Review for Blade of The Immortal: Volume 2

Introduction

Blade of the Immortal was the new series from MVM that debuted last month, and one that left me distinctly under-whelmed, ploughing as it does a very familiar feudal era furrow, albeit it with very pretty animation from studio BEETRAIN. The thing is that it has a really interesting story, of an immortal seeking death, and a young girl seeking to avenge her family, all mixed up with the politics and manoeuvring taking place around a group of vagabonds seeking respectability through swordplay. I put forward a fair few reasons why Blade of the Immortal was falling flat last time, but playing the first episode on this disc presented me with another reason, the opening credits. Blade of the Immortal's opening credits are seriously sexy, taking a leaf from the James Bond title sequences, there are a whole lot of naked women, discreetly concealed behind samurai imagery, and there is plenty of bondage and S & M implied. Those credits promise a whole lot that the show doesn't and simply can't deliver. After credits like that, anything would be a letdown. So with that fact in mind, I approached these four episodes with a little more openness, willing to give them another chance.

Manji was a badass Samurai who gave no quarter, and ruthlessly followed his liege lord's orders in battle, and in enforcing the law. Of course, his liege lord was corrupt and unprincipled, which meant that Manji's victims were mostly innocent men. A reputation of a killer of 100 honest men tends to wear on a man, which is why he wound up killing his master, then committing the sin of not committing ritual suicide in shame, and instead killing the man who tried to arrest him, who just happened to be his brother-in-law. Naturally this drove his sister Machi insane. His reward… a nun placed sacred bloodworms into his body that instantly heal any wound, no matter how grievous. Manji is immortal, with a whole lot of vengeful relatives and friends looking for him. It isn't long before he tires of immortality, and decides that if he kills 1000 evil men, then he will be redeemed, and allowed to die…


The next four episodes of Blade of the Immortal are presented on this disc by MVM.

6. Cry of the Worm
It isn't just Rin's vengeance at stake; there is another faction after the Itto-Ryu, targeting two of their members for assassination. Meanwhile, Magatsu is busy healing from his encounter with Manji, when a monk visits him. Shizuma Eiku is no ordinary monk though, he's also a member of the Itto-Ryu, and he's looking for Manji. He catches up to him at an inn and has a curious offer. Rin and Manji aren't buying though, and a fracas develops. To Manji's surprise, the wound he inflicts on Shizuma heals instantly. More surprising is that the blow Shizuma scores on Manji, doesn't heal.

7. Three Ways
Manji is literally falling apart, as the poison takes hold of the worms inside him. Shizuma is also an immortal courtesy of the nun Yaobikuni, and he's spent the last 200 years looking for a 'cure' to immortality. He's given it to Manji, and Rin is about to lose her ticket to revenge. As a desperate hope, she offers Manji a random antidote she keeps on her person, but there's little chance that it could work on that specific poison. She decides to look for a doctor, but chance reunites her with the nun, or so she thinks. It's a trap, and she falls into the hands of Shizuma. She's just the incentive he needs to draw Manji out to finish their fight, but while they are waiting, Shizuma decides to offer Rin a gift.


8. Nail Bomb
The lead that they got from Shizuma points Manji and Rin in the direction of Fukagawa, in the hope of finding Kagehisa Anotsu there. But it's a big city, and while they search, it seems that Manji is more in the mood to seek out female companionship, much to Rin's consternation. Kagehisa is indeed in the city though, but more importantly is that Makie Otonotachibana is there as well; a female member of the Itto-Ryu and the one person that Kagehisa is certain can defeat Manji. But Makie's past weighs heavily on her, and she is conflicted about her 'talent'. So when a certain prostitute offers very favourable rates to Manji, it's obviously a trap.

9. Dream Bomb
It takes Kagehisa to remind Makie of what she is capable of, which sort of makes her first encounter with Manji somewhat fortuitous. He's dismissed her as a meaningless amateur, so that he's completely unprepared for the lethal whirlwind of blades that she is capable of unleashing when she is in the mood. The rematch is on, and Manji is totally outclassed. This may just be his chance to die.

Picture

Blade of the Immortal gets the by now de rigueur 1.78:1 anamorphic NTSC-PAL transfer, which fortunately is one of the good ones. It's low on compression artefacts, ghosting and judder is minimal, and the anime comes across to good effect. The animation comes from studios BEETRAIN and Production I.G. and if you have seen other BEETRAIN shows like Madlax and Tsubasa, then you should find the quality of the animation familiar, and to a lesser degree the style as well. The character designs are consistent and very pleasing to the eye, tending to more realistic appearances. The world designs are similarly of high quality, while the actual animation is fluid and energetic, with a decent amount of attention paid to the action sequences. My problem is that it's almost too pretty an animation for the subject material. The muted pastel colours, the elegant cleanliness of the animation, and the stylised moments seem incongruous with the grittiness and the nastiness of the story.

Sound

The usual choice between DD 2.0 English and Japanese, along with optional translated subtitles or a signs only track here. The Japanese track is certainly very attractive, with the cast list looking like a who's who of Japanese voice actors. From what little I sampled of the English dub, it sounded very average, but no doubt dub aficionados will have a more considered opinion than I. The dialogue is clear though, and the show gets some suitably effective music, as well as a couple of quirky theme songs.

Extras

Blade of the Immortal gets a static menu and jacket picture when the disc isn't spinning. On the disc you'll find the textless credits, and trailers for X The Movie and Rozen Maiden.

We also get a "Manga Discussion with Hiroaki Samura and Editorial Staff" which lasts 30 minutes. This is part 5 of an ongoing series, a reminder that the Japanese fans have it so much harder with their two-episode per volume releases. Obviously Media Blasters in the US could only pick a few of the various extra features available in Japan to squeeze onto the discs, and we in the UK inherit what they chose. It's an odd decision then to choose this Manga Discussion, because just as the name implies, there isn't a lot here for those interested in the anime. If you are a fan of the manga as well though, there will be a lot to glean from this roundtable chat between the manga creator and his editors (three of whom remain hidden behind masks for anonymity). It is pretty much more of a giggle than a chat though. But it's odd that another, more anime focused instalment wasn't chosen, say an interview with the voice actors, as there were obviously at least four other featurettes to choose from.

Conclusion

Well, that was better. It isn't a revolutionary improvement, more marginal tweaks in a few key areas that all come together to make Blade of the Immortal: Volume 2 a significantly more satisfying experience than the first instalment. The characters seem better defined, there's a much better appreciation of the show's dark humour, and the antagonists that Rin and Manji encounter in this volume are far more interesting. Also, where I thought that Manji's character had been neutered following his encounter with Rin, it becomes clear that he's really only sublimated that in her company, and that he still harbours a significant death wish. My understanding of the show has altered somewhat as well, and I find that the attempt to create layered and complex characters, enriching the story beyond just good guys and bad guys actually does pay off. Giving characters like Kagehisa, Shizuma and Makie back-stories and dimension is a powerful incentive to see how the story develops. When it came to Makie's confrontation with Manji, it actually made the battle compelling to watch, as I wasn't quite sure which outcome I wanted, or which outcome they would deliver.


It was inevitable that Manji wouldn't be the only immortal swordsman out there, and by introducing Shizuma Eiku early on this disc, it resolves one of the drawbacks of having an immortal protagonist, that narrative invulnerability. It makes the story so much more interesting if the hero can die. It also makes it interesting in that Shizuma is a couple of centuries ahead of Manji in his disdain for the life immortal. He's actually found a way to die, but he uses it as a weapon against Manji rather than an exit for himself. As well as giving Manji a look at what his life may yet turn out to be, it also has a delicious character moment when Shizuma tempts Rin with immortality, and we get to see the lengths that she will go to for her revenge.


If it's another immortal and a lethal poison that offers Manji a way off this mortal coil in the first half, it's a matter of being completely outclassed in the second, although Makie doesn't seem to be a genuine foe when we first meet her. She's perhaps the most complex character that we have encountered to date, a lethal swordswoman with an inferiority complex, whose difficult past has left a significant mark in her life. She is strong and lethal with the blade, yet weak and uncertain of herself and her place in a man's world, being told by her mother that if she wanted to be a swordswoman, she'd be better off as a prostitute. Yet when Kagehisa first encountered her, she saved his life with lethal efficiency. Her dealings with Manji in this volume are as much about battling him, as they are about resolving the issues that are tearing her apart, and these two episodes are easily the best thing about Blade of the Immortal thus far. It's interesting to see the interaction between her and Manji, and as their fights progress, it becomes clear that Manji would be okay with losing to her, even giving her tips on a quick kill at one point. Despite his immortality, it's clear at this point that it's only his obligation to Rin that is keeping him alive.


Blade of the Immortal has grabbed me. Its stylish visuals were never in doubt, but the story that I was so ambivalent about in the first volume has worked its charms on me up to a point. It's the layered characterisations and considered storytelling that make it a cut above the average. It still has something of an air of futility about it though, a feeling that the anime is only ever going to scratch the surface of a rich and extensive manga storyline. So Blade of the Immortal is pretty, futile, and entertaining. Somewhere in there is something of a recommendation.