Still fun, 30 years later

Key conclusions

• The cult film Ninja Scroll recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with a limited theatrical release, demonstrating its enduring influence.
• An action film in the era-guro genre, which combines eroticism and grotesque, providing an unforgettable and daring viewing experience.
• While Ninja Scroll's narrative may be thin, its exciting action sequences, artwork, and charismatic characters have helped it achieve cult status.

Few anime studios enjoy as much fame and respect as Madhouse, and of the many established creative leaders, few are as iconic – be it for their imagination or their influence – as Yoshiaki Kawajiri. Recently Kawajiri st Ninja scroll celebrated its (late) 30th anniversary with a brief theatrical run in North America, and all these years later it's still a wild ride, expertly crafted to get the blood pumping.

For three nights only, starting September 11th, Iconic Events screened the film in theaters as part of Anime Expo's Cinema Nights, with a special interview with the director before the screening. Released in Japan in 1993, Ninja scroll considered one of Kawajiri's best; action spectacle that made its rounds during the anime boom of the 90s after its Western release.

You'll find out why it's a cult classic

Light sensitive viewers beware, there is a lot of flicker in this film. Even the trailer posted below contains a lot of strobe lights.

Ninja scroll it's a perfect storm of a film that is both a love letter to the director's influence and a highly influential work in its own right. It joins the likes Ghost in the armour as the anime that helped inspire the work of creators like the Wachowskis Matrix. For everyone else, he was and still is something of a tastemaker, especially for younger viewers who are alien to the spectacle and ultra-violence of this film.

The story of the ninja scroll

The film follows Jubei Kibagami, a vagabond who wanders Japan as a sword for hire until a chance encounter sends him on a mission with the fate of the country. Although he lacks the patience for politics, he has no choice but to help the last survivor of a ninja clan who is investigating the cause of a plague that has killed a village. Along the way, he must fight Kimon's devils to foil a plan to overthrow the government.

Structurally, there's something very video game-like about the story, which contributes a lot to its appeal. The film is an adventure whose journey is punctuated by a series of creatively constructed boss battles, each of the fiends having a unique aesthetic, skill set, and/or power at their disposal. In contrast, Jubei – except for his swordsmanship – looks relatively “normal”. It gives him an underdog look while making his victories feel even more deserved.

Action movie Ero-Guro

After the opening sequence and introducing the viewer to Jubei, the film unfolds its main plot through what is effectively a horror film. A group of ninja whose training is shockingly obvious are killed by a force unlike anything they could fathom; a man whose very skin is hard as rock. The sole survivor of the surprise ambush, Kagero, watches in horror as her clan leader is torn apart limb by limb.

“Ero-guro” is a genre that describes the intersection of eroticism and the grotesque, which could not be more perfectly depicted Ninja scrollatmosphere. It's fair to call it pornographic, but that term applies equally to combat as it does to sexual content. The sensual and moving are inexorably intertwined with the terrifying and occult, creating a daring and unforgettable viewing experience. You won't forget the first time you see this movie.

A simple story, but a thoughtful execution

There's a simplicity to everything, but it doesn't seem simple at the best of times. The execution is too skillful and the artwork too wonderful to be considered that. His story is seemingly thin, but the way it's told gives the film a good sense of momentum. The action is exciting, but it's also noticeably patient; the emphasis is on building anticipation before sparks fly. The fight between Jubei and Tessa is a great example.

A seemingly ordinary swordsman – barely different from the countless people the viewer has seen killed – against a lecherous monster with a body of stone. It's a well-paced confrontation that allows the tension to build organically, making the gruesome payoff that much more satisfying. Ninja scroll always has a new trick to show the viewer and rarely shies away from the most naturalistic imagery.

Spectacle cannot solve everything

The pacing is solid, the characters are vivid and memorable, and the action is relentlessly brutal at its best. These qualities are what elevated this film to cult status, but even with that advantage, anyone who watched Ninja scroll can probably agree on a few things. First, if there is exposition, the film is practically allergic to interest.

Sure, the historical context of the film is intriguing, but everything else done with it is pretty lackluster. This could hurt the final confrontation, but it is saved by the delivery, which is no small thing. “Aesthetic” is not the absence of narrative; this there is narrative, and Ninja scrollThe climax is, by all accounts, masterful, despite the weak plot structure. What hurts the narrative as a whole much more noticeably is the sexism that seeps throughout.

Second, the Kagero problem

The lackluster plot is easily forgivable in a film that focuses so much on the characters, their journeys, and their relationships. Unfortunately, even that is overshadowed by how lame Kagero's portrayal is. Despite having a strong introduction, she never gets a chance to do anything cool. She doesn't even manage to kill any of the bad guys except for the first one, Tessa, 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 assaulted Kagero before fighting Jubei. Even then, her poison was counted as an assist, as Jubei ended up causing Tessai to fall on his sword, reducing her contribution to a paltry amount. Meanwhile, her entire arc is about the shame of having a toxic body. One could kindly interpret her arc as Kagero learning to see herself as more than just an object thanks to Jubei treating her like a human being, but that's giving too much credit.

She lacks too much willpower to take this message seriously. Also, even if Kagero wasn't sexually assaulted (TWICE, I might add), it's not like her and Jubei's relationship was all that interesting to begin with. It's just as much of a problem because of how important it is to the story, and thus how annoying that a movie with so much legendary action couldn't be bothered to give one of the main characters more to do.

There are better movies than that

Ninja scroll

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

When I went to the theater to see it again, I was prepared for a 31-year-old film (naturally) not to age well. So the biggest disappointment was realizing how much these negative qualities persist throughout the film. The title wasn't a lie – it's still a very fun action movie. It's just not as good as I remember, and that made it harder to appreciate what it did right. However, make no mistake: it was not impossible.

There are better movies than that Ninja scrollbut at the same time there is nothing like it, and coupled with such inspired creativity and direction, it makes all the difference. As long as we don't pretend his problems don't exist, there's nothing wrong with celebrating what he gets right.

Ninja scroll will be available on limited edition SteelBook Blu-ray on October 22 courtesy of Sentai Filmworks.