Customer Reviews

Sword for Truth

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I'm afraid this review is mostly about how Sword for Truth compares to the classic anime Ninja Scroll, but that makes sense because this little movie is obviously a very cheap rip-off, and because Manga Video is clearly trying to sell it to fans of that older, infinitely better work of animation. The packaging actually says, "The best sword fightig action since Ninja Scroll." But Sword for Truth only succeeds in making us appreciate Ninja Scroll for how good it really was, like how all those lame Jaws rip-off aquatic horror movies made us appreciate Steven Spielberg's classic even more. Ninja Scroll's violence, though extreme, always served some purpose in storytelling or characterization; in Sword for Truth, hundreds of stock ninja images (images, not characters) are decapitated, vivisected, disemboweled, and butchered in dozens of other ways, spraying their vital fluids all over everything, and none of it means anything. The sexual content in Ninja Scroll was fairly unnecessary, but again it made sense within the logic of the storyline; in Sword for Truth, women are empty images (again, images, not characters) who only exist to have their shirts cut open and have sex with the samurai badass hero. It's the kind of movie that a bunch of twelve-year-old boys would get together and make, dripping their raging hormones all over every page of the screenplay. The production values are terrible as well, with static animation and low-budget voice acting. I can't recommend Sword for Truth in any way. Not when there's another movie out there that does most of the same stuff this one does, except with infinitely more taste and artistic skill.

My first thought when the end credits started to role was: What the h--- was that? I wish I had read the reviews of this movie before I purchased it so I could have saved my [money] and bought a movie with a story. Granted this has everything every hard core anime fan wants; decapitations, dismembering and gratuitious sex, but there was just no point to the movie. Just as an interesting story starts to form, the movie's over. You never know anything about the main character except that he did something horrible in his past.... Then there's the ridiculously pointless assassin who shows up in the middle of the film.... Nothing explained, nothing concluded. Add the confounding pointlessness of this movie to the fact that it's not even 50 minutes long, and all you get is a big waste of money and bigger dissapointment. Two stars for creative deaths, zero stars for story and point. Bottom line: Don't bother....

Sakaki is a master swordsman who refuses to be own by the clans of Shoguns of ancient feudal Japan. He walks alone leaving behind the several limbs of those who dare oppose him. I love seeing him fight spirits from hell while he's trying to rescue the princess.

THIS ANIME MOVIE GIVES "NINJA SCROLL" A RUN FOR IT'S MONEY!

This is one of my favorite anime's, even though the series was never finished... Comparing this to Ninja Scroll is like comparing apples to oranges... You should not compare one movie to another.... It's like comparing Scarface to Godfather... How many times can you watch Ninja Scroll anyway? This movie is for true fans of anime. Yes, Sword for Truth does have a semi-complicated plot, but I was never bored. There is lots of bloody swordplay and nudity, so this movie is Not for kids...

Warning: If you could not follow Pulp Fiction, then you will probably not be able to follow this movie. Also, this movie was the first part of a series that was never finished...

Again, if you are a true fan of anime, get this movie.

This is a weak and trashy anime. In places almost a hentai, but never erotic. There are hundreds of better anime on Amazon.

I am not really big on anime, let me say first of all. But watching this at a friend's I really did get into the story of it, and though it did leave a lot of unanswered questions, I was told it was a first in a series, but that the series was never finished, at least not that we see on US storeshelves.

The animation and art work is excellent.

SWORD FOR TRUTH

This anime has been trashed for being a rip of Ninja Scroll. It shouldn't be. Ninja Scroll had two hours to work out its plot. SFT had one hour. It was conceived as a pilot for a series. Anybody who has ever seen a one hour pilot for a tv show, especially one that didn't sell, knows how frustrating it is to be left hanging. SFT is only half the story of the Hojp clan trying to get back two swords, which were taken from them after they lost a battle.
The longer Legend of the Devil (90min) covers the story better. I want to read the original book or books by Takeshi Namuri.

I'm sick of people comparing this with Ninja Scroll. One, this was an episode of an OVA series that was never finished,that's why there was no ending. Two, there is some use of still images which is the style of the director Osamu Dezaki, some people like it some don't. I find it effective most of the time. Three, This is not a Ninja Scroll rip-off, it was made 2 years before it. Still the art and animation I thought were great, different but great. The only problem I had with it is the dubbing. Not very good, although I didn't like the dubbing on Ninja Scroll either, that's why I usually watch anime with the original japanese dialogue. But the version of SFT I have has no japanese audio(the UK Manga version). I think this would have made a great series had it been finished. Four, to whoever's moaning about the short running time, you should have checked before buying it!

I recently bought this DVD and I'm very disapointed. The movie has no story line and lacks any charature devolopment. It is a nonstop blood bath from the first scene. The ending is terrible and only leaves more questions than answered. Send your money else where.

Just a word of warning of this movie. I bought it on video a while back and much to my dismay realised that it is for lack of a better term "still frame" anime. Meaning lots of camera movement, and exposition on a still frame as opposed to current anime (a la Ninja Scroll... a movie any anime fan should see) which is constantly moving. Plot-wise pretty good, but visually fairly slow.