Anime Fix

Basilisk: Kouga Ninpo Chou : 6.9/10

TV series; 24 episodes
Apr 13/2005 – Sep 21/2005

Genre: Action, Drama, Historical, Romance, Supernatural

Original Author: Masaki Segawa, based on a story by Futaro Yamada
Production Studio: Gonzo
Director: Fumitomo Kizaki
Music Composition: Kou Nakagawa

Plot
In the years following Ieyasu Tokugawa’s unification of Japan, two rival ninja clans, Kouga and Iga, are charged by the second Hanzo Hattori with the task of deciding which of Hidetada Tokugawa’s two sons will succeed him as acting Shogun. In order to avoid chaos within the Tokugawa house, the skills of 10 elite ninjas from each clan will be put to the test in a battle of life and death; the remaining clan representing the heir to the Shogunate. Over a span of 10 days, events will unfold that will decide the future of Japan, at the expense of the brave warriors within the Kouga and Iga clans.

Conclusion
Be prepared for everything this Anime has to offer. It sprints out the starting gate with some unusual action and continually reshapes itself as a journey of star-crossed lovers. The characters are fully developed, but not necessarily likeable, which makes this series difficult to enjoy. This acts out more as a play than a modern Anime, often times concentrating on words not said, as a fully realized Drama. There is a rare niche of a target audience for this series, as action lovers will become bored, romance lovers will feel detached, and the adult content and unusual character designs could disturb a drama enthusiast. All that being said, there is some magnificent psychology done here, and given the appropriate level of interest, this series could easily find its way to the top of a viewers favorites, given its wide array of characters, intriguing battles, and plot that develops into a classic tragedy.

Characters

Gennosuke Kouga acted by Kousuke Toriumi
Prince of the Kouga ninja clan, he has spent his life attempting to find a new path for not only himself, but those within his village. He seeks a path that no longer clings to the violent history of the Kouga ninja and will allow the future to be decided by possibility rather than tradition. Toriumi fills the role of a very emotional character that through training became calculating and reserved. He does little to ever express the hidden passion and solely focuses on maintaining the mask and monotone nature of the character. There is little to his performance that gives this key character any sort of depth, and thusly, more emotional scenes lose the power and magnitude they ought to carry.

Oboro Iga acted by Nana Mizuki
Princess of the Iga ninja clan, her natural born gifts bear the prophecy of destruction for the Iga ninja. She has lived her whole life never knowing of the bloody past between Kouga and Iga, and was never fully trained as a ninja due to her physical limitations. Her primary concentration is her betrothal to Gennosuke Kouga, she values her love for him and her Iga brethren more than anything. Mizuki fully realizes the internal struggles of this character vocally. Her performance is incredible within a script full of limitations. This is a fully captured teenager in the midst of turmoil, and her performance continually adds the resignation and depression which this story requires.

Tenzen Yakushiji acted by Sho Hayami
A senior member within the Iga clan, he is respected by nearly all others of his village. There is doubt amongst the Iga royal house as to his true intentions, as he is in possession of a mysterious power that has afforded him the opportunity to mold many things to his will and ambition. He believes violence will bring the change that adds to his power, and for this reason encourages and creates acts of war. Hayami provides a stern and frightening audio to this character’s actions, and makes even the most deplorable acts appear riveting.

Genre
This series covers the span of a number of genres, but finds its greatest impact as a Drama. There is an intense psychology and history behind the motives of multiple characters as they struggle for their clan’s survival. Considering the multitude of characters within this story, its most impressive feature is the ability to add a niche and a sense of family to every one. There is a great amount of exploration with memory flashbacks and visual internal monologues that heighten the drama within each scene and truly give life to the series.
This anime has difficulty finding its Historical value as the events unfold over such a short span of time. Though the broadest view of the plot contains historical value, there is only a few times where the real historical events, though touched upon, carry any significant weight.
The Action within this series is impressive, and from the very beginning it defines itself as one of the most fast-paced and engrossing series ever drawn. But as the story eventually develops, the unique and relentless action scenes give way to the depth and tragedy of the Romance within. The romance of this series attempts to be prominent from start to finish, but often struggles, due to the central figures of its romantic attempts having such limited interactions. Key emotions can only be represented by commentary of other characters, and there is never a potent enough emphasis on the struggles between the duty and honor of being the leader of a clan and the desire to express one’s own will.

Themes
One overwhelming theme within this series stands out above all others. This is not unique to Japan, but during an era of samurai, the concept of Nationalism, the will of the regent equaling the will of a country was extremely prevalent. The unfulfilling honor of devoting one’s entire self and all they know and love to the greater good is a strong point for contention in a more modern era. Within this series lies a deeper commentary on this tradition, as it would be one thing to sacrifice oneself for the honor of his/her family, but at what point can a line be drawn, as characters are asked to sacrifice not only themselves, but their friends and family as well, for the sake of the Shogun. There also is drawn a great picture of the pain and loss that can be expected when one carelessly unleashes the killing instinct of warriors, who had for so long struggled to maintain their violent urges in an era of peace. This sparks the viewer to question which between peace and war is the learned response and the instinctual response.

Style
There is devolution of style within the animation of this series. It begins with awkward, but unique character design and intense high-speed scenes, and gradually grows into a more subtle and slowly developing series. This does well in following the plot as the furious actions of the beginning give way to the longer drawn out sequences towards the finish. The village designs do little visually, but that could, perhaps, be due to their palling in comparison to the incredibly detailed outdoor scenes, in which forests and rivers gain excellent rendering. There is no shortage of violence and nudity as everything within this Anime is directed at late teenagers to adults. An opening song with plot driven lyrics is an interesting addition to this Anime. The sound effects are done very well, and musically the timeline of the series defines the pleasant as well as portentous symphonies of 1600s Japan.

Opening Theme

“Kouga Ninpouchou” by Onmyouza

Ending Theme

#1: “Hime Murasaki” by Nana Mizuki (eps 1,9,11-12,15-16,24)
#2: “Wild Eyes” by Nana Mizuki (eps 2-8,10,13-14,17-23)