The majority of the story in this case takes place at the Iwamoto school. It’s what makes a movie like so effective over Cloverfield and The Raid: Redemption tighter than its sequel.

By that I mean that the majority of the story takes place in a limited setting which gives more time for character, story and choreography. I’m always a fan of what I call “limited scope” in media. It’s heart rending to see otherwise rational human beings be paralyzed by tradition over practicality even while it may spell their doom. Characters who in any other series would be made heroes due to their rigid code of honor are instead crippled by it. Even acts of perceived heroism and shown to have long reaching, truly devastating consequences.

The anime really creates a depressing atmosphere. 23 minutes apiece), I can’t really give away too much so bear with me. Since there are only twelve episodes (approx. Shigurui takes this idea of an over-romanticized Japan and makes it the primary focus of the story arc. For every romantic tale of the honorable samurai there’s the hardships of peasants and the ruthless politics that threaten to destroy the state. What follows is, as cliche as it sounds, a tale of blood and betrayal.Ī concept that is frequently touched upon by other classics of the genre like Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai Champloo is that the feudal Japan isn’t all its cracked up to be. In a twist, they are forced to use real blades (to the strong objection of the vassals) to determine the true successor. The opening scene is technically “present day” and the overwhelming majority of the series is devoted to reaching that point. The story opens with a one armed swordsmen Fujiki Gennosuke and Ireiko Seigen facing each other in a match during a contest to determine who takes over the Iwamoto swordsmanship school. It’s also one of the best short anime series I’ve seen. Shigurui: Death Frenzy is unbelievably violent. Without the proper amount of narrative or depth to offset this, you end up with shows like Angel Cop and Genocyber which have passable content but not enough excuse the grotesque spectacle they put forth. On the other hand, anime can go overboard with the violence far too easily. It allows for the brutal action sequences that make Berserk and Ghost in the Shell so beloved.

The violence on the screen is only limited to what the animator can imagine.

Shigurui manga plot