Youma

The relationship between the main character and villain is what makes this anime good. Surprisingly, only one point of view is given, and the two main characters hardly ever interact. The protagonist displays emotion rarely, leaving the viewer free to imagine what he may be thinking. However, some subtle clues are given, and it seems as if he is asking the same questions as the audience. What makes a man evil? Is there still good left inside of him? Is there any hope for redemption?

Its almost inevitable that any piece that falls into the historical ninja action realm is going to be compared to that watermark film, Ninja Scroll. While the two do seem to have a lot in common at first, the pacing, mood, and delivery are quite different. Blood Reign happens to be four years older (1989) and lacks a lot of the flash and slick animation that its more famous peer has. Yet it maintains a healthy of dose of a ninja hero slicing and dicing minions of the dark, which is probably what you're looking for if you're looking at this.

Putting aside the opulence of ... hack 'n slash action, there is more to Blood Reign than just being Ninja Scroll's dress rehearsal. Its noticeably darker and moodier, as for the entire time the show is going its surrounded, almost smothered, by a sense of impending dread. The story being told isn't a particularly happy one, and those who end up befriending the main hero often meet with most unfortunate ends (particularly the end of the first episode, which is actually pretty clever on the show's part). The characterization (or lack thereof) does hold back some of the impact that this could have had, but you can only do so much with two forty-five minute episodes.

While visually not as impressive as Ninja Scroll (to keep harping on an obvious comparison), there is something about it that grabs the eye. While the character designs, animation, and production style are all notably dated, that might not be such a bad thing. The use of heavy shadows, dark hues (reds, blues, purples), and the simple yet effective backgrounds only help convey that eerie feeling that the show has in spades. The characters themselves aren't that memorable in terms of looks, but I will say the monsters are freaky even now. Especially those spiders. Yikes.

Finding an audience for Blood Reign might be a little difficult considering both its content and age, with one or the other likely to turn most away. Yet those who can admire the works of old will find a good deal to like here, as this is definitely not the second-rate Ninja Scroll rip-off its sometimes touted to be. In most respects its a different creature entirely, with enough crazy ninja action to sate those who seek it, but with a little something extra for those who can appreciate it. For those unaware, this OVA was also based on a short, mid-80s manga Kusunoki Kei, but as of this writing I have been unable to locate it.

rate 5
English dubbed
Genre:Light horror, action, light romance

story
Average plot. Plot does go into some depth but has no thrill. Ending could have been better.

Art
Matches the story. Art is not realistic especially the blood. There were some drawing mistakes. For example when a spider victim had died their body laid still but before it could be eradicated it ceases to exist.

... Sound
Some of the word choices are not great. For example "it is an illusion. Generally that means it is not real and therefore can't have an effect but that is not what happened.

Enjoyment
a starter action film for those who are gradually becoming used to anime.

The war torn land is mottled with strange occurrences attributed to the rise of yoma or demons, feeding off blood and misery. A skilled ninja, Hikage, is ordered to silence his best friend and finds his friend holds a dark secret.

I have tried on 3 separate occasions to watch Blood Reign. The animation looks similar to Ninja Scroll and I really enjoy Japanese folklore, but I can’t get through the piece. The main character has no personality beyond persistence. The soundtracks has some really cheesy 80′s keyboard music but also some beautiful period sounding pieces. The story is hard to follow and the character design ... makes it hard to tell individuals apart.

Give this one a try and form your own opinion because this viewer is truly undecided.

This OVA features demons and 80′s melting body-type gore. It is meant for mature audiences.

This is one anime that SHOCKED me to death, made me feel like an scaredy cat and freaked me out back in 1999, 1:45 at night, but besides that it really shows the art of drawing and scaryness compared to todays anime in the same genre, THIS had an potential in further serie's /ova's i can only dream about!!!!@! The storyline really nicely mix in with the chara and at some parts when a bit bit of history( don't count the demons with it) have those untouched in-scene sketches,HANDDRAWN! can be grainy and mufly at time's but plz DON'T RE-MASTER, HD OR BLUERAY THIS ... STUFF!. the music is ofc welldone, that nostalgic '89 animemusic , wich i look to the older audience, main chara are no pussylike boys like much of today's anime to be clear, one with a very vigorous and demonic background. and i'm not even start about the women here. DON'T watch it at night, or with teenagers! unless u survived harsher anime

Anime Review No. 33


It is surely fun to watch something that is under the category of historical and horror and with a small fraction of thriller from time to time but this show kinda show the opposite on what I mention.

Plot (3/10)

The historical theme is nothing more than a setting itself. Nothing very informative in the era. Any war events that took place will obviously result to casualties by default. What's made it intriguing is the first intro where we are presented with demonic and griming scenario of gruesome scenes and emergence of abominable entity that blend perfectly well in the situation but sadly ... it just few second saving grace and we will be lead to small conflict in a small town and sometimes places devoid of people kicking of the war conflict which is shown in previous scenes which toned down to a simple isolated horror movie where the huge majority of the public doesn't matter. Personally there is even some bias in the conflict where almost every people is completely useless against this monster and the protagonist miraculously slay them even though he have no experience fighting monster and in the first place while he's subordinates are also the same as him a"ninja" wielding the same weapon and skill get easily killed by this monster. It is like the monster are begging to be killed by our shallow minded protagonist.


Character (3/10)

Moving to the characters and skipping the potential the plot could offer, for example the horror of human fighting diabolic beings beyond comprehension which work really nicely as a horror and thriller mix but no we only get 1 protagonist tracking down his old chum that suddenly betray their clan because of "birth origin or being the son of the devil" that got triggered because the blood of people that die in the war serve as nightmare fuel to unleash the monsters from within him and the other side of the world. The motivation start out as a political interest where a ninja killed their lord and then successfully escaped and now been chase down by "elite assassins" because that the possibility of a rumor that their lord has been assassinated will affect the foot soldier fighting moral against the opposing faction. I see this as good starting point for the story. But seeing the protagonist the only one that can defend himself against this monster while the other elite ninja get easily "dismembered" without giving any reasonable resistance. Kinda blow's off of a reasonable risk that anybody could die and kill this monster. I see the protagonist plot armored for he can beat almost every monster he encountered at "full health" it will be more reasonable that other ninja is already wounded it but no this is just pure plot armor at best. Their is nothing even scary or intimidatig in the main or even the side cast.


Also mention that the personal motivation of the protagonist toward his old friend that betray their clan is vaguely presented and overly abuse. The only personal flashback the show can even present is him and his old friend running and "chasing something in the meadow". In a written narrative this something of depth but repeating this scene like over and over again is just seems lazy and it doesn't justify enough how desperate the protagonist to go out of his way regardless that a "order" is executed to stop chasing him.

There is also some love interest that doesn't add up in the story that they just add. They shove in a mysterious women just so the protagonist will have a mouth speak. Overall all the characters are forgettable and no interesting or unique rate even visible in the entire show. Even the main antagonist motivation is too vague as motivation. The motivation of human being because people kill each other and the time for a new race to emerge to reach world peace and prosperity is a very cheesy get go. Heck even reasoning that the monster exist because of the "evil intention of human heart" is the reason why they even exist. The idea is interesting but really just too vague and not really focused. The conflict is more personal rather than everybody is affected. Overall the presentation is weak.


(Sound 3/10 and Animation 5/10)

The only saving grace about the show is that it is well animated at it's time. Some really good gore scene, blood and designed monster and some good action but that's all about it. Sound in the other hand isn't anything write home for. Voice acting is simple enough and the only interesting dialogue I ever get is in a spidermonster with good line but we didn't get any good speeches afterwards and everything is dull and boring.


(Enjoyment 3/10)
I only enjoy the action and blood spill and the interesting intro but after than that full disappointment. The show really lack a strong cast and even a immersive setting. The monster are just their to be killed nothing interesting about them and the ending is just meh where the protagonist lives and got the girl which function as a trophy than something to actual support our main character or further extend the story.

Overall (3.2/10)

I thought the show could potential be a shorter version of berserk, devilman or Ninja Scroll but I am vaguely wrong. It certainly lack the elements what I love about the mention titles. It didn't give me any scary ideas or even a fruitful characterization which make it a fail as an historical, horror or an action thriller. What I get is a time waster OVA of the 80's and not even an fun one as a guilty pleasure.

“Youma” has a confusing, jumbled mess of a plot that’s hard to follow. Its biggest drawback is that lots of things are happening at once, including flashbacks, and it’s hard to understand what’s going on half of the time. This might be yet another case of an OVA being more of a supplement to its original source, rather than a standalone adaptation.

Since there are only two roughly half-hour episodes, there’s not enough time to adequately develop the characters, either. The main character, a ninja named Hikage, shows little emotion throughout the series, and rarely talks about what he’s thinking or feeling. His interactions with other ... characters are brief, limited and sometimes awkward. For instance, in the second episode, he berates a female ninja named Aya for crying, twice. He also acts uninterested in her, but for some reason she falls head-over-heels in love with him. His establishment as the antagonist Marou’s best friend is relegated to repeated flashbacks of the two running through a field as children. Supporting characters get even less development, which results in the viewer not caring what happens to them.

Background information which would help explain the plot is either not included or glossed over. This includes what exactly the “Youma” are (I get that they’re literally demons, but it’s not really explained what they are in this story’s universe), why the two Youma rulers of the land and the sea have to combine in order to unleash all of the Youma, why the Youma ruler of the sea is a horse, and other issues that could potentially be spoilers. Also, the whole premise that kickstarts the plot, where Hikage has to chase after and kill Marou, is not explained well. Basically, the ninjas’ “master” is killed, and according to his will, they have to hide his death from the public for three years (why?). Since Marou has gone rogue, Hikage is sent to silence (kill) him to keep the secret safe.

Also, contrary to what the synopsis on MAL and other places say, Marou was not killed in battle and resurrected to serve the Youma, but explaining what he really is potentially goes into spoiler territory, so I’ll refrain from elaborating.

True to its English title, there is plenty of bloodshed in this OVA. There is also a lot of grotesque body horror, with beheadings, disembowelments, monster transformations and whatnot, but it's not as off-putting as similar scenes in other anime are. There is no nudity in “Youma,” save for a naked baby boy at the very end.

As for technical aspects, the animation and art are serviceable — not bad, but not amazing, either. Characters' reactions often aren't realistic, and sometimes seem to come at the wrong time (like too early). Occasionally characters say things, but their lips don't move. The voice acting is okay. Kaneto Shiozawa particularly stands out as the voice of Marou. Background music varies between traditional Japanese-style music and ‘80s synth-pop. The ending theme is in the vein of the latter, a catchy, upbeat synth-pop track that, while nice, feels thematically inappropriate. There’s a pleasantly haunting insert song, but it doesn’t connect to the plot well (or if it does, its connection is not explained).

Overall, this OVA could have been better if it had had more time to flesh out its plot and characters. It tries to cram too much into a roughly one-hour runtime, and suffers as a result.

The issue with this OVA is that it seems like a supplement to the manga, as opposed to a standalone adaptation. It's so random that it feels like a dream. It's as if you watched Berserk and various shows with ninjas, and then fell asleep. There's so much going on, and it jumps from scene to scene and plot point to plot point. The show doesn't allow itself to breathe. Maybe it *is* a supplement to the manga, though as someone who hasn't read the manga, this was just jarring and confusing.

The characters are okay. I will ... give it some leeway because it obviously inspired Berserk and other ninja based anime after it. I even see some inspirations of Ooku in it. Though it's my logic with Princess Knight. Just because it inspired some masterpieces, doesn't mean it's a great work of art. I do grade it on a curve because I respect the influence, but I won't give too many bonus points.

I have mixed feelings about recommending. I will say that it's short. It's two OVAs, and they're about 30 minutes each. It's really just a bit over an hour overall. So watching this isn't a waste. Though it also feels like some weird fever dream.

A truly jarring experience.

There isn't really a story here, it's more like a confusing dream that you wake from and ask what does it mean? The answer is not much.
The protagonist moves through various scenarios to be provided with an excuse to do ninja stuff. The cuts between scenes and tone are really quite unpleasant. It's enough to make ones brain itch.

The main character doesn't say much, but when he does it becomes clear he thinks women are terrible. The only driving force here is his pursuit of his male friend, so maybe there is some homo-erotic subtext to the whole situation.

This is a fairly obscure anime which is a shame because it's quite good.

Story: The plot is a little confusing at times, with flashbacks and such but overall a good story about friendship and betrayal with some pretty strong emotional scenes. It also has some pretty great japanese folklore in there with ghosts, monsters and other very creepy stuff.

Art: It has some really lovely traditional animation and a style to the characters that I really like. The backgrounds are gorgeous and the action scenes are pretty great. I mean it has /ninjas/.

Sound: You should definitely watch this in japanese with the english subs. ... The english dubbing is not very good at all. Did I mention the haunting music? One song in particular, you will know it when you hear it. The rest of the tracks are okay but fairly typical 80s stuff.

Character: Characters motives are not always a hundred percent clear. For example, in some anime you have characters shouting out how they feel or what their plans are, or their thoughts and plans are revealed in a voice-overlay of their internal monologue. Blood Reign does not have this which I personally like because it allows for the audience to figure it out on their own. I can see how some people might not like this.

Enjoyment: This is a film that will leave an impression on you. There's sadness, great action scenes but also a few puzzling/weird/creepy moments that will leave you thinking.

Overall: If you like monsters, horror and/or ninjas I say check it out. If I had to compare it to anything else to give you a better sense of what
it's like I would say the mood is abit like Berserk and the plotting is similar to Ninja Scroll.

Blood Reign: Curse of the Youma is a good example of your archetypal late-80s OVA, complete with ultraviolence, passionately detailed art, and unapologetic, at times even corny, badassery. Beginning with the story, we are presented with a brief revenge tale, colored by the supernatural and undergirded by an unyielding perseverance in the face of great horrors. It's a fun, action-packed story, and justifies various high-octane fight scenes throughout. My only qualms are with its pacing and occasional inconsistency. Everything feels a tad rushed, and the big, dramatic scenes feel a little unearned at times as a result. Then, though this ... is a lesser issue, its internal lore and worldbuilding, while a very cool version of a gritty feudal Japan, seems to lose the thread at times, failing to explain how certain things work or how different plot points link together. Of course, I don't expect anything like a hard magic system from an OVA of this kind from this era, but internal consistency does go a long way and this anime could have used a little more grounding in that respect.

The art is this show's strongest aspect, lying out a dark fantasy bloodbath complete with gorgeous backgrounds, excruciatingly anatomical gore, and some genuinely impressive fight choreography. My favorite part has to be the design of the various Youma, which are uniquely otherworldly and creatively horrific.

The sound is good, meeting all standards of quality for the time, but some line deliveries and music choices make the whole production feel a little rough around the edges.

The characters are only about as good as they have to be to operate in this story, meaning that they aren't necessarily very deep. I'm not complaining here, as shallow characterization is what's standard for this particular type of anime, and doesn't really detract from the experience at all. My favorites here are Hikage and the second Aya, given that Hikage is the main badass that holds the whole show together, and Aya's interactions with Hikage highlight her more believable emotionality and even help to humanize Hikage a little bit. Overall, Blood Reign: Curse of the Youma is a fun romp of an OVA that is archetypal of anime in the late 80s. Give it a shot, especially if you like the subgenre of old gorefest OVAs.