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Basilisk (TV).


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hell-is-hot



Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 10:47 pm Reply with quote
basilisk........all i have to say is that II loved it and hate it at the same time. Th beginning and middle of it was good. But once it reached the end, I went berserk. I was like "damn....why"......since I hated the ending, I've come to hate the entire thing. The ending ruined Basilisk for me.
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Askman



Joined: 27 Jul 2006
Posts: 59
PostPosted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:22 pm Reply with quote
Basilisk has been a lot of fun for me. I'm always anticipating the next volume since I was hooked onto it.

At first, I really wasn't a fan. All of the names and story they threw at me really fast really threw me off and it took me a while to get used to all the characters. Once I got to episode 3 I finally started getting into it, and once I finished volume 1 I quickly got volume 2, and then finally volume 3, which I then started awaiting each coming volume.

I really don't know what has hooked me onto the series. It might be the fights, or the storyline. But those are only secondary. What really has hooked me was wondering who's going down next. Basilisk is one of those series where you have no idea who's going down, and when. The coolest characters could die early, while the most useless characters (spoiler[I'm looking at you Kagero. As funny as an erotic breath attack is, it doesn't have much combat value]) could easily survive till much later. spoiler[ I honestly expected Koshiro to have died by now, with having no eyes and all; I was also really surprised to see Yashimaru die so early after such a badass display at Sunpu.]

I can already tell that the final fight will probably be with spoiler[Gennouske vs. Tenzen, though I have no idea how the hell Gennouske would win. Tenzen honestly seems invincible.].

Overall, the story, characters, and crazy battles really makes Basilisk a series I'm watching till the very end.

EDIT: Oh yes, I almost forgot to say that I love Basilisk's opening. Badass song with great animation.
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Doctor who



Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 103
PostPosted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 2:57 pm Reply with quote
I'm really tempted to pick up the first volume to see how it is. With how slow Berserk has been coming out I could use some ultra-violence to hold me over.
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Randall Miyashiro



Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 2451
Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:06 am Reply with quote
I just finished watching volume 5 last night. The scene where Tenzen spoiler[comes back to life] is both gruesome and very well animated. Really creepy stuff. I noticed that a good amount of the fan mail on the DVD extras are from female fans. Although this series doesn't immediately strike me as a show with a big female fan basis, I suppose it makes sense with all the tough female characters.
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ikillchicken



Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 7272
Location: Vancouver
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:28 am Reply with quote
All in all its very good. Diverse characters, cool abilities and action. A relatively simple story which allows more focus on the characters. A bit depressing, spoiler[but then I think a happy ending would have been unrealistic and wouldnt have really fit with the rest of the series.]

I would certainly recomend it.
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TranceLimit174



Joined: 21 Jul 2004
Posts: 962
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 6:45 pm Reply with quote
Zork wrote:
I don't think I would ever watch Basilisk because I just don't see the point in it. The ads and trailers I have seen for the show seem to imply that love cannot conquer hatred and that the two ninja clans, even though seemingly manipulated by outside political forces, will kill each other off in especially gruesome ways.

Why watch an anime with such a depressing storyline?


I initially thought that too. My thinking was "It's depressing, and I know what's going to happen so why watch?" While this is true, that doesn't change the fact that it is told well. And regardless of it's tone, a good story is a good story. Also, depending on how you view the ending in a way it's not quite so bleak. But as I said earlier Basilisk is entertaining even on the most shallow of levels.

Iwatch2muchanime wrote:
I would use Romeo X Juliet, when it comes out, as a medium for tragedy. Although it looks super fantasy and everything, the base story would stay the same so it'll work.


Except Romeo & Juliet is an overly glamorized and over-rated story about two horny teenagers. Basilisk works much better for several reasons. The two big ones being that the stakes are higher and the overall plot is about much more than two star-crossed lovers. Secondly we're made to care about everyone involved, not just Gennosuke and Oboro. While some characters suffer similar fates others have to deal with different circumstances, so really there's a whole gamut of tradgedy.


Speaking of which, I wanted to ask you guys since this is something I've been tossing about in my head. Who do you think has it worse, Hotarubi spoiler[(I haven't seen it yet but based on the preview for 13 it looks like payback is a, well you know)] or Koshirou and Akeginu? If you weigh it out, Hotarubi spoiler[had her lover taken away from her without her truly knowing and was completely decieved by Saemon. They really screw her every which way possible.] But then with Koshirou and Akeginu, spoiler[the guy got his eyes blown out. So now he'll never be able to look at Akeginu ever again. As for her, she can no longer look into her lover's eyes and in a way has to share his pain.] Both are very cruel and I can't really tell who my heart goes out to more. What do you guys think?

And one more thing I forgot to comment on earlier concerning the dialouge and the overall feel of the series. With today's world curse words are thrown about left and right, but back in the day (back in the day being Basilisk's timeframe) when you said something about someone in that manner you really couldn't go any lower. When Kagerou referred to Oboro as a tramp I actually had to take a step back and say to myself "Wow." I find it very impressive that a show can make such things so powerful given how such words carry so little weight these days.
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Iwatch2muchanime



Joined: 19 Dec 2006
Posts: 1291
PostPosted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 6:02 pm Reply with quote
TranceLimit174 wrote:
Except Romeo & Juliet is an overly glamorized and over-rated story about two horny teenagers. Basilisk works much better for several reasons. The two big ones being that the stakes are higher and the overall plot is about much more than two star-crossed lovers. Secondly we're made to care about everyone involved, not just Gennosuke and Oboro. While some characters suffer similar fates others have to deal with different circumstances, so really there's a whole gamut of tradgedy.


Well I'm glad to see that someone else thinks Romeo and Juliet is more about horny kids trying to get their way then a true tragedy. I just said what I said because of ugh...Ichigo90's comment on a modern medium for Romeo and Juliet, Romeo X Juliet would be the modern medium for it.
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digitalkikka



Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 462
Location: Chicago, Illinois
PostPosted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 4:07 am Reply with quote
TranceLimit174 wrote:

Speaking of which, I wanted to ask you guys since this is something I've been tossing about in my head. Who do you think has it worse, Hotarubi spoiler[(I haven't seen it yet but based on the preview for 13 it looks like payback is a, well you know)] or Koshirou and Akeginu? If you weigh it out, Hotarubi spoiler[had her lover taken away from her without her truly knowing and was completely decieved by Saemon. They really screw her every which way possible.] But then with Koshirou and Akeginu, spoiler[the guy got his eyes blown out. So now he'll never be able to look at Akeginu ever again. As for her, she can no longer look into her lover's eyes and in a way has to share his pain.] Both are very cruel and I can't really tell who my heart goes out to more. What do you guys think?


Hotarubi. While Akeginu is my favorite character, her spoiler[releationship with Koshirou wasn't the same as Hotarubi and Yashamaru's. Koshirou seemed to be more in lust with Akeginu then in love. And Akeginu also seemed to pity him more then anything. It wasn't until he was injured that she had feelings for him. Hotarubi and Yashamaru were more of an actual 'couple'. ] But the character I feel the worst for is Kagerou. spoiler[The poor woman is in love with a man who loves another woman, she can't have sex without killing her partner, and she got tortured.]

Askman wrote:
Basilisk is one of those series where you have no idea who's going down, and when. The coolest characters could die early, while the most useless characters (spoiler[I'm looking at you Kagero. As funny as an erotic breath attack is, it doesn't have much combat value]) could easily survive till much later.


spoiler[How is Kagerou useless? As long as she's thinking about Gennosuke, she's extremely lethal Wink ]
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Randall Miyashiro



Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 2451
Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park
PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 7:10 pm Reply with quote
Well I just finished the final DVD of Basilisk and it follows the "I like the even volumes better than the odd" pattern. The first two episodes on DVD 6 are so intense that I was left wondering what would be left for the final two episodes. spoiler[I found the scene where Kagero tells Genosuke that she will dedicate her life to him even if they can't have a physical relationship particularly touching. The scene where Kagero kisses the wounded Genosuke while Oboro uses her power is also really well done. Tengen's death was creepy and simply amazing.]The last two episodes seem a tad anticlimactic and predictable in contrast and might have fared better as one episode. The series kept me guessing at who would die first and I wish that I had written down my predictions on which order people would die after watching the first two episodes. I'm sure I would have been way off.

I also started getting into the habit of watching the first pressing extras after every other episode since sitting through a full hour of it is a bit much.
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Askman



Joined: 27 Jul 2006
Posts: 59
PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 6:52 pm Reply with quote
I finished the series today, and I was blown away by the last four episodes. spoiler[I knew Saemon was about to be killed by Tenzen, but I was still impressed by how Mark Stoddard disguised his voice for that scene. The relationship and conversation between Kagero and Genouske were particularly interesting and touching.]

The next episodes were particularly crazy. spoiler[ The rape and subsequent torture of Kagero was brutal and insane, though I found Tenzen's death by the erotic breath attack particularly humorous. I dunno why, but I find that ability of Kagero to be hilarious. The torture scene afterward was crazy as hell. Th efight with Genouske and Tenzen was very well done, while the actual fight scene was decent, the flashbacks during during the fight gave the battle some emotional depth. Tenzen's decapitation was great. After the fight I was shocked to see Kagero attempting to kill Genosuke.]

spoiler[I knew Genouske and Oboro were going to kill each other at the end. I was surprised and befuddled at seeing the Iga winning at the end. That surprised me]

Overall, very good series. Slow start, and the romance between Oboro and Genouske wasn't too great until the end, but it was still really fun and exciting once it got going. Good dub job, as well.
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TranceLimit174



Joined: 21 Jul 2004
Posts: 962
PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 10:41 am Reply with quote
......

That's all I can say about how this series ended. It was nothing short of incredible. I will however start by saying Tenzen has got to be one of if not the greatest bastard in all of anime. Sure he doesn't destroy the world, but the man is so cruel and sadistic that I was literally cringing. Poor Kagerou, she really went up in my book even though I liked her already. It seems that as the series went on, it got worse and worse for those who managed to live longer. She had already been cursed with her art, but to take it further, and further is just...once again I'm at a loss. I was happy when she finally died, as she probably had it worse than anyone else and she deserved to have peace.

It had been a while since volume 5, so I had initially forgotten about what Saemon was up to. So needless to say I was caught off guard when he was finally taken down but somehow I found it rather fitting. I can see why he is liked by so many.

And Tenzen finally got what was coming to him. I was amazed that Oboro spoiler[actually transformed her Dojutsu to pop his head off. To be honest I could not think of a better death for him.]

Yes the ending was predictable, but I knew it was going to end up that way from the start. However it was handled so well and it truthfully could not have ended any other way. I just wish we could have seen Okufu get what was coming to her. Oh and just to leave no stone left unturned we were even treated to spoiler[a final glimpse of Gennosuke's Dojutsu. I was glad that I got to see it a final time and found it to be an excellent form of fan service.]

I really can't say enough about this series. From begining to end it continues to both impress and depress at the same time. Not only that but with each event the series continued to outdo itself. Looking back, the series struck a perfect balance in terms of screen time with characters. It doesn't feel like any particular character was cheated. The pacing of the story and just about every element is for the most part flawless. Sure the romance was a little lacking, but as I have said Gennosuke and Oboro just felt like two other characters who were involved as opposed to main characters, and because of that I felt that their story was adequatley told. While I could go on and on I'll stop by saying that this series is a true classic and I think every fan owes it to themself to at least give it a shot.
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dubmonkey



Joined: 24 Aug 2004
Posts: 2
Location: Denton, TX
PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 3:15 pm Reply with quote
One of the most striking things in whole series to me is when spoiler[Saemon disguised as Tenzen and Kagero team up and kill Akeginu on the bridge. After she is stabbed, she looks looks up at Tenzen/Saemon and he averts his gaze. ]
Two of the most sympathetic characters sharing a moment...
Mark Stoddard is an amazing performer and posseses a very distinctive voice so I'm glad that he was able spoiler[to mask it so effectively while posing as the guard.]
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Monumension



Joined: 03 Jul 2005
Posts: 268
Location: Norway
PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 5:54 pm Reply with quote
I'm more of a manga kind of person, but Basilisk singlehandedly re-started my interest in anime last week. I got into the manga and wanted to see how the story was handled anime-wise. I got hooked and watched the whole show in a few days (that hasn't happened in quite a while if ever). It's one of the few times I felt the anime surpassed the manga it's based on in terms of quality. For one thing I thought the animation was top-notch, it stayed really true to the beautiful manga-rendering of the characters. More importantly the anime changed the pacing from the rushed narrative in the manga which, at only five volumes, gave me the impression that the manga-ka was on a speed-trip during the making. The anime slowed it down and made room for a more contemplative mood which I believe was somewhat lacking in the manga.

dubmonkey wrote:
One of the most striking things in whole series to me is when spoiler[Saemon disguised as Tenzen and Kagero team up and kill Akeginu on the bridge. After she is stabbed, she looks looks up at Tenzen/Saemon and he averts his gaze. ]
Two of the most sympathetic characters sharing a moment...[/spoiler]


That was a memorable scene I agree. Personally I thought spoiler[the sad death of Hotarubi] was handled in a strangely beautiful manner. It was nice to see how such a bloody and disturbing story could have it's fuzzy moments at the same time.
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Kruszer



Joined: 19 Nov 2004
Posts: 7994
Location: Minnesota, USA
PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 9:07 pm Reply with quote
It's a great story and awesome ride up until the last couple episodes which I hated. It's like Wolf's Rain in a way for me because the ending just kills the piece for me not enough so that I hate it, but enough so that it just sucks out all my enthusiasm for the show. Crying or Very sad
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JOINERIC



Joined: 14 Feb 2007
Posts: 35
Location: Fighting the Battle of Sekigahara
PostPosted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 3:34 pm Reply with quote
I loved both the first episode and the last episode. spoiler[I agree that the biggest folly of the anime is the way that all the main characters get killed off]. I think that the anime should have been about twice as long, but with 24 episodes I thought that they done an excellent job of developing the 20+ main characters. Ispoiler[ mean, in the begining when main characters just started dying off] I felt like I had Ricky Bobby beside me saying, "did that just blow you mind, cause that just happened", but about half way through the series spoiler[I knew that everyone was going to die off]. And yes, Gennouske does have the best super power I have ever seen.
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