Underplayed Gems

Basilisk (2005)

Basilisk poster
Original title
バジリスク甲賀忍法帖
Genre
action anime and manga, fantasy anime and manga, historical anime and manga, Action, Adventure, Drama
Country
Japan
Length
2 seasons, 24 episodes
Rated
TV-MA
Rating
7.4 of 10 from 104 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Two ninja clans, each with ten elite warriors, are forced to fight a deadly contest to decide the next shogun. Their centuries-old hatred fuels a series of brutal battles.

tragicviolenttensemelancholicvisceralgrimdeliberatebleak

What happens

Basilisk (Japanese: バジリスク〜甲賀忍法帖〜, Hepburn: Bajirisuku ~Kōga Ninpō Chō~; lit. Basilisk: The Kōga Ninja Scrolls) is a Japanese manga series by Masaki Segawa, based on Futaro Yamada's 1958 novel The Kouga Ninja Scrolls. It was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Young Magazine Uppers from February 2003 to July 2004. The story takes place in the year 1614. Two ninja clans, Iga of Tsubagakure and the Kouga of Manjidani, battle each other to determine which grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu will become the next shogun. The deadly competition between ten elite ninja from each clan unleashes a centuries-old hatred that threatens to destroy all hope for peace between them. Del Rey Manga licensed the manga for an English-language release in North America; they published five volumes from May 2006 to May 2007. After Del Rey Manga's license expired, in September 2014, Kodansha USA acquired the license for print and digital in North America. A 24-episode anime television series by Gonzo was broadcast in Japan from April to September 2005. Segawa continued producing serialized adaptations of Futaro Yamada's novels with The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls in 2005, Yama Fu-Tang in 2010 and Jū: Ninpō Makai Tenshō in 2012. Additionally, a two-part novel sequel, titled Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls, penned by Masaki Yamada with illustrations by Segawa, was published in November and December 2015. Basilisk won the 2004 Kodansha Manga Award in the general category. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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