When Shinjuro's father Tessyusai takes off on an unexpected mission, Shinjuro
is left in charge of their family's dojo. But the samurai attending the school
don't think Shinjuro is fit to be the master, and so they decide to leave
until Tessyusai returns. To make matters worse, all the dojos are being called
upon to patrol the town because some unwanted elements are prowling about.
As fate would have it, Shinjuro encounters the band of would-be ninja thieves
during his shift... but there is actually more to the situation than meets the
eye, and it involves his father's mission and a couple of magical swords. But
the real challenge comes when Shinjuro is called upon to duel the cold and
calculating leader of the opposing samurai school, Mikage.
Review: Samurai: Hunt for the Sword
Given the title Samurai: Hunt for the Sword, I was half-expecting something
heavy along the lines of "Ninja Scroll". What I got instead was a
two-episode OVA series that is like a weird cross between
"Love Hina" (minus the humor) and "Ninja Cadets".
Samurai Hunt for the Sword is mainly about Shinjuro, a budding young samurai.
Like his father's abandoned students, I had trouble taking him seriously.
Maybe it's because of his wishy-washy overall look... I don't know. But one
look at him had me doubting if he could hold a sword properly, much less
manage a dojo. After Shinjuro takes over, his cutesy ninja girl childhood
friend Koharu decides to stay in the dojo as well.
Just moments later, a mysterious cutesy girl named Lei Lin appears... also set
on staying in the dojo. Later on we meet some more girls who are interested in
Shinjuro for one reason or another, including one from the enemy's camp.
The main highlight of Samurai Hunt for the Sword is Shinjuro's showdown with
Mikage, a savvy and highly skilled samurai who looks like he could be hundreds
of leagues better than Shinjuro.
A rather interesting duel ensues, and it all whizzes by so fast that by the
end of the battle I was sure that Shinjuro had won, but I couldn't tell what
happened to Mikage.
The ending is just as vague and leaves much to be desired. We see Shinjuro
standing in front of a wooden post, or what could be a grave, and I was like
"Who died?" We'll never know, because the credits start to roll after
that scene and there are no epilogues whatsoever.
The visuals are a mixed bag. The character designs are overly cutesy in style
when it comes to the protagonists, and rather serious-looking when it comes to
the antagonists. They don't look bad, just strangely mismatched.
Although all the scenes are very clear and vibrant, I found that details had
been skimped on when it came to the backgrounds and action sequences. I should
mention that there are also some bits of fan service in the form of a few
(and I do mean really few) boob shots.
Samurai Hunt for the Sword is just another dull and run-of-the-mill ninja /
samurai anime. I was actually very bored throughout its duration -- and it's
only one hour long.
Miscellanies: Samurai: Hunt for the Sword
For a really good samurai anime, see "Rurouni Kenshin".
Samurai: Hunt for the Sword (Kaitouranma The Animation) | |
| Genre | Action, Adventure |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 2 |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Aired | Nov 26, 1999 to Dec 23, 1999 |
| Producers | AIC, APPP |
| Studio | animate Film |
| Rating | PG-13 - Teens 13 or older |
| Themes | Martial Arts, Samurai |
0 comments
Post a Comment