[Review] Blade of the Immortal

Based on a well-acclaimed seinen manga, Blade of the Immortal follows Manji and Rin in the latter’s quest to eliminate Anotsu Kagehisa, leader of the Ittou-ryuu, to avenge her parents deaths. Manji is the samurai she has hired to protect her as well as aid in her revenge. Despite his appearances, Manji doesn’t die easily thanks to the kessen-chu, worms that effectively patch up his wounds and heal his body, which was given to him by Yaobikuni, an 800-year-old nun. It is through this nun that Rin meets with Manji who will have to face off with the many members of the Ittou-ryuu, who destroyed her parents.

Following the first arc of the manga, we are introduced to a host of characters, several being rather eccentric, during Manji and Rin’s journey. Although there aren’t any glaring deviations in storyline, the anime comes across as a little dull in its portrayals and uncompelling for the first 8 or so episodes. There’s a lack of momentum in the storytelling perhaps due to the editing and/or pacing and a couple of finer details on the characters were ignored for filler-ish additions. That said, the last few episodes do stand out and nicely reflect the spirit of the manga: the exploration of death and its consequences. Also interesting are Kagehisa’s views on the true path of a warrior and his appreciation for flexibility when improving oneself.

In general, Blade of the Immortal is well-animated but its plot might require some patience in the beginning. Personally I’m not fond of the music though it’s not distractingly bad. Worth a look, if you’ve time to spare.

Final rating: 7.2/10