What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Ninja Scroll is a classic anime (Japanese animation), made in 1993. It's one of the best-known titles among fans in the United States. If your child is a fan of the genre, he or she will eventually come upon this movie. It contains severe, extreme fantasy violence, with fighting, gushing and raining blood, slicing-and-dicing, pummeling, and death. It also contains a brutal rape sequence in which a monster forces itself upon a naked girl, and there is a very vivid man-on-woman sex scene as well. Language is much stronger if viewers choose the Japanese language track and the English subtitles. The English-dubbed track tends to soften curse words. It's beautifully made, with some incredible action and artwork, and the male and female heroes have some admirable qualities, but parents should exercise strong caution in showing this to kids under 17.
- Families can talk about the movie's extreme violence. What effect did it have on you? How did it make you feel? Did you feel tense, or excited? Or disturbed?
- As a ninja, is Kagero a strong female hero, or is she a stereotype?
- What makes Jubei change from a wandering samurai-for-hire into a real hero who believes in his cause? Is it revenge? Or is there something more?