DVD Corner

Basilisk- The Complete Series Blu-ray Review

“Basilisk” is a well made anime series.

Based on the manga series of the same name, “Basilisk,” revolves around two rival ninja clans (Iga and Kouga) in Feudal Japan. The basic plot involves retired Shogun Tokugawa ordering both clans to have 10 of their best ninja to fight in a competition. Each side will fight for one of Tokugawa’s grandsons/heirs (Takechiyo for Iga and Kunichiyo for Kouga). Whichever clan wins, that person becomes the heir. “Basilisk- The Complete Series” contains all 24 episodes of the series.

In the above summary, it sounds as if “Basilisk” is strictly an action series, but that’s not quite accurate. Yes, there is plenty of high flying, fast paced fight sequences here, but there are also rich characters and a deep, tragic story about love, betrayal, and revenge at the center. To say this series is epic is an understatement. From start to finish, this is an intense, well written Shakespearian series that has a clear story arc. There’s no filler here, folks.

The one aspect I wasn’t a fan of was the supernatural elements. I was expecting the series to be more down to Earth, but instead a lot of the fighters contained superhuman strength and speed or even strange abilities like Wolverine esque claws and long Venom like tongues. It really took me out of the series because it felt out of place in such a serious story.

Summary: If you love ninja action, an engaging story, and well developed characters, you shouldn’t hesitate to check out “Basilisk.”

The widescreen 1080p picture quality definitely shines. The animation looks crystal clear here. As usual, Funimation does not disappoint with their Blu-ray releases.

This set contains English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese (and English) Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks. The Japanese track is superior as far as the voice cast goes. But, the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track obviously has more depth. I did, however, find some of the dialogue to be a bit faint and mumbly at times. I guess it doesn’t help that the acting in the English track is pretty stiff for the most part.

Extras:

* Funimation trailers.
* Commentary on “The Onslaught Of War” by the English ADR director and an English voice dub actor. Don’t bother with this.
* Opening and closing textless songs.
* An audio discussion about the English voice cast auditions.
* “History Of The Ninja” text.
* 7 “First-Press Extras” which contains several Japanese voice actor actresses’ round table discussions. Topics cover everything from action figures and characters to personal questions and fan letters. Considering most anime series have little in the ways of extras, it was nice to see these  lengthy extras on here.

February 4, 2010 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 1 | Basilisk- The Complete Series Blu-ray Review