Blade of the Immortal

Not having read the manga but, as an avid anime consumer I can really say this one surprised me with the art and intensity aquired. I did not even click on "skip intro" several times as I was bewitched by the strange soundtrack. I'm sure it's not everyone's choice but it's jackpot for me.

Some people might find the plot line(s) too disorganized. To a degree I don't disagree but I think this series was meant for people that are more familiarized with Japanese pre-1842 culture. Ronins and Samari have a very different code of honor and they would perform their duties or pursue their ideals to such an extent that they would show an ultimate disregard for human lives, others as well as their own. With that attitude in mind, this series' tone is somehow fitted in such a background vibe, that anything can be poetic and random, sometimes extremely romantic, and that vibe is well expressed.

I think I've reached a time of life where I seek out moral ambiguities and complex plot lines, and this promises to tick those boxes and then some. Looking forward to another series, maybe they can backfill with some details that have been missed out.

I came to this because the manga was a big inspiration for the video game Sekiro. I thought the whole series was wonderful. There were a lot of characters, and I did get the feeling that some story lines would have made more sense if I'd read the manga. Which I might now do.

I loved the main characters and felt real concern for them. A lot of emotion was conveyed with very little dialogue and minimal animations. I found that very impressive. The violence was impeccable. And very graphic.

I imagine I will watch this again at some point.

A fabulous Jidai-Geki ( Chanbara) anime set in the Edo period. Dramatic, deep, frightening, gory, bloody as hell, gripping story line, wonderful modern animation, fantastic fight scenes, wonderful music score.. One of my favorites of 2019/2020 next to "Dororo". Nothing for the faint hearted.... a classy high quality anime for adults. For me a 9.5/10