Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
RobRidd
The fight scenes were entertaining, the art was beautiful, and the countless moments of suspense kept me glued to the screen. If the idea of Naruto and Romeo & Juliet having a baby piques your interest, you'll likely enjoy this series.
Basilisk was a breath of fresh air for me after coming off of a romcom/drama binge spree. However, this was also to my detriment as it left me hopelessly waiting for the typical happy ending you see in most anime that contain a romantic subplot. This show is dark and heavily centers around deceit, manipulation, and senseless bloodshed - all of which become more prevalent as the show progresses. As a result, I was left devastated and disappointed with the developments in the latter half of the show, especially the ending. Nonetheless, I couldn't help but con…
Read at the sourceThatAnimeSnobRE
Although Basilisk is essentially Romeo and Juliet with Ninjas, it becomes more like yet another example of why death games are bullshit, unless they are called Battle Royale. The inherent problem they have is that they are never about the story or the characters; it’s about seeing people die and, supposed, feeling sad about them. Only thing, you can’t feel sad about them because they die too quickly, too close to each other, and you already know that they will die at some point, so who gives a shit? It ends up becoming more like a game where you are cynically trying to guess who will die next. And even that becomes boring after awhile because as the contestants lower in numbers, it becomes easier to guess right, while at the same time, more apparent to tell who is clearly better than the r…
Read at the sourceZoldra0
I had been meaning to watch this anime for some time, but I didn't expect anything special. To my surprise Basilisk turned out to be an incredibly enjoyable anime. It starts off a bit slow and even confusing, but after a few episodes you start to get the hang of things.
The plot is basically a Battle Royale or survival game between two clans named Kouga and Iga. Each clan has 10 ninjas or elite warriors with supernatural abilities. Many of these ninjas are amazing characters. You have "beautiful heroes" and "ugly monsters" on both sides. No clan is fully good or fully evil, which is something I appreciated a lot. It's up to the viewer which clan to root for. I am #TeamKouga for sure though, mainly because their characters appealed to me more and Iga had one too many rapists...
(There's a…
Read at the sourceTokyoSanchez
I can't really think of anything to start off this review, so I'll just get right into what I think of Basilisk: Kouga Ninpou Chou.
The show started off strong, with various characters being introduced with strange but interesting powers. Put in a Romeo and Juliet like love story in between two warring villages, and you have yourself Basilisk: Kouga Ninpou Chou.
However, after everything was established, I quickly got disinterested with the whole story. This is due to almost all the characters having no depth or worthwhile personality attached to them. Many of them only had cool powers and an unexplained hatred for the other clan. This is one of the most crucial things to making a decent anime, and Basilisk gets it completely wrong. When characters start dying left and right, how am I su…
Read at the sourcebmxsesh
A great piece of art. I wish other animes had such depth and strong storyline. It's amazing how authors pictured the phenomena of the blind hatred between people, when both sides think they're 'different' and treat the other side as animals rather than humans, although virtually being identical human beings and living their life the same way. This story is always present in real life, assuming the fact that the world is drowning in the hatred and blood.
I absolutely love the connection between Gennosuke's idea (stopping pointless hostility) and his doujutsu. He's never harmful except when threatened. What I would also like to mention is the balance between two rival sides, it's very important that in such kind of story there's no spoiled one -- both clans don't regret to use nasty tricks…
Read at the sourcePoeticJustice
Ouroboros is a symbol from ancient Greece which depicts a serpent that devours its own tail. It often symbolizes the cycle of rebirth, a cycle that constantly begins anew and never ends. Why am I referencing Ouroboros? I felt it was the only appropriate comparison to make with Basilisk, the story of hatred that is born anew every generation.
Two rival Ninja Clans, the Kouga and the Iga, have been feuding for over 200 years and only 50 years ago, an anti-war pact was enacted to prevent any further bloodshed. No one remembers or cares to remember how the feud even started but in the minds of both the Kouga and Iga, the reason doesn’t matter. But now Gennosuke, young leader of the Kouga ninja, falls in love with the beautiful leader of the Iga, Oboro. Together, they hope they can end the lo…
Read at the sourcekoukky
The story about two ninjas who are in love but come from two families that are in a hatred war against each other. As the two ninjas are trying to create peace between their families there is a battle between trying to possess a scroll which will lead to the winning clan being supported by the Tokugawa government and the death of the losing clan.
There is a lot of amazing kills in this anime, if you like blood and just a kill after kill after kill type anime you will LOVE this one. The characters are amazing and strong, each have a great power that makes it all the more entertaining.
A bit of romance make these genre of anime all the greatest the two fighting for their love but it being very difficult.
In general if you like historical, ninjas, violence. powerful characters, a strange…
Read at the sourceKevstuf
Normally when people say an anime has "potential," I scoff and think that it's a total excuse for not being able to give it an honest rating. However, I cannot find any other word to describe this anime than "potential."
Story: 7/10
As the synopsis suggests, the story centers heavily on fighting and action, so there's not that much story development. All you need to know is that the two clans are trying to kill each other. This doesn't dampen the anime in any way since it was intended as an action anime, but I think there was a major issue with pacing. It was both rushed and painfully slow at the same time. By rushed I mean the story needs to kill off 18 characters (there's 10 for each side and obviously it's going to be 1v1 at the end) in a mere 24 episodes. This means many of the charac…
Read at the sourceBoaCC
Embrace the endless fighting, killing, and the hatred and sorrow that come with it. Basilisk brings the viewers into a cycle of war between two powerful ninja clans. Throughout centuries, the Iga clan and the Kouga clan have known none other than animosity and vengeance towards each other. Amidst this purgatory, the head of Iga and the head of Kouga love each other and decided to end the centuries of conflict through the act of marriage.
The story might sound familiar and you might have already predicted their vetoed aspiration to marry might not go smoothly, but Basilisk will still entertain you, not via its compelling story, but the journey through its death valley and the flesh enriching characters walking on it.
The highlight of the series is its character designs. The distinct physi…
Read at the sourcektulu007
Normally I try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, but this time it isn't possible. You have been warned. Do not read any further if you don't want to be spoiled.
Basilisk has a simple plot. Two star crossed lovers with families that hate each other end up dying tragically. In spite of the simple concept it's capably done. The basic premise is that these two ninja clans, Koga and Iga, had a treaty that stopped them from killing each other for several years. This treaty is dissipated because the shogun is retiring and hasn't chosen a successor. He has two choices so the clan leaders are asked to choose ten people each. They'll fight to the death to determine which of the two candidates will become the next shogun. This comes at a time when the clans are about to be unified by their next leade…
Read at the sourcejabcreations
Right to the point: if you prefer either an uplifting ending or an ending that says the next season will be even better look elsewhere because most (not all) characters want to just kill.
It's not a horrible series altogether but the journey is much better then the destination, not to speak too highly of the journey though.
The action, animation, and character design are pretty good. However it's just not my personal taste to end a series with tragedy. If that's your thing though you'll likely enjoy this series.
Also ninja fans should be delighted to hear that this series is pirate-free.
Read at the sourceZetsumeiSeikirai
In 1614 Japan, there is a dispute poisoning the tokugawa shogunate, over which grandson of Leyasu, the retired shogun, will assume power when Hidetada, Leyasu's son, decides to step down from his current position as shogun. This conflict threatens to tear the whole of Japan apart if not settled soon. In order to settle this growning conflict it has been decided that the the peace agreement between the Iga and Kouga ninja clans be abolished in order to renew their ancient feud. Instead of this governmental dispute becoming a problem for the whole of Japan, a small scale war has been arranged. The ten top ninja of each clan is to take part in this affair, and the clan to have the last shinobi breathing is the victor.
The storyline plays out in this way. To begin the bloodshed, the heads of…
Read at the sourceSuzuhana
First let me wipe up my tears.
Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls is beautiful and heartbreaking.
The story can only be described as a much more bloody and violent Romeo and Juliet with ninjas instead. The main characters, Gennosuke and Oboro are deeply in love, but each belongs to a different clan. The Kouga and the Iga. The Kouga and Iga have been warring for more than 400 years and the hate between the two is stifling. The only thing that keeps these two clans from literally ripping each others throats out, is the no-hostilities act. But peace is only a fairy tale. This act is nullified upon the decision that a shogun must be picked. And the winning clan, each who supports one future shogun, must fight to the death until only one clan survives. Thus begins a journey of no small amoun…
Read at the sourceiamjoe
Oh my word, this has got to be the greatest ninja/shinobi anime ever made.
It is romantic, gory, action-packed, dramatic, deep and beautiful in every way.
The story is a revamp of the old Kouga/Iga ninja conflict. It is interesting and involving. The story is a historical piece, but it becomes so much more because it reminds you that the people involved were PEOPLE, who had lives and loves and everything in-between. The plot follows a bloody death match; there's execution-style story-telling, and it reels you in from the first episode to the chilling final one.
The art was excellent. Couldn't do any better. It has a unique style, the colour pallet was amazing, the background art was gorgeous and the animation was astounding (excellent fight scenes).
The characters were deep and thre…
Read at the sourceethann
Basilisk is the story about two warring ninja clans who were experiencing a period of peace with both their heirs engaging in an intimate relationship. However, the peace treaty that kept the peace was broken and they were ordered by the emperor to kill each other and the story focuses on the battles that take place and the characters in it.
The story is a very dark and depressing story. That doesn't mean that it isn't good, in fact i thought it was a very meaningful show but it is quite mature.Those who are not fans of dark shows and prefer something more lighthearted, please avoid this. Other than that the action in this show was fantastic as displayed through the numerous battles that take place. The romance occurs on a more suttle level but helps to add to the immense drama that unfol…
Read at the sourceAlderban
One of the most interesting action packed shonens I have ever seen, this show deserves far more credit then its received, truly a show that’s gone under the radar for some time. Incredible characters, incredible storyline and drama, with very intense moments. With that said what makes this anime so great? Its style is one thing, the show doesnt leave you a moment to breath, it immediately jumps into the conflict and pushes its viewers into the middle of a giant epic battle between two warring ninja clans.
On one side is Genouske, the head Ninja of one clan and Oboro the head of the other clan. The two love each other but now have both their clans in a battle with each other and no way of avoiding the inevitable clash.
Basilisk is indeed my favorite Ninja anime of all time, for Narut…
Read at the sourceSick_Bastard
Story: (9/10) - Great
The story is simple - two warring ninja clans kill each other. Don't let the simple plot fool you though, there is a forbidden love story thrown into the mix aswell, and that is pulled off well. The best way to describe this would be a ultra-violent Romeo and Juliet sort of story. I enjoyed the story very much, but it had it's flaws. Many of the characters that appear only last for a few episodes, and I felt that they could have been kept along just a bit longer. But, after all, the main premise of this anime is two ninja clans killing each other, so I'm not really that upset.
Art: (10/10) - Outstanding
This is some of the best art I have ever seen in Anime, period. I am not exaggerating one bit. Even if you don't like the plot, the sound, or the characters, you shou…
Read at the sourcenugget05
I absolutely adored Basilisk. Firstly, it probably had the most beautiful and well designed graphics in all the animes i have watched. The characters are well drawn, and the backgrounds and sceneries are simply breathtaking. It is most certainly a breath of fresh air from lesser animes with low quality graphics.
Secondly, Basilisk is extremely fast paced. Expect to see lots of action in every episode, and at least one person dying in each episode. This is widely in contrast with slow paced but highly raved about anime like Naruto. Furthermore, the fight scenes are well paced and thought out. It is anyone's guess who gets to fight who next, keeping one in much suspense throughout the show.
Also, this anime is not just about killing and fighting and killing and fighting. Because, underneat…
Read at the sourceZeSzHoMaRu
Basilisk has an ownage story line with really well drawn battle scenes. Their skills are all unpredictable and you wont know all the skills till the end. there isnt much things that are bad but if you have to say one it would be my favourite character died to early.
Read at the sourcejet2r0cks
I can actually make a 3 word summary for this anime. It would go like this : KILL, KILL, KILL.
Heartless killing, endless dying. That pretty much made up the story. Almost every character was just blood thirsty, all except this anime’s Romeo and Juliet, aka Gennosuke and Oboro. It’s another story of forbidden love, I suppose. The forbidden love was a foot note for me – I was more engrossed by the fight scenes and the dramatic deaths of the ninjas.
The concept was actually new to me, but I was able to understand most of it. I was familiar with Samurai – themed anime, but I have never watched a serious shinobi anime like this one (that’s right – Flame of Recca doesn’t count). I’m not sure what separates the two, but from what I notice, Ninjas…
Read at the source