Final volume of this saga of duty, honor and death, comes to an awe inspiring conclusion in these last episodes. The final moments are at hands as the few remaining survivors of both the Kouga and Iga clans sworn to battle to the death, meet their fates one after the other.  Their ends are grueling, at items horrifying, and most often tragic. Each ending will shock you. Each battle will see you on the edge of your seat. And the end will surprise you most of all.

The arduous duels between these ninja are not only shocking but monumental on a personal level for each of these individuals. For them, it has nothing to do with serving Tokugawa, this is a hatred that has burned for centuries within their clans, and through these battles, where lovers have been lost, friends killed, it all reaches a deeper and far more personal level than any could have predicted. It fuels the fights with a heady emotional impetus that sweeps you up into the fight beyond the incredible visual action, to touch on the hearts of these people. Kagero’s unrequited love, her convictions, sacrifice and desperate act at the end all build into one of the most disturbing and emotionally laden death scenes in the whole series. Kudos go out to not only the Japanese voice actress, but to the English voice actress for Kagero, Stephanie Young, for doing those intense moments with such talent and giving the character such strength and passion even to her final moments. On that note, a special nod should be extended to English ADR Director Tyler Walker who did such an impressive job with helping guide such outstanding performances from this immensely talented English voice cast. These are not easy scenes yet the dialogue is done superbly and rises to meet the excellent Japanese talent as an equal version done in English.

There are so many unexpected twists and turns in the final moments of the remaining characters that there will be surprises for even the most jaded viewer. With the emotional depth and intricacies attached to these people over the course of the anime, the final end of the last two to face each other in battle will surprise you and the end will see each and every viewer moved by the magnitude of the riveting and layered story telling.

EXTRAS:
Bonus features include clean opening and closing animation, FUNimation trailers, and Behind the Scenes of Basilisk: Japanese original features. This last includes two different video table discussions with three of the Japanese voice actors.

The limited edition has a slip cover with nice art work. The inside folds out, displaying character art of Oboro and Gennosuke as well as holding the DVD and a booklet. The ten page booklet includes a main staff round table discussion in text and some character art sketches. The limited edition also includes three Basilisk character cards. These particular extras are exclusive to the limited edition.

IN SUMMARY:
Basilisk comes to an intense and unforgettable close in this saga of love, violence and death. Fans of Ninja Scroll the movie will go insane over this anime series. Don’t miss out on this powerful ninja saga. It has violence like few anime and with the added weight of a complex story and intricate motivations with intriguing characters.

Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register.

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved

Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto: