Sutorenjia: Mukô hadan

For a long time, feature film anime had been lacking when it came to top-notch production. I found this title not expecting much but from the very beginning it had me. Everything that was great about the ninja/samurai animations in the 90's re-emerged onto this film and I think its safe to say that the choreography far excelled that of its predecessors. The story as vague as it may have been did enough to keep my interest ,but in the end it was the fight scenes that kept me compliant to watch further. Not often do you find a final battle to be so intense pushing the boundaries of fluid animation that your eyes are glued to every moment of the fight. I really can't say enough about this film. At a time where many anime have become primarily viewed in a TV series format, Sword of the Stranger was a breath of fresh air and nostalgic return to what I loved so much about anime feature films. For any fan of Ninja Scroll,Dagger of Kamui, Samurai X, and other great anime classics, this one is for you trust me.

It follows the same style of action, drama and legendary aura like sensation as in Samurai Champloo or Samurai X.

The graphic is amazing and the music score isn't too far behind.

Still what really gets you about this anime movie besides the high paced action is the showdown between your classic Nippon samurai master and a barbarian with god-like skills in sword wielding serving under the emperor of the ming empire (in his search for the elixir of immortality).

So, if you like anime, really cool sword-fights and a jade empire sort of atmosphere then you're in for a treat.

Enjoy! :)

The concept in Sword of the Stranger isn't new. A wandering samurai who killed a lot of people during the war is tormented by his past and has "Sealed" his sword and decided not to use it anymore. Without having to look far you can already find earlier animes/mangas with the exact same concept (Rurouni Kenshin is the first that comes to mind).

Still I really loved this movie and consider it a must watch, specially for people that like animated movies. The animation one of the best I've seen in recent animated movies, with great design, fluid animations and great image quality. While not many in number, the battles are masterfully handled by BONES (animation studio) with great (animated) choreography.

As I've said the concept behind the story isn't new but it's enjoyable nonetheless, I really liked the trust relationship that forms between the main character and the boy he is escorting and there is also a special connection between Nanashi and the main antagonist. In the end you will be caring for the characters.

Finally, and it should not be overlooked. The Soundtrack for this movie is truly wonderful. Composed by Naoki Sato, it's an amazing OST filled with emotion and fits the movie like ring.

I really enjoyed this movie a lot. I have not seen such a good animated one in years and I'm still wondering how people can rate it 1 or 2.. I mean, the taste in movies is always different, but even if you didn't like it that much it is not possible to give it such a low score. In my opinion it is flawless in its way and even though I do remember that there was a movie (not animated) which felt almost the same, because in it there was also a samurai walking around with a child, it still felt fresh and cool and not old fashioned at all. Oh well, just give it a shot and you will most likely have a good time watching it.

I would have given it a 9, but I'm trying to fix the impossible votes a bit, even though.. it may even deserve a 10 for what it is.

Cheers

Chinese agents come to Japan hunting a boy. They are well prepared, have a lot of money and seem to be indomitable in battle, especially one of them, who is a blue eyed blonde. The boy is clueless, rude and his only companion and friend is a dog. When they meet a mysterious samurai, he reluctantly agrees to help them escape pursuit.

Well drawn, cool action scenes reminiscent of Ninja Scroll, credible characters, doing things for reasons that one can believe, rather than the classic "I will protect something, hear me roar!", and an interesting story with roots in a real event.

It lasts for one hour forty minutes and I warmly recommend it. It has some issues at the end when some of the characters are just ridiculously overpowered, but overall it was really cool.