NINJA SCROLL Director Yoshiaki Kawajiri Talks About The Legacy of the Anime Film 30 Years Later
The 1993 anime film Ninja Scroll melted my brain when I first saw it. I had no idea at the time that this is what animation could be, and I was completely blown away by it.
I remember introducing it to my friends and my brothers, and the best part of that was watching them watch the movie and witness their brains melting.
Ninja Scroll was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri and the story follows Jubei Kibagami, a skilled and wandering swordsman, who becomes entangled in a series of events that pit him against the Eight Devils of Kimon, a group of powerful and deadly ninjas.
After saving a female ninja, Kagero, from a harrowing assault, Jubei is poisoned and coerced into a mission by a shrewd government spy named Dakuan. Together, they uncover a sinister plot involving a plague-infested village and a quest for immense power.
Kawajiri recently talked about his film as it is set to be released in theaters for a special screening event.
During an interview with CB, he talked about the legacy of the film, saying: “We were drawing everything on the screen by hand. The fact that we used no digital technology and made every movement by hand will be a legacy. It might be something people would remember like gimmick clocks from the Edo era.”
When talking about how the movie came to life, he said: “I read many manga like Mitsuteru Yokoyama's"Iga no Kagemaru," "The Legend of Kamui" and "Watari" by Sanpei Shirato when I was in elementary school.
“These works inspired me to draw many manga on my own. I bumped into the "Ninpocho" novels written by Futaro Yamada when I was in high school. I had been longing to make an animation based on Futaro Yamada's books even when I was directing "Wicked City."
“But Futaro Yamada's novels play a lot on historical facts, which would not be interesting funny for those who do not know the historical background.
“Also, I wanted to make a story that would resonate with younger anime lovers, and the global audience. I created a protagonist the audience could sympathize more, which unfolded into Ninja Scroll.”
He went on to talk about the crafting of the action scenes in the movie: “Action scenes are pure fun for me. I cannot enjoy anything more than action, so I do not remember any challenging moments.
“It's so fun drawing action sequences I forget the time. Ordinary everyday scenes are more difficult. Trying to make a tall, well-proportioned man walk down the road would be one of the most challenging scenes for me. I really feel that I hit the spot when all of the elements of an action sequence perfectly fall into place.”
Kawajiri also touched on why the movie has staying power with the audiences after all these years, saying: “The eccentric settings, the touch of the art of Ninja Scroll must have been something very new to international audiences.
“The action scenes in a Japanese period setting were exceptional. We still have samurai drama made today, but this title has strong action scenes that are different from the usual period dramas.”
Ninja Scroll will screen in over 500 U.S. theaters on September 11, 12 & 15 and be presented in both Japanese with English subtitles and English dub.