Wrath of the Ninja

I am not sure why I decided to watch the obscure 80's anime movie Wrath of the Ninja, but I did (thanks to FantasyAnime - a site I recommend, by the way) and so, I figured I might as well write a little something about it.

The Plot of the movie? That scamp Oda Nobunaga is at it again and....OK, hold on, I have quick question: Has any figure in Japanese history been as villainized as Nobunaga? I get that the guy was a warlord, but if one was to believe some anime, he was pretty much the most evil person to ever be evil.

Anyway, this version of Nobunaga is in control of an army of demons, including a group of demonic ninja, with which he aims to conquer Japan. Only a good group of ninja, including a young female one, who happens to be our protagonist, can stand against this threat.

The Movie which Wrath of the Ninja most closely resembles is, undoubtedly, Ninja Scroll. Although, Wrath actually predates that cult classic by a few years. That said, Ninja Scroll is definitely the better film in my eyes. Wrath of the Ninja is nowhere near as graphic as Ninja Scroll is (there's no rape-scene, for one thing), but its also less engaging. Which is not to say that the story or characters of this film are bad by any means, both are perfectly serviceable. Its just that neither stands out all that much.

Character-wise, the best character is definitely Ayame, whom I found to be a pretty solid heroine. On the flip-side, we have the villains, who are by far the weakest aspect of this movie. Even Nobunaga, who is ostensibly the chief bad guy, does not really have much presence and never goes beyond being the generic evil overlord. Again, one can't help but compare the villains of this movie to the members of Ninja Scroll's gallery of rogues; all of whom were evil, certainly, but with much more memorable designs, powers and personalities.

Lastly, let me say that the negative reviews of this movie that you can find on MyAnimeList, comes across as quite hyperbolic. Wrath of the Ninja is not a great movie by any stretch, but its also far from being one of the worst anime ever. Basically, if you have a thing for obscure old-school anime and you should happen upon this movie during your travels on the World Wide Web, I'd say that Wrath of the Ninja is a perfectly acceptable way to kill an hour and a half, but its not a movie that you need to go out of your way to watch.