Basilisk: Scrolls of Blood w/ Collector’s Box
by tonyadpx
In Basilisk, two rival ninja clans, the Kouga and the Iga, are now given the opportunity to settle their feud once and for all, and also decide Japan’s future for the next thousand years. But the two heirs-apparent of each clan, Gennosuke of the Kouga and Oboro of the Iga, are fiercely in love, to the point of ignorance. They both believe that their future marriage will end the eternal dispute between the ninja clans. Unfortunately, and unbeknown to them, their marriage is already threatened when the unsteady truce between the Kouga and Iga is broken. The war has begun, promising plenty of blood, betrayal, and heartache. Ninja clash with ninja, using various arts, talents, and… body hair… all in an effort to become the single greatest ninja clan.
What surprised me by the Basilisk anime was how accurate it was to the manga (see review in the August issue of Denkyu). With the exception of a little added back story in the first episode, and some editing in the fourth episode, each episode follows the events of the manga down to almost every niggling detail. This, I must say, was a plus, as the first volume manga was a small wonder into and of itself.
Other pluses include some great animation and fluid scenes of action; top-notch voice-acting; and plenty of special features, as is the wont of FUNimation and their numerous DVD releases. One particular feature, “History of the Ninja” caught my interest from the start. It’s a short essay detailing the rise of the ninja as Japan’s most feared warriors. Yes, it’s dork material, but informative dork material.
As for the negative, that would have to be the uninspired musical score. The opening and ending songs seem like something from an anime made ten years ago. In between Basilisk uses the same musical sounds one expects to hear in anime containing ninja/samurai. While not disappointing and perfectly matching of the theme, it’s also extremely unoriginal.
But who cares about the anime. The cricket box that comes with the first volume is as good as collector’s boxes get. It’s made entirely of wood (what kind, I’m not sure), complete with a dark finish and glued-on artwork of the characters of Basilisk. And it has a sliding door to keep all the seperate volumes protected and in place. Plus, it contains with it the limited edition version of Basilisk: Scrolls of Blood, which contains three playing-card sized pictures as well as a ten-page insert, enough to make any fan-boy or girl swoon in pure swag-excitement. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s a replica scroll inside the box itself. Seriously, all that stuff was really useless, but the box is beautiful and well-worth the extra cash if you plan on collecting the series.
Apart of FUNimation’s recent, and future, Gonzo dumping, Basilisk is easily the most impressive of the bunch so far (those being Kiddy Grade, Burst Angel, Desert Punk, and Speed Grapher). It contains a dramatic and action-packed story with plenty of mature themes along with some rather toned-down moments (in comparison to the manga) that make this anime appealing to a larger audience. It could have used a little help with the music, but overall Basilisk is a solid, entertaining anime that is sure to pay-off for those willing to collect the entire series.
Licensor: FUNimation
Production: Gonzo
Length: 100mins
Retail: $44.99 for Collector’s Box edition/ 29.99 for regular edition
Availability: Already Out