Oboro, a naive, love-struck girl, is pledged to Gennosuke, an idealist. Both are successors to opposing ninja clans with a long history of hatred kept barely in check by a covenant of peace. Just as the two vow to reconcile the clans with their marriage, the shogun orders the feud to resume in order to resolve an internal struggle that threatens to tear the Tokugawa shogunate apart.
- © Futaro Yamada, Masaki Segawa / Kodansha Ltd.
- Manga Score: 7.59
- Author: Futaro Yamada
- Publisher: Kodansha Comics
- Volumes: 5
- DB title: Basilisk: Kouga Ninpouchou
- Rating: 18 and up
- Genres: ActionMartial ArtsRomanceHistoricalDramaSeinen
Synopsis
THE BATTLE BEGINS The Iga clan and the Kouga clan have been sworn enemies for more than four hundred years. Only the Hanzo Hattori truce has kept the two families from allout war. Now, under the order of Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, the truce has finally been dissolved. Ten ninja from each clan must fight to the death in order to determine who will be the next Tokugawa Shogun. The surviving clan will rule for the next thousand years. But not all the clan members are in agreement. Oboro of the Iga clan and Gennosuke of the Kouga clan have fallen deeply in love. Now these starcrossed lovers have been pitted against each other. Can their romance conquer a centuriesold rivalry? Or is their love destined to end in death? From the Trade Paperback edition.
Review
34 of 34 chapters read
ManU-Alchemist(All reviews) 21 people found this review helpful |
When you have two rival clans that hate the living guts out of each other your bound to get a blood spilling manga, and that's exactly what Basilisk is. The Iga and Kouga clan are the two clans that take their differences to the battlefield in this exciting manga.
First of all I basically told you the story plots in my introduction. Other than the fact that these two clans fight to the death to see who would become the new shogun of Japan there's isn't much to the story. It sticks to this all the way untill the finish of the manga.
Art is very good. It's a manga that makes you visualize every fight scene and it makes it look great. The artwork is very realistic and it feels like your watching the anime and not reading the manga.
Now to my favorite part of this manga, the characters. Every character is so special and different from the rest. There are twenty main characters. Ten from Kouga and ten from Iga. You will like at least one of them by the end of the manga. Every character shows different feeling to different things and every one of them has a special power that you can't wait to see. My personal favorite character was Kisaragi Saemon.
This manga was very enjoyable. I was able to finish it in about two hours. It isn't too long so anyone that is looking for a nice quick read and is a fan of ninjas and Japanese history should read this manga.
First of all I basically told you the story plots in my introduction. Other than the fact that these two clans fight to the death to see who would become the new shogun of Japan there's isn't much to the story. It sticks to this all the way untill the finish of the manga.
Art is very good. It's a manga that makes you visualize every fight scene and it makes it look great. The artwork is very realistic and it feels like your watching the anime and not reading the manga.
Now to my favorite part of this manga, the characters. Every character is so special and different from the rest. There are twenty main characters. Ten from Kouga and ten from Iga. You will like at least one of them by the end of the manga. Every character shows different feeling to different things and every one of them has a special power that you can't wait to see. My personal favorite character was Kisaragi Saemon.
This manga was very enjoyable. I was able to finish it in about two hours. It isn't too long so anyone that is looking for a nice quick read and is a fan of ninjas and Japanese history should read this manga.
34 of 34 chapters read
graysky14(All reviews) 16 people found this review helpful |
![Anime Anime](/uploads/1/2/6/3/126345391/422875304.jpg)
Basilisk is a Seinen, Action, Romance filled with sword fighting, ninja skills and psychological battles enough to satisfy Samurai fans out there.
Basilisk reminds me of the Shakespearian classical tragedy Romeo and Juliet, two people from two rivalled clans falling in love. The two intended to marry to stop the fues between their groups and create peace but in certain circumstances, greed for power, the thirst for blood and drive for vengeance can't be stopped as such thruce can't wipe away hatred. Thus starts the war between these groups.
The manga design including character, background and battle scene was somewhat appreciated by seinen readers, dark, bloody and a few nudity.
Diffinition of each character is more on their ninjutsu (ninja ability). But as I said before the story is similar to the Romeo and Juliet and even the characters are in one way or another, alike:
Romeo - Ginunsuke
Juliet - Oboro
Kouga Group - Montague
Iga Group - Capulet
This manga feeds readers with bunch of ninja actions, well defined battle scenes and tactics. Though the romance was somehow a bit of a cliche but can catch few tragedy fans.
Overall, this is a worth read taking a 7.5 for me.
Basilisk reminds me of the Shakespearian classical tragedy Romeo and Juliet, two people from two rivalled clans falling in love. The two intended to marry to stop the fues between their groups and create peace but in certain circumstances, greed for power, the thirst for blood and drive for vengeance can't be stopped as such thruce can't wipe away hatred. Thus starts the war between these groups.
The manga design including character, background and battle scene was somewhat appreciated by seinen readers, dark, bloody and a few nudity.
Diffinition of each character is more on their ninjutsu (ninja ability). But as I said before the story is similar to the Romeo and Juliet and even the characters are in one way or another, alike:
Romeo - Ginunsuke
Juliet - Oboro
Kouga Group - Montague
Iga Group - Capulet
This manga feeds readers with bunch of ninja actions, well defined battle scenes and tactics. Though the romance was somehow a bit of a cliche but can catch few tragedy fans.
Overall, this is a worth read taking a 7.5 for me.
babyeinstein12
7.5StoryThose who enjoyed the adventures of Naruto or the violence of Ninja Scroll would most likely pounce on Basilisk faster than you can say kunai. Would those ninja-mongers like it? That’s a tough question. True, Basilisk is a story about ninjas – but it goes deeper than that, and it’s up to the audience to like it for either the right or the wrong reasons.Superficially, the show looks like a regurgitated “Romeo and Juliet” script, except it’s a lot bloodier and forced into a kimono (two star-crossed lovers, opposing ninja clans, hate and filial loyalty, tragic consequences, etc.). Paired with the “fighting contest” idea, in which twenty selected shinobi from both clans drop dead one by one, Basilisk gives off an initial scent of corniness. However, what the anime lacks in an intricate plot it abounds in charged emotion, decent characters, and psychological drama. As the number of survivors dwindles, the series throws in enough twists (among passable yet unsatisfying fight scenes) to keep the intrigue going.Perhaps the show's biggest strength lies in its determination to follow the feud without any favoritism. One watches Basilisk with curiosity but not urgency, with emotional investment but not bias. Each clan has its own perspective; each character has his or her own story. Most strikingly, every character is capable of experiencing equally strong human emotions. For an anime that deals so much with bloodshed and hate, it places a noticeable emphasis on the strength of relational bonds. An entire episode is devoted to the tranquility of times past, showcasing ninjas from both camps (many of whom have died) and the friendships they share with their fellow allies. These moments of peace flash amidst a larger scenario always colored by uncertainty and loss. The old master Danjou states in the first episode, “It is the fate of those born as ninja.” Watching these shinobi die off, one starts to wonder: What is going on in the minds and hearts of these people? Can we understand what it means to be in their place?AnimationBasilisk sports a pleasingly modern style that melds with smooth motion into some notable eye candy. Dark colors, apt shading, and a preference for rain drench many scenes with an appealing impressionistic flourish. Character designs look sleek and human-like, vaguely reminiscent of the designs characteristic of Satoshi Kon (Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue). The beauty of Basilisk's animation does not necessarily cater to the show's simplistic fight scenes, but it does help intensify the pathos of the situation.SoundWhat you hear can sometimes tell you more than what you see, and that certainly is the case with much of Basilisk. The sounds of splattering blood, agonized grunts of pain, and cracking bones are highly evocative, and elements of traditional Japanese music appropriately fit into a restless, eerie soundtrack that seamlessly harmonizes with what’s happening on screen. When the music is able to intensify the plot without the viewer noticing, it has succeeded (as in this case).CharactersWith a starting lineup of a whopping twenty ‘main characters,’ it is understandable how the show would only scratch the surface with most of them before killing them off. Each character is supplied with a few basic traits; as it stands, the script has only so much time to embellish even a smattering of those twenty ninjas. With the majority of the cast, the writers are perfectly content to leave the characters as their stereotypes build them to be, but for the remaining survivors, they do an understated yet effective job of gradually adding inner substance to their personalities.The method’s success with these lucky few lies partially in the basic construction of Basilisk’s story and partially in the story’s execution. As one continues to see certain ninja scrape past death and bloodshed, an almost psychological connection is made: Time is drawn out for the viewer to accustom himself or herself to the survivor, and little by little, quirks and other qualities not seen previously glimmer into view. When that character finally dies, there is a little bit of an emotional decapitation for the audience. In the case of the kunoichi Hotarubi, I didn't even realize her implicit impact on me until her death, as I found myself almost shedding tears over the magenta butterflies floating up into the heavens from her fallen body. And this isn't the only time I felt like crying; a 'decapitated' feeling occurred with many characters with which the show only spent an average amount of effort. It’s a powerful, subtle technique that might not have even been intended.OverallThe question still remains: Will you enjoy Basilisk? Don’t count on experiencing any shonen-tastic orgasms from cool fights and intriguing villains, or pumping your fist along with a hyperactive prepubescent main character. Do expect a charged, heavy twenty-four episodes that brings with it a surprising amount of maturity. If you undertake the series for the right reasons, you will not be disappointed.