#Ninja Bugei Chō

[shihlun]

Nagisa Oshima

- Band of Ninja

1967

[animation-appreciation-education]

忍者武芸帳 / Ninja Bugei-chō (Band of Ninja)

129 in x of animated feature film history Release: Feb. 15th, 1967 Country: Japan Director: Nagisa Ôshima

“Band of Ninja stands out from Ôshima’s other work because it is neither live action, nor a documentary, but a filmed manga. Adapted from the popular epic 1959-1962 manga series Band of Ninja (aka Tales of Ninja) by Sanpei Shirato. Ōshima’s film is often wrongly called an animated film. There are no animated sequences in Ôshima’s film; instead, he has brought the manga to life by filming the original illustrations. 

The story begins in 1560 during a prolonged time of great upheaval in Japan known as the Sengoku Period (c.1467 - c.1573). The central characters are Kagemaru, a dashing but mysterious ninja who seems to have the ability to magically appear and save the day when a situation seems impossible; Jūtaro Yūki, who seeks to avenge the slaughter of his father and restore himself as master of Fushikage Castle; Akemi, Jūtaro’s love interest and secret sister of Kagemaru; and the baddie, Oda Nobunaga, the evil nemesis of Kagemaru, who seeks to unify Japan through violence and oppression.”

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Band of Ninja is available on YouTube.

FIRST POSTED: 2/13/17