Customer Reviews

Shigurui: Death Frenzy Complete Box Set [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

"Shigurui Death Frenzy" is among the most twisted anime I've ever seen and an outstanding vengeance tale from a culture stuffed to the gills with similarly-themed works. It is based on true events (whatever credibility you give to that) and takes place in feudal Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate. It's spectacularly graphic in both the sex and violence departments, but features extremely beautiful artwork and a pace and tone that is almost Kurosawan in it's meticulous and thoughtful storytelling and features a very gorgeous traditional Japanese soundtrack. But as artistic as it is, there enough mayhem, nudity, and general psychosis here to rival any Asian grindhouse flick I've ever seen. This one is not for the kiddies.

In the opening sequences the audience is treated to a retainer pleading with his daimyo to allow a tournament to use wooden blades rather than steel ones lest their most talented samurai die needlessly. He then opens up his slit belly and pulls his entrails out with his bare hands, telling his lord that that would be the only result of a tournament using real swords. His final plea falls on deaf ears and bloodthirsty eyes that have more than a hint of madness in them. As the tournament begins we see the first two samurai face off. It is a one-armed swordsman versus a blind samurai. While the audience mocks the pair, it is soon obvious that the two are not only skilled warriors, but have a past together. The story of "Shigurui" is that past.

Rewind to a few years back in time and we meet earnest sword pupil Gennosuke Fujiki and Seigen Irako, a stranger to the Kogan dojo who seeks audience with the sensei. The two clash, leaving Fujiki embarrassed and possibly stripped of his status as the heir to the deadly techniques of the sword school. Kogan Iwamoto is the deranged sensei whose advanced age regularly leaves him in a state of vulgar dementia with a string of neverending drool in the corner of his mouth and a habit of urinating on himself even as he performs feats of swordsmanship. Even more disturbing, the man still has a sexual appetite when in his glassy-eyed stupor. As Kogan's concubine Lady Iku, she gets to bear the brunt of that, though the sensei's own daughter gets a taste as well. The children of the town sing a song about Iku's body bringing misfortune and death to all of her lovers, but that doesn't deter Irako but getting a piece of the action. This is something that he will regret as he seeks the title of heir to the secrets of the Kogan style. And eventually, each and every character will regret the chain of events that forms.

As I said before, "Shigurui" is not for kids even if it does seem like a typical samurai anime on the surface. There's plenty of viscera, eyeball abuse like you wouldn't believe, decapitation, and dismemberment. In fact, the Kogan school seeks to spread it's name not by killing those who challenge it, but by "giving them a new look" which is to say the cut off various facial features so all of Japan can see their prowess rather than hear about it. Then there's the graphic sexual content which includes watching Kogan's drool fall upon his daughter as he "inspects" her suitability for breeding, a rather explicit but brief glimpse of cunnilingus -which I've NEVER seen in an anime (and no, I don't count hentai as true anime)- and a woman getting her nipple sliced off then watching her attacker pick it up and lovingly place it upon his tongue. Yeah, this is twisted stuff. Kogan is among the most intimidating and disgusting villains ever and the rest of the cast are more tragic victims then heroes. In fact, I think it's safe to say that there are no heroes here at all; just brutality, cruelty, and selfish deceit.

I really wish I could give this a perfect score because it is so harsh and uncompromising but still manages a plethora of beautiful and artistic flourishes that give this anime a credibility that few examples of the genre have anymore. But there is a fatal flaw that left me feeling less then thrilled at the conclusion in spite of the fact that the final kill is quite possibly the most impressive I've ever seen animated. While it is the best samurai anime I have seen in a long time, at only 12 episodes "Shigurui" becomes a victim of it's own slow pacing during the second half and the viewer can't help but feel a bit cheated at the lack of resolution in the story. After the amazing setup of the first episode, we never see it revisited for a fitting conclusion. It's almost like the staff got bored and just decided to move on before the story was done. A few more episodes -even one- could have easily garnered this show an unapologetic five star rating. But frankly, it's close enough. This is an anime that will absolutely warrant repeat viewings.

I am very pleased to say that this anime has been released in a full boxed set right off the bat. None of the month(s)-long waits and customer-gouging
while each disc is released individually. Thanks, Funimation! While there is not much in the way of extras on the discs, there is a "marathon play" feature which means that the discs will play as a continuous film rather than making you fast-forward through the opening and closing credits every 20 minutes. I hope to see more of these things in the future. They are reason enough to buy this set. If we support more quality anime releases that take the fans' wishes into account, maybe we'll see more of this kind of thing.

"Shigurui: Death Frenzy" is an outstanding adult anime that stops just short of all-time greatness, but is still an absolute must-own for fans of animated sex, violence, and chanbara films. The soundtrack, animation, plot, and characters are all first-rate. It's some of the best of classic Japanese arthouse cinema with all the cheap thrills of the grindhouse. Buy, buy, buy!

4 1/2 stars, rounded up for treating the fans right.

To be honest, I almost abandoned Shigurui somewhere around the first 2 or 3 episodes. The virtues of this series are at first masked behind opaque layers of extremely graphic violence, sex and nudity. Not that I have a problem watching violence, sex and nudity. But too often are the three used as stand-ins for a missing story. But that is not the case for Shigurui. Our story here begins with a tournament between two samurai with severe disabilities that they were clearly not born with. Instead, these handicaps were brought upon them by an event (or events) in their lives prior to their stand off. From here, the story circles back to the beginning, following the breadcrumbs that lead to said tournament. It is here that we learn that these two men, Fujiki Gennosuke and Irako Seigen were competing successors to their master's dojo. Fujiki, who was initially the obvious choice to follow in his master's footsteps, is suddenly eclipsed by Seigen. However, sex, betrayal and Fujiki's need for redemption and revenge re-tips the scales of the story. That is when things turn really nasty.

Just how nasty they get, will be for you to discover.

Seeing the hideous deformities of the two men at the beginning foreshadows the volume of carnage that you can expect to witness in Shigurui. Do not underestimate the visceral impact of this violence because the series is animated. The explicit detail of a man's entrails rivals what you'd see in a live action version. The good news for those with a weak stomach is that, thanks to minimal animation, you typically will only see the before and after of some disturbing slicing and dicing. The bad news is that the fast cuts between a raised sword and a hashed body amplifies the tension, and the long takes of a sliced off limb gives the imagination plenty of time to either recoil or recover from the aftermath. You'll be given generous time to meditate on the upper portion of a person's face. To aid in your meditation is an atmospheric soundtrack that makes the image either terribly putrescent or strangely poetic. Or both.

This dichotomy alone might be the brilliance of Shigurui. By walking the line of gratuity and minimalism you certainly get a feeling of art and not pornography. Even the explicit nudity and sex is so disturbing that it neutralizes any inherent erotica. You also get a clean break (or slice) from the usual good versus evil thing. Shigurui offers us no protagonists or antagonists. There's only an ensemble of characters who stand on the same nihilistic stage and under a morally ambivalent spotlight that casts no judgment on any action or ambition - no matter how foul. All men are truly created equal in this series: equally troubled. Equally troubling. And equally twisted.

this could have been one of the most brilliant things i've ever seen...and heard. the animation and the soundtrack work in a synergistic harmony that make it a feast for the eyes and ears. characters are developed well and their motivations are convincing, from mad, heartless scumbag to blind ambition and megalomania. this is really good stuff. but it ends there. the series just ends. right in the middle of things the episodes stop. the product description is fat out wrong. there is no battle between these two samurai. we are drawn in by the battle preparations in the first episode and in the end the series never returns to that battle. it never finishes the journeys of the two samurai in that opening fight. this show never finishes anything. so in the end all we have is pointless, twisted carnage. the violence and sex fit into this show. brutal and tragic endings i am fine with. bad guys winning? no problem. i like the bad guys. nobody winning? fantastic. i can live with how an artist chooses to end their work. so i'm not complaining about that. but there is no end. the series never completes the story it claims to tell. it is this fact that the series simply stops, like the developers took a lunch break and never came back, that is absolutely unforgiveable.

Shigurui: Death Frenzy Complete Box Set [Blu-ray]

This is a title that seemed to come out of nowhere, and it was great from the start. How could this have been passed up by me?
Yes, the story revolves around early dynasty Japan and Samurai, but it is not what I expected, or have really seen before.
First off, unlike most Anime, the music is absolutely excellent, and makes this story dark, brooding and mysterious. It is deep and effective. No goofy J-pop teenager whailing her head off here, just dynamic and powerful, as soundtrack should be.
Second, the figure detail is better than the box lets on. There's a wealth of art in this story, and the stylization of the drawing, painting, and even 3D varies regularly, without jumping around so much you get dizzy.
Really, they may use only subtle 3D techniques, but they are gorgeous.
Lastly is the story. I actually read a review here that said it was "slow". Perhaps it could be seen that way, but only if you're looking for a sword fighting frenzy. This is so much more than action. I just have to say that these writers know how to do what is missing from most anime, and that is how to create depth without needing a saga of episodes to successfully develop the characters and plot. From the very first episode, I was hooked. I've been watching anime since the beginning, and this is one that I'm buying on Blu-ray. The dialogue and sets, the tension, the darkness, and the violence all have space to breathe, and flow together very well.
Put all these elements together and you have a viewing experience that no anime fan will easily forget. This is going on my top 20 list, and certainly is my favorite Samurai anime of all time. (Yes, better than Samurai 7, and better than Sword of the Stranger, just to name a few.) It's simply darker, deeper, and more mature on many levels. Sound like your style? Good, then buy it and help the industry.

I hesitated about watching the anime, because the description emphasized its violent nature. However, I found it to be a realistic portrayal of a sliver of feudal Japan. One often finds the samurai being portrayed in movies as noble beings who sacrifice themselves for lofty goals, but this anime shows the other side of such a martial culture. The nobles, except for one, cower before their lord's madness. Everyone is flawed, and their seething envy, ambition, betrayal, and cruelty lead this bitter story toward the inevitable conclusion strewn with bloodbath. The series did seem to end abruptly but the manga seems to have continued and one can download the story in places such as Manga Reader.

When I first watched Shigurui I really did not enjoy it because I was accustomed to the monotonous Japanese anime we are constantly fed filled with super human child heroes and blondes with ridiculously long flowing hair.

This Anime is well grounded and creates a real sense of what samurai life might have been like in certain clans. I do not want to write a long review but what I will say is if you are looking an anime which is more grounded and NOT filled with all that super human nonsense this is it. And yes it does indeed reflect the violence and abuses deemed acceptable in those times so if you like what you see on the cartoon network this is not for you.

I really hope they complete the story because there are a lot of questions which were left unanswered.

Thanks for reading my review.

Awesome premise, doesn't exactly come full circle. It is not a story of two samurai and their battles, but more of a story of HOW two samurai's become rivals. The ending will not satisfy the basic the story telling rhetoric, and leaves the story open and not quiet done. It seems like the anime was an half baked idea that was not thought through.

This is by far the best anime i have ever seen. I cant even think of anything that comes in as a close second. I am actually surprised that with such a rich basis for this genre (Historic Samurai Martial Arts) there isnt a variety of other series that can be turned to for similar depth, realism, darkness, and maturity of plot (NOT referring to nudity and violence).

Everyone is aware of the copious amounts of stupid exaggerated images pointlessly plastered on screens, which we have come to refer to as "anime", consisting of carbon copy squeeky stick figures whose eyes represent 3/4 of their face and the extent of their characters development, interactions, and depth are eternally defined by 4 generic expressions : embarrassed, angry, smiling, and confused. If this is what you find entertaining then please dont bother your self with this series, which is a one of a kind, category of its own, unrivaled masterpiece.There are approx. 5 billion episodes of DragonballZ and/or Pokemon that you can occupy your self with, plus 1 thousand other equally meaningless teeny-bopper alternatives of the same caliber. This is not one of them. In fact everything from Basilisk to Ninja Scroll falls closer to being in the category of Pokemon than it does to equalling this series. Simple and plain.

Although I must warn you of two things, ok well maybe three. One is that this series is not completed, neither in its anime form nor its manga form. And at the this time, the rate that the anime is progressing in terms of production, if you are substantive enough to enter into the pace and the plot, you may find yourself very wanting and crazed at the end of this series, because after this there is nothing...yet....we hope... (I hope Madhouse realizes what a great responsibility they are carrying, the future of the best anime in the world is on their shoulders). The second thing is... well actually, looks like I forgot the second thing, so I am gonna hav to skip that.... But the third thing is - violence, or I should say "gore" to be more exact. Now i am not against gore and I am not really for it. Violence is expected in anime to make it good and I am all for that. But some of the gore in this (although only momentary and only in a few scenes throughout the whole series) made me a little squeamish-ish, almost. Oh yeah I remembered the second thing, and this is an important one, THIS WILL COMPROMISE YOUR ANIME EXPERIENCE. After watching this you will be reluctant to watch other anime, seeing them as distasteful, generic, and corny. I am now trying to figure this out and solve it...

Anyway at this point i only see two possible alternatives that could satisfy my interest and taste (other than to see this series effectively and efficiently follow up on the manga). That is to see either Samurai Executioner or Path of the Assassin faithfully made into an anime that bore the similar authenticity and integrity as the original manga... though I am feeling a glooming premonition that I may be destined to live in want, not seeing the fruition of either of three possibilities....

I purchased this series based on reading a few of the reviews and the product description/summary here on Amazon. I found them to be a bit misleading.
I do not watch or download anime online, nor do I rent it. I much prefer to support the anime industry by purchasing what I want to see. I "research" my purchases by reading reviews, product descriptions, checking out wikipedia, etc. Very rarely do I make a blind purchase & just buy something without checking it out first.
Shigurui Death Frenzy was one of those purchases that, while I did check out reviews & product descripitons, I found the information about it to be somewhat misleading. What I expected from what I had read & what it actually turned out to be was different than described. I agree with many of the other (non five star) reviewers comments, mostly about it being slow. It was extremely slow paced. Because of that it really didn't hold my interest, thus making the storyline somewhat hard to follow. The storyline was good, but I expected more action than there was. I thought the animation was beautifully done & the music complimented the series well. Very artistic. I give the series a 3 out of 5 stars. I CAN see why some people would enjoy this series. I, for the most part, did not. I think Shigurui Death Frenzy is most certainly one of those series that either one will enjoy alot or not at all. I would recommend watching this (or atleast some of it) BEFORE you buy it. Rent it, borrow it, or watch it online if you can. Atleast then you will know exactly what you are getting. YES, I know that goes against what I said earlier, but I consider Shiguri Death Frenzy to be an exception to the rule. No need to waste your hard earned money on something you may regret later.

Anime is jam-packed with all kinds of romanticized, sometimes even watered-down depictions of samurai. Shigurui, however, is the most historically accurate samurai anime that I am aware of, and is also truer to history than the vast majority of samurai movies. It's not 100% accurate, but it's very close.

Shigurui is also the most beautiful anime that I've seen as far as its art is concerned. The animation is very realistic (sometimes horrifyingly so) and depicts the darker side of the Edo era samurai class. The tale is extremely engrossing, and highly enjoyable if the veiwer has the stomach for it.

While the plot is exciting, the anime often moves at a slow (but certainly NOT dull or boring!)pace. It tends to draw moments out to create a feeling of tension and often contemplation. Add in the eerie traditional Japanese music, and the show feels almost more like a traditional Japanese play than an anime... I believe it was designed to feel that way. It is unique, and a very haunting experience.

Note that while the anime does have an intense and unforgettable final confrontation between two of the show's most skillful samurai and does provide a staisfying conclusion, the ultimate conclusion of the story (the duel between Irako and Gennosuke) is never resolved in the anime because the manga is still ongoing in Japan. In the guide booklet that accompanies the DVD, the staff states that they did not want to invent their own ending and slap it on, but they hope to get the opportunity to make a second season of the show someday, dealing with the manga's second story arc.


I cannot recommend this show enough. It is worth every penny you spend on it. Heck, even if the set was $100 dollars it would STILL be worth every cent.

Please, please don't miss this. Anime like this are one in a thousand.