Shigurui: Death Frenzy Complete Series [DVD]

I brought this set back from a holiday to America a few months ago, and my initial impressions were not good- I found that most of the characters were grotesque and depraved, all truely unlikable. I also found that the fight scenes were very slow paced and unimpressive, and finaly the cherry on top of the cake- this series ends only halfway through the story- they expect you to buy the manga to find out how it ends!!! (for me it's ok to get either the manga OR the anime, not half of each!)

!!BUT DON'T STOP READING YET!!

That is only one way to look at this series, determined to prove to myself I had not wasted my money, I rewatched the series just last week and tried to look at this title with optimism.
To my surprise I kept coming up with positive things to say!

It is worth mentioning that this series begins at the end and then tells the main bulk of story through flashback, this creates a sense of inevitability- you know that a certain character loses an arm somehow and another character becomes blind at some point. As the story slowly builds up to these moments things begin to become quite tense as you will most likely be constantly trying to guess when everything is going to kick off- it is suspensefull and it grips you, the fight scenes are no longer boring and slow paced they are intense as each one feels as though it is building to somthing big, you KNOW it is.

The characters still seem a little sick to me, even now, but during the second play through I began to pick up on little bits of plot I had missed first time round, this gave me a better understanding of the reasoning behind their actions (obviously).

I would say that if you have the patiants and time to watch this series through to the end more than once, it will almost definatly grow on you.
The gore is quite heavy and there is at least one rape scene amoungst all the brutal violence so this is definatly not for children. I would also recommend that those looking for all out action should stay clear of this set- beacause it is much more than just violence- in fact, I would describe it as more of a slow paced trajedy.
I intend to order the manga as I really want to find out how it ends!! (I may have been slightly jet legged the first time I watched)

My verdict-
At this price, buy it, watch it, rewatch it and enjoy it!

(this review really didn't go well did it?!)

Thanks for reading.

too many anime out there cater to fanservice finally a anime which is for mature adults.
I can rewatch this again and again becuase of the art and music. a historical serious take on samurai and these two protaginists in particular.

Art... 5/5 top notch for animation, the still images, pan shots, unique direction of fights, really exceptional. The blu-ray looks beautiful really crisp and clear.

story....4/5 really really interesting, morally you wont route for anyone in particualr they are all pretty hideous chracters, they spend thier time practising sword play from dawn till dusk. The story has twists, revenge, and blood. Its pacing is joy to watch. Absolute masterpeice although not finished but the manga is close to finishing if you wish to c find out what happened.

Music...5/5 genuinley stunning sets the brooding mood, and tone of the series. accompanys the scenes almost perfectly.

please note: the english dub is far superior to the sub which is rare in anime. fit perfectly well, actors are perfect.

overall for 6.99 you cant go wrong.

In the dark and deadly feudal Japan two samurai step into battle with each other. One is blind and one only has one arm, but both have a damaged past. Shigurui begins at the end of these characters sagas and then rewinds back to the beginning. What we get is the events leading up to these fighter' climactic duel through a series of complex and disturbing episodes involving the powerful Kogan clan and their extreme rituals and lifestyles. The two samurai from the beginning of the show - Gennosuke Fujiki and Seigen Irako meet for the first time and instantly become rivals for the Kogan Legacy. What ensues is a horrificly violent anime series that pushes all the boundaries of good taste to deliver a unique yet equally disturbing watch.

Shigurui doesn't shy away from it's extreme nature for an instant. The very first scenes of the series show someone pulling out his guts with his bare hands. But this is just a starter! Throughout the series we see decapitations, evisceration and even someone getting her nipple sliced off. Yes, Shigurui isn't for the faint of heart and was even enough to make this hardened viewer cringe in parts.

To get the most from Shigurui, you really need to pay attention. For starters, the extreme violence and excessive nudity is enough to destract you from what is going on in the story but on top of that, the pace of the story is pretty erratic. In each episode the style of the storytelling is quite slow paced and almost dreamlike in effect, but every so often the setting will shift a year or so. If you pay attention and listen to the narrator (as the narrator is the only 'normal' person in this series) then this will be fairly easy to follow. However, at times, this series is too slow for it's own good and often drags. The story is quite intriguing but it is executed in such a way that is easy to lose interest. The only thing that the viewer is likely to remember after watching this is the numerous scenes of extremity. So much so that Shigurui often gives the impression that it these scenes are purely for the shock factor of the audience. Every single episode has a scene of extreme gore and nudity that at times it feels as if they are using it to keep the viewer watching and waiting to see how far this series will go. And when the final credits of this anime are rolling, it is difficult not to feel more than a bit let down disappointed. Especially considering the anime isn't actually complete. It's not as if they even attempted to finish the story, the anime just ends abruptly with no real warning.

This release contains all 12 episodes of the series and includes the english and japanese language track as well as two commentaries, art galleries and trailers. The music score in this series is pretty basic but it is effective in creating some chilling atmosphere and tension. As for the it's look, the series is undeniably bland with it's colour pallet and character designs. The only bright colours in this series come from the blood and guts that are often sprayed across the screen. And the most disturbing thing is that the blood effects are often delivered in such a way that they almost look beautiful. This blu ray edition of Shigurui looks amazingly crisp and clear and just begs to be seen to be believed.

If violence over story is your thing then you may enjoy Shigurui: Death Frenzy. However if characterisation and story decide whether you enjoy a series then you may want to give Shigurui a miss. The biggest appeal of Shigurui is undoubtedely the extreme material with everything else taking the passenger seat. Prepare yourself for some cheap thrills but don't expect anything really substantial or enlightning.