a special interview with the director before the screening. The film was released in Japan in 1993 and Ninja Scroll is considered one of Kawajiri's best films; an action spectacle that made the rounds after its release in the West during the anime boom of the 1990s.

You will know why it is a cult classic

Viewers with photosensitivity should beware, as there are a lot of flashing lights in this film. Even the trailer posted below contains a lot of strobe effects.

Ninja Scroll is the perfect storm of a film that is simultaneously a love letter to the director's influences and an influential work in its own right. It joins the ranks of Ghost in the Shell as an anime that inspired creators like the Wachowskis, The Matrix. For everyone else, the film was and remains a kind of tastemaker, especially for younger viewers who are unfamiliar with the action spectacle and extreme violence of this film.

The story of Ninja Scroll

The film follows Jubei Kibagami, a vagabond who travels Japan as a mercenary until a chance encounter sends him on a mission where the fate of the country is at stake. Although he lacks the patience for politics, he has no choice but to help the last survivor of a ninja clan investigating the cause of a plague that has wiped out a village. Along the way, he must battle the Devils of Kimon to thwart a plot to overthrow the government.

Structurally, there's something very video game-like about the narrative, which adds to its appeal. The film is an adventure whose journey is punctuated by a series of creatively constructed boss battles, with each of the devils possessing a unique aesthetic, skills, and/or power. In contrast, Jubei – aside from his skilled sword skills – seems comparatively “normal.” This gives him the look of an underdog and makes his victories seem all the more deserved.

An Ero-Guro action spectacle

After the opening sequence and the viewer's introduction to Jubei, the main plot of the film is set up in the form of a horror film. A group of ninjas whose training is obvious are slaughtered by a force they cannot imagine: a man whose skin is as hard as stone. Kagero, the only survivor of the surprise ambush, watches in horror as the leader of her clan is torn to pieces.

“Ero-guro” is a genre that describes the interface between eroticism and grotesque and could not be described more perfectly Ninja Scroll's mood. You could certainly call it pornographic, but the term applies to the reverie of combat as well as the sexual content. The sensual and provocative become inexorably entangled with the monstrous and occult, making for a bold and unforgettable viewing experience. You won't forget the first time you see this film.

A simple story, but well thought out implementation

The whole thing is simple, but at its best it doesn't feel simple. The execution is too skillful and the art too grand to be considered as such. The story is thin by all accounts, but the way it's told gives the film a good momentum. The action is exciting, but also noticeably patient; there's an emphasis on building tension before the sparks fly. The fight between Jubei and Tessai is a prime example of this.

A seemingly ordinary swordsman – who looks little different from the countless men the viewer has already slaughtered – versus a lecherous monster with a body made of stone. It's a well-timed standoff where the tension builds organically, making the gruesome denouement all the more satisfying. Ninja Scroll always has a new trick ready for the viewer and rarely shies away from the most drastic images.

Spectacle cannot solve everything

The pacing is solid, the characters are impressive and memorable, and the action is relentlessly brutal in the best way. These qualities have given this film its cult status, but even with that blessing, anyone who has seen it can Ninja Scroll one can probably agree with a few things. First and foremost, the film is practically allergic to being interesting when it comes to explanations.

Admittedly, the film's historical context is fascinating, but everything it does with it is pretty lackluster. Something like that could have hurt the final confrontation, but it is saved by the presentation, which is no small feat. “Aesthetics” is not the absence of narrative; it is Is Narrative and Ninja ScrollThe climax is masterful in every way, despite the weak story that builds up to it. What is far more damaging to the narrative as a whole is the sexism throughout.

Second, the Kagero problem

A lackluster plot could easily be forgiven in a film that revolves so much around its characters, their journey, and their relationship. Unfortunately, even that is marred by the lame performance of Kagero. Despite a strong introduction, she never gets the chance to do anything cool. She doesn't even manage to kill any of the villains except the first one, Tessai, and even then there's a catch, and a pretty big one at that. Kagero's body poisons anyone who sleeps with her.

Tessai died because he sexually abused Kagero before fighting Jubei. Even then, her poison is counted as support, as Jubei eventually drops Tessai on his sword, reducing her contribution to a pittance. Meanwhile, her entire arc revolves around the shame of having a toxic body. One could charitably interpret her arc as Kagero learning to see herself as more than just an object because Jubei treats her like a person, but that would be overkill.

She lacks too much agency to take that message seriously. And even if Kagero hadn't been sexually assaulted (TWICE, I might add), her relationship with Jubei wouldn't have been particularly interesting to begin with. This is only such a big problem because she's so important to the story, and so it's so annoying that a film with so much iconic action didn't bother to give any of the main characters more to do.

There are better films than

Ninja Scroll

but at the same time, there is nothing like it, and combined with such inspired art and direction, it makes all the difference.

When I went to the theater to watch the film again, I was prepared for things that wouldn't age well in a 31-year-old film (obviously). The biggest disappointment was realizing how much of those negative qualities persisted throughout the film. The title wasn't a lie – it's still a very entertaining action film. It's just not as great as I remembered it being, and that made it harder to appreciate what it did do right. But let's face it: It wasn't impossible.

There are better films than Ninja Scrollbut at the same time, there's nothing else like it, and combined with such inspired art and direction, it makes all the difference. As long as we don't pretend his problems don't exist, there's no harm in celebrating what he does right.

Ninja Scroll will be available on a limited edition SteelBook Blu-ray on October 22nd, courtesy of Sentai Filmworks.