▪	RELEASED BY:		MVM ENTERTAINMENT
		▪	ASPECT RATIO:		16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN
		▪	AUDIO:		ENGLISH DD 5.1 AND JAPANESE DD 2.0
		▪	RUNNING TIME:		100 MIN
		▪	RATING:		15
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		10/01/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		09/20/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		SANDRA SCHOLES

Gennosuke hands the scroll to Gyoko and Saemon, and tells them they are headed for Manjedani, when they are faced with the Iga clan waiting to attack them. They wait in eagerness for Gennosuke of the Kouga to make the first move.

Under the cover of pouring rain, Oboro discovers Akeginu has murdered others in the clan, and she says she has also slaughtered Domo. Oboro runs for her life, tearful and intensly afraid.

Oboro finds Gennosuke in the midst of battle and screams for him. He walks away after the fight ends, ignoring her pleas and walking into the distance with Gyoko and Saemon, a look of indifference and coldness on his face. The Iga cannot allow Gennosuke to leave Iga soil, so they send Koshiro to face him and says he thinks Gennosuke is a coward for not staying to fight as a real and true warrior would.

When the first episode opens, the rain pours onto a scene of deception and a striving to leave on the part of Gennosuke. When he fights he gives his all in this and the animation shows all it has in this. Although it is not the most action filled volume, the scenes do give the full impact of war among two opposing clans. The colours are suitably dark to reflect the darkness in their own minds, and the despair they feel.

This volume is full of secrets and lies. It is the sort of anime that creates a thrilling feeling when it is being watched as the storyline unfolds and shows the characters dodging what they truly feel within this story. The couple thought they could keep their love amidst the war with their opposing clans, but they have to stand aside from their love and join these clans in order to fight, but what can they do if the love they feel becomes too much?

As the two main characters realise what it means to love, it is inescapable that they cannot continue as they are, and in all honesty it makes more tension and unease as a result during the anime.  Where both have loved, one must turn away from the other, while one must pine for the other in the most awful way.

The episodes as a whole are well made and created and show the viewer what it means to love in a very open and intriguing way leaving the warring among the two separate factions a side issue. There is a noir quality to it that shows the darkness of the two warring clans, the rain symbolising the doubt and unhappiness in their lives, but also the tears the two lovers experience during the volume.

The viewers will like the interaction between the lovers, the feelings they give and the perpetual war they face as a result of the love they have given so far, and the treachery each feel about each other among the cruelty of war. This has enough story and action to keep the viewer interested and shows it is a love story without the over emotional stereotype most of the genre follow.

EXTRAS:
This comes complete with behind the scenes of Basilisk, text-less songs and Trailers that make for an interesting viewing experience.

IN SUMMARY:
Riveting, exiting with action and one of the darkest volumes yet!