Ninja Scroll

It is hard for me to recommend this show unironically to people, especially in today's age.

I had somebody ask me in a Discord server for local fans whether or not they should go and see Ninja Scroll in the theater.

And knowing, again, the purity culture that has crept into the fandom, I said, it's very much like a Japanese pink film.

Very stylish, very violent, very sexually exploitative, and that was enough to turn them away from it.

Because, you know...

Ninja Scroll's got that rape

scene in it.

But that's just how Kawajiri operates, man.

Perfect Blue was released in Japan in February of 1998, directed by Satoshi Kon in his directorial debut, based on a novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi.

It was produced by Studio Madhouse, who are one of my personal favorites, and are responsible for titles such as Vampire Hunter D, Ninja Scroll, Trigun, Black Lagoon, Claymore, Parasyte, Sonny Boy, and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.

And here's a bit of trivia.

It was actually green-lit as a straight-to-video OVA before it got upgraded to theatrical release right before it was finished.

You like the Japanese stuff, the weeb stuff.

I mean, uh, I think, like, the whole Ninja Scroll aesthetic, like, J- mysticism, uh, ninja stuff, I think that, uh, yeah, I think c- it has a, a place in my heart.

[laughs]

Yes.

It's one of the things I do love.

I mean, it's one of the, it's, it's one of the things that I thought was cool about, about anime when I, you know, when I was a kid.

Ninja Scroll is fucking cool, you know? Ninjas are cool, man.

Samurai Champloo is cool.

It had Rin Taro as a co-producer and doing the storyboards.

It had Kawajiri from Ninja Scroll doing the character designs.

The director was listed as Takuji Endo.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

[laughs] And that's how we got Ninja Scroll.

That's an art- arterial spray.

Oh, yep.

Which is, which is sort of like a, um, oh, what's that other ninja ...

All right, I forget, but anyway, uh- Ninja Scroll, maybe, sort of, kind of, which is n- Ninja Scroll is the anime.

What's the name of the ...

Well, there's one that's kind of like the gameplay's kinda like Castlevania.

I've seen Akira.

I've seen Ninja Scroll.

I've seen Spirited Away.

So

you saw a lot of the first few ones that came through to America with dubs, like the big ones, like Akira and Ninja Scroll.

I've seen all the typical ones.

Okay.

So I'm excited for that.

And then I think Ninja Scroll is coming as well.

And I believe Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust also.

So we're talking like heavy hitter 90s, 2000s animes that were hitting when I was working at like Suncoast and Blockbuster and stuff back in the day.

That's a solid just movie.

They're putting Ninja Scroll back in the theaters.

Yeah.

I can't watch that in a theater.

Yeah.

And then Ninja Scroll was your first mature anime.

Yeah.

So which one was actually your gateway, and what series actually made you a fan?