Customer Reviews

Wrath of the Ninja: Yotoden [VHS]

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

For the first time ever on dvd we get the complete version of 'Yotoden: Chronicle of the Warlord Period' which originally only made it on to VHS.

Orginally made in 1987, Yotoden boasts a strong budget of detailed and fluid animation with a complex and thought provoking story but it doesn't lack action either. It's set in 1580 and embarks on a very accurate historical timeline.

I must say i really love the character designs and diverse colour palletes used. There is some absolutly stunning scenes which just sparkle on screen visually. I literally freeze frame on some occasions to take in all the detail in the forest scenery. It really does make me miss the era of cel animation.

Alot of fans may be familiar of this title through the name 'Wrath of the Ninja' which is the 90 minute theoretical version of Yotoden which was originally released on dvd in 1999. Unfortunately this had 45 minutes of plot cut out of it.

Why Central Park Media in 1999 originally chose to release the edited version over the uncut version is beyond me. But all is forgiven and forgotten now we have all 3 episodes which amount to the complete 135 minutes.

Those videophiles will be pleased to know CPM have given fans a brand new and digitally remastered transfer which is crystal clear with no visible signs of artefacts or grain. I only wish CPM had put this much effort into their other releases.

CONCLUSION - Fans owe it to themselves to see the original Yotoden in all it's unedited glory. This title certainly has impressive writing. Infact i was so suprised by the quality of the story that i didn't realise that i could enjoy and be so engaged in a story revolving around a group of Ninjas.

I love Anime. I bought this DVD version for one reason and one reason alone. So that I would not have to watch or listen to the dubbed version. I cannot stand the English dubbing. My advise to anyone watching a foriegn film; watch it in its original language, no one else can do the characters justice. That is my opinion.

Anyways, that matter aside, let's talk about the movie.
Yes, it has extremely graphic violence, but it states that on the DVD. (Contains brief nudity and Graphic Violence, Parental Discretion Advised). Gore is not what this anime is about. There is actually a great historical storyline interwoven within all its action and suspense.

3 Ninjas from different clans unite to ward off Evil. Each Ninja with their own special sword, come together as one. Evil is rampant, Lord Nobunaga Oda with his evil intentions sends out all his evil artillery to smash the Ninjas and thier allies. His goal, to spread evil and demons throughout the land.

Ayame, is a young girl who sees her life and family shattered before her innocent eyes, yet she is helpless to do anything. Vengeance becomes her lifelong obsession. Ryoma, a Ninja from a neighboring clan, kindhearted and sweet is her companion and ally. And of course, Sakon (my favorite guy) is the Ninja who can feel the treachery of those around him, and sees the battles and evil as never ending.

I will not say anymore, but I seriously recommend this movie. Take my advise and watch this great animated movie. I has everything, including Love.

First off, let me say that I consider myself a mediocre judge of anime. I'm by no means the final word when it comes to these things. That said, I thought Wrath of the Ninja (WOTN) was pretty good. Many people said that if I liked Ninja Scroll (which incidentally, I loved), that I'd really like WOTN. After watching it, I do like it, but not as much as Ninja Scroll. Don't get me wrong, this anime is good in its own right, but it's somehow not on the same level as the other. The characters are memorable, especially Sakon, the animation is some of the best I've seen, especially the backgrounds and environments. The action, while good, seems to lack something at times, leaving you wanting. Suffice to say, there's plenty of action in it, so it makes up for that in a small way. The other reason this anime doen't get 5 stars from me is because it feels too episodic after the first opening sequences. It's hard to describe, but sometimes it feels that there are parts that are missing explanations or flushing out of details. All in all, this is a good anime, though not the best. It's my personal opinion, and you can take it as you like.

Aarghh! What did U.S. Manga do to this movie! In its original 3-part form, Yotoden is a wonderful, fast-paced anime with a gripping and involving storyline that keeps you hooked to the very end. In this version, however, over 30 minutes of fantastic (and necessary) footage has been inexplicably cut, resulting in a movie that is totally disjointed and difficult to follow. Major plot and character developments have been removed in a careless and seemingly desultory fashion and scenes have been rearranged in a futile attempt to tie together the now-jumbled storyline. Couple this with a horrible dubbing job and subtitles done by someone who is obviously painfully unfamiliar with the linguistic nuances of Japanese in reference to historical events and you have a nearly unwatchable anime. Thank you very much, US Manga, for taking the finest in Japanimation and mutilating it for Western consumption.

Wrath of the ninja is a good movie purely for the action scenes. The story is average the characters are OK the animation is good I suppose.. BUT THE ACTION IS SWEET!!!! Tons of people complain about the lack of an indepth story. Well it's true. There isn't a "princess mononoke plot". but who cares? If you can sit back watch this movie and appreciate it for what it is - not an indepth brain teaser - but a non-stop hack and slash anime you will most likely enjoy it.

When I saw the Yotoden series, subtitled, I was thrilled to find a Yotoden movie. Sadly, Wrath of the Ninja is only a rehash of the three volume series. This tape basicly takes the three earlier yotoden videos and cuts them into one. Now I am not saying that this type of idea is bad. Armatige III Polymatrix does this very well. Unfortunetly to get the three tapes into one numerous sceens are cut. Worse yet the deleted sceens are helpfull in understanding the plot. Oh but thats not all. The dubbing on this tape is some of the worst I have ever heard. The original japanese voice talent not only sounds better, but actualy seem like they have acting ability. I don't realy have anything good to say about Wrath of the Ninja. I only give it 2 stars because it shares most of the Yotoden plot. My advise is to see the three subtitled Yotoden tapes. They are excellent, and among my personal favorites. If you have seen them don't even look at the Wrath box. If you don't have the time to see the 3 tapes, then don't bother at all. I would rather you not see Yotoden than see this.

This movie is very poorly done. And I'm not just talking about the anime itself, I'm talking about how they took the OVA series (300+ minutes) of this and cut it down into a movie (87 minutes). I'm glad this doesn't happen to all anime series, that would be for shame.

The movie itself isn't that bad, its just I cannot give this DVD, nor any butchered version of the OVA series a good rating. The series features 3 ninjas fighting against Nobunaga Oda (an evil ruler at one time in Japan's history) as they try and stop his attempts to take over the world. The movie is kind of a beast/ninja movie which would fare over well for some viewers, but it failed to capture my interest.

With all of my personal opinons aside, the DVD itself does include some good extras. With deleted scenes being the key extras on the disc, it also has a "meet the cast" option as well with the traditional U.S. MANGA "DVD Sneak Peaks".

Overall, I'm sad that this could-be great anime was delivered in such a poor way. If you can overlook the fact that you won't be seeing the entire movie no matter what when you buy the DVD (even if they give you 2-3 deleted scenes), then you should probably pick this up. Also, if you are a fan of the ninja/demon beast genre it wouldn't hurt to check it out.

If you liked ninja scroll you will enjoy this movie. The story is good and is not another hack and slash movie although it had alot of action in it. For the collectors out there i would suggest getting this movie, you wont be dissappointed cause just when you think you got it figured out they surprise you at the end.

For the first three fourths of this movie i kinda liked it. But, at the end i was throughoutly pleased. The art is good, better than enything Disney(eeerrr...) , but not the best. The soundtrack was fine, the action was okay, and the dubbing was okay (I always watch my anime subed, but the rental place only had dubbed) The only nudety is so far away that you can hardly see anything, though. The movie is pretty bloody, but not like ninja scroll. Anyway, buy it, rent it, watever. just see it.

Although this was one of the first anime movies I had seen, it has remained my favorite throughout these years. It has a good plot, though I've heard its still missing some parts that are included in the VHS version. My favorite character is Ayame, who is both beautiful and skilled. If you like ninjas, then this movie is for you. It was really touching, some scenes even brought tears to my eyes.