Ninja Resurrection

Original Title: 魔界転生 地獄篇
Romanized: Makai Tensho - Jigoku-hen
Literal: Resurrection From Hell: Book of Hell

Plot Synopsis

In feudal Japan, there was a growing Christian movement among the people, but powerful warlords have moved to unite the country and crush this intruding religion. The expulsions and purging have proceeded, and there is only one group of holdouts left--a starving band of rebellious farmers now holed up in a castle under siege by the armies of the warlords.

But the leader of this band is not a normal man: A prophecy tells of a child who will be born as a savior to the people, but if he is touched by evil, he will be reborn as the offspring of Satan himself. When a group of skilled ninjas are brought in to deal with this uprising, their leader, Jubei, may set in motion events far greater, and darker, than he could imagine.

Soon famous dead warriors begin rising from their graves and the spawn of satan himself may make an appearance.

Quick Review

Rating: 1.5 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2006-06-21

Ninja Resurrection is not a sequel to Ninja Scroll, and don't come expecting one--they have almost nothing in common but ninjas and a Jubei. What it is is a slightly weird but potentially interesting ninja flick overwhelmed by stupidity and ultraviolence. The novel-based story is creative and there are a couple of interesting characters, but in lieu of cool action are super-ninjas with tragically silly abilities and way, way too much tasteless carnage of the most willfully disturbing sort. It also has no conclusion, but at least the soundtrack is nice--grand orchestral and choral themes befitting the apocalyptic overtones of the plot.

If loads of extreme violence and/or the unusual plot sound appealing, you're sick, but you might well love it. Otherwise I'd advise keeping your distance.

US DVD Review

ADV has two versions of the DVD available; the original one, which includes stereo tracks in both languages and some art, and the price-reduced "anime essentials" version, which apparently adds a Dolby 5.1 soundtrack in English.

Content Guide

Heaps of violence and very adult themes easily qualify it for ADV's 17+ rating. The particularly offensive scenes are at the end of the first part and about halfway through the second (don't let the second half's mild start fool you).

Violence: 5 - Violence and gore of the most extreme and offensive sort abound.

Nudity: 3 - A few isolated scenes.

Sex/Mature Themes: 4 - Those same scenes, which are outright disturbing.

Language: 1 - Not noteworthy.

Notes and Trivia

This anime series is based on a manga series by Shouko Toba, "Makai Tenshou: Yume no Ato" ("Resurrection From Hell: Remnants of Dreams"). The manga itself is based on the novel "Makai Tenshou" by Futaro Yamada, which is in turn (very) loosely based on real characters from Japanese history.

The novel has been adapted a number of times, most notably in a 1981 live action version directed by Kinji Fusaku (who later directed Battle Royale) and starring Sonny Chiba. It's available in English as "Makai Tensho - Samurai Reincarnation." There's also a 2003 live action movie of the same name (not available in English as of this writing), as well as a pair of other straight-to-video releases (sold in the US as "Reborn From Hell: Samurai Armageddon" and its sequel "Reborn From Hell II").

Finally, there's also a PlayStation 2 game of the same name.

Many of the characters in this series, including Jubei, are based on actual figures from Japanese history. For those wondering, it's not clear whether the Jubei of Ninja Scroll is supposed to have anything to do with the "real" Jubei--his name is different, as is his MO.

Availability

Available in the US from ADV on a hybrid DVD, most recently an "Anime Essentials" re-release of their original disc. Was originally available on a pair of subtitled or dubbed VHS tapes, now out of print.

RightStuf carries the Anime Essentials DVD, and also still has copies of the original DVD release at closeout pricing ($6) as of this writing.

Looking to buy? Try these stores: RightStuf (search) | AnimeNation | Akemi's a(nime)Store