Might just be the greatest Ninja anime film of all time (either this or Ninja Scroll). Animation/Style - Not quite on the level of an Akira or your average Ghibli flick, but it still has it's fair share of fluid action and absolutely striking visuals that'll enthrall any fan of 80's era anime. Story/Character - A revenge tale with an epic trans Pacific scope, it's full of melodrama (it feels like there's some sort of new familial tie, death defying reintroduction, etc. every 10 minutes), but that adds to the charm of this one. My biggest gripe is that there's a fantastic "enemies to lovers" romance that'sbuilt over the course of the film's runtime which is unceremoniously derailed by one of the aforementioned twists late in the film, with the ultimate love interest not given enough time to be invested in.

Watched: MediaOCD Blu-Ray.