Samurai Anime

Can anyone recommend some good samurai anime? I'm not that familiar with anime and would just be guessing as to which one(s) would be the best. Any help would be appreciated.

Michael

Michael,

I'm not sure about "Samurai" anime, but an anime film that's legendary that has to do more with "Ninja", and shouldn't be missed, is "Ninja Scroll". However, the main character "Jubei" is a samurai (I think)... it's been quite a while since I've seen it. Do a search for "Ninja Scroll" here, you'll find a farily well done synopsis.

- Josh

Josh,

Thanks for the input. I had heard of ninja scroll before but had not heard anything about it. I will read the review for it when I get a chance.

Any more suggestions?

Michael

Michael,

Eddie seems to be "Mr. Anime" around DVD Town. I'm not sure if he's into the Samurai, or ancient martial arts side of it though. So how 'bout it Eddie? Any input?

As far as other "general" anime suggestions go, (as well as being legendary) I would suggest "Ghost In The Shell". It's a futuristic "cyborg" type of anime, but very well done in my opinion, and had a good plot. Not to mention lots of action, and high quality artwork. I'm a bit of a fan of "Manga" art, they did "Ninja Scroll". To me their art just seems leaps and bounds above the other examples out there. I also like "Gundam Wing". Another example of excellent artwork.

Good luck in your hunt for "Samurai" anime. Though, you could probably google "manga" and "samurai", and you might just find a gold mine!

- Josh

Rurouni Kenshin is the best samurai series out there period. The series is now available via 3 separate boxsets. The first season is pretty light hearted full of action and mainly a setup for the 2nd season. I actually consider the 2nd season one of the best 26 episode strings in all of anime. It has everything. Comedy, drama, emotion, humor, and some of the most memorable fights and characters in anime. The third however, was mainly filler which was buying the studio time to produce another season on what many consider the best story arch in the manga. But before it could be produced, TV ratings had fallen severely hence the show going out with a wimper rather than a bang.

But, because of this we did get a few OVA's (Original Video Animation (shows released directly on video)) entitled Tsuiokuhen (4 episodes) and Seisouhen (2 episodes). Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen which in America is released on two volumes as Samurai X:Trust and Samura X: Betrayal. They changed it from Kenshin to Samurai X because Media blasters was licensing the series, but ADV licensed the OVA's, so they wanted to eliminate any confusion there.

The first OVA is magnificent (trust and betrayal). It has some of the best animation around and it's just beautiful to watch. I guess because the Jinchuu arc was cancelled the creators thought they would pay the fans back with an OVA. It's one of those rare shows in anime that you go to any anime review site and it's usually 9/10 10/10 5/5 A+ A etc etc. To most it's a staple as much as Evangelion is. The only catch is, it's a prequel to the series. Though it's not necessary to view the series to enjoy the OVA, the level of enjoyment and understanding you do receive is worth holding off until viewing the first two seasons of the TV series.

The 2nd OVA is called Samurai X: Reflection. The first eps is a flashback, the 2nd is pretty much the creators trying to fit the entire Jinchuu arc into 20 some odd minutes. You do not want to watch this before watching the series as it contains some huge spoilers that could ruin the series for you.
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Samurai Deeper Kyo. I'm not listing this one as a suggestion, but more so a name to stay away from. I see no reason why anyone would enjoy this if the had seen Kenshin. If they haven't, then it's understandable because they have no other show to compare it to. But for a show released within the past couple of years, the animation is stiff, the choreography of the fights is dull and boring, and the show just isn't good.
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Ninja Scroll is definitely worth a look if you're just looking for a small purchase. Lots of action, and it's just a classic as Josh pointed out.

There is also a Ninja Scroll TV series. I wouldn't suggest jumping into it unless you see the movie first and enjoy it.
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Peacemaker Kurogame - Currently being released. First two volumes are out on dvd. It's a good enough show about the Shinsengumi. Nice action sequences, nothing spectacular but it gets the job done.
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Samurai Champloo - I watched about half the series as it was being shown in japan via fansub, it's directed by the same guy who did Cowboy Bebop (Watanabe). Personally I loved Bebop, but Eddie would disagree :@ . I'm sure you've at least seen it once or twice as it's aired on CN many a time. It has the same cool feel to it. Think Bebop's cool atmosphere mixed with the samurai era and a hip hop twist. Yes I said Hip hop. The first volume is released next Tuesday. If you liked Bebop, you should feel right at home.

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So in a nutshell, if you have the money, go for the first two Kenshin boxsets. If you're on a budget, go get the OVA's Samurai X Trust and Samurai X Betrayal or the Ninja Scroll movie.

Yeah, by no means is anime a cheap hobby. It's probably one of the biggest drawbacks.

I would go with the Trust and Betrayal bundle then. But it won't really give you an idea of what the series is like.

Kenshin the TV series is about Kenshin as a wandering samurai trying to find redemption from the way he used to live. He took an oath never to kill again and his sword is a reverse blade sword so he attacks with a dull side. Along his journey he is constantly confronted with the conflict of protecting his friends but not at the expense of going back on his word about killing.

The OVA's are about his previous way of living. The animation style is completely different and more realistic where as the series is more cartoonish. Same with the atmosphere, the OVA's are dead serious as it involves some extremely violent slaying where as the series mixes humor, action, and drama.

I guess it's not THAT important that you see the series first, but you would definitely have a better appreciation. But as long as you plan on seeing the series, it doesn't really matter in the end.

Depression,

Thanks again for your help. I went to best buy today and looked in the anime section. I was able to find the first Rurouni Kenshin box set. I didn't buy it though. I didn't realize how expensive it actually was. I think eventually I might want to get it but I think I'll hold off until I'm a little more comfortable with the genre. I wanted to ask you if you think I should get the 10th anniversary edition of ninja scroll or the first one that came out? I saw some of the comments for the 10th anniversary and they weren't too flattering. I also saw Samurai X:Trust and Samura X: Betrayal but they were packaged together as a directors cut. Do you think I should get the directors cut or get the individual volumes? I noticed you said that the level of enjoyment wouldn't be as high if I watched these before the series, but I would like to get some kind of idea what the series is like without having to spend a lot of money on the boxed sets. What do you recommend?

Thanks again. You have helped out a lot.
Michael

There really is no proper etiquette, just personal preference.

Most of the "elitists" out there will bash anyone who prefers dubs. Personally, I usually watch everything subtitled. The voice acting usually has better quality.

But, over the years I've found a lot of dubs I've enjoyed. Just about anything put out by Geneon (once Pioneer) has an amazing English track that I actually prefer.

Chobits for example, it's amazing at how close the two tracks sound alike. The voice actors really hit the nail on everything.

Before I started collecting live action films, I was pretty big on anime. Prolly 200-300 dvds. But now I'm probably balanced out in anime to live action.

I used to be "Mr. Anime", but we now have three people who focus on Japanese Animation--Olen, Thomas, and Will. They're better equipped to dispense anime advice than I am. :)

I've got a question.

Are most of these supposed to be watched with english subtitles? I don't know the proper viewing etiquette. Can you get by watching it dubbed in english? Which method is better and/or which do you prefer? I don't know if all of these come dubbed in english or not.

Michael