Saizou uses his floating eye magic to see inside the top of the castle and finds none other than a figure bearing the likeness of the deceased Oda Nobunaga sitting on its throne. The ninjas go out on a scouting mission to figure out what’s going on inside the castle. This generates some animosity with the Iga ninjas, but they continue nonetheless.
They explain how Hachirou won’t be coming back, much to their dismay, and they should plan on moving forward without him. Later, the Kouga ninja boys return from their rescue of Hachirou, and meet with the rest of the ninjas to discuss what happened. Namenba is skeptical of Tenkai, as is Gorone, but they take the crafty old man’s plea seriously. If Joujin succeeds in his plans, Tenkai explains, then Japan will be reduced to a nation of warring states once again, and the era of peace they currently live in will be over. Tenkai needs the help of the Kouga and Iga clans, despite their hostile history, to defeat the Joujinshuu and save Japan. Apparently, Namenba met with Tenkai privately, to discuss matters of grave importance. Namenba and Gorone also debrief from the day, but also take the time to discuss what happened on Namenba’s mission to the capital a couple episodes ago. We learn that Utsutsu illusion magic can only create visions of hell, and she tragically cannot create anything beautiful with it. The Iga ninjas then meet to discuss the mysterious castle and The Rain guarding it, as well as take a bath together and de-stress from the battle. It almost seems that they won’t get out alive, but a last-minute rescue by Namenba and Hachisu brings them back to the ninja compound safe and sound. Utsutsu uses her illusion magic to create visions of some spooky scary skeletons that consume some of her pursuers, but there are too many for her to handle. Meanwhile, Rui and Utsutsu are still on the run from “The Rain’, a group of masked brigands guarding the forests around the sinister-looking castle that has appeared near the ninja compound. He chalks up Tadanaga’s monkey butchering as the result of a fevered mind but insists that the lord can still become as powerful as a god, as powerful as the legendary Oda Nobunaga.
He explains, after killing Tadanaga’s bodyguard, that he never deceived Tadanaga when he told him that he could become the powerful man he was destined to be, just that he didn’t promise the seat of the emperor of Japan. This is, by far, the film's biggest flaw.Joujin has resurfaced to meet once again with the exiled Tadanaga and tempt him to reach for greater power. It's also recommended for mature audiences because of a badly-handled scene of attempted sexual violence on the part of the protagonist. Magnificently animated by GAINAX, the same company behind " Evangelion," it's like a documentary history for a time and place that never existed.įor mature audiences because: Those of you old enough to remember when Neil first walked on the moon, or when the shuttle first cleared the tower, will get more than a little thrill of remembrance with this film. When a man is in fact chosen to be launched into space-the soft-headed, single-minded Lhadatt-the men behind this rag-tag mission find themselves coming together to make the impossible happen, despite their own cynicism. In reality, it's little more than an excuse to funnel money into a PR program that trumpets its accomplishments for the sake of intimidating other nations. The nation of Honneamise has been boasting about their space program for some time now. It also has deeply complicated political machinations and some heady thoughts about social organization, artificial intelligence, and the difficult nature of the state and corporate secrets in an all-digital, all-information era.
That said, the TV series is the most accessible and rewarding of the bunch.įor mature audiences because: It includes violence and sexual innuendoes.
The standalone (pun intended) feature films, "Ghost in the Shell" and "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence," also deserve a look for many of the same reasons. This one is excellently produced and sports a storyline smart enough to give most top-end live-action TV a run for its money. Widely lauded as one of anime's brightest stars, it's not hard to see why. Their greatest enemies, however, may be from within their own government. They do so by harnessing not only cutting-edge technology but their own native wits and skills. The members of the elite "Section 9" protect a near-future Japan from cyber criminals of all stripes.