Anime Column] Tokimeki☆Time Trips No. 11 "Basilisk: Koga Ninpocho" - An outlandish ninja game and a romantic drama. A masterpiece of historical drama animation!

I still love it when I look at it now!"
Why were they so popular with the ladies?"
There is a reason for everything that is interesting!　A female anime writer takes a look back at some nostalgic works that have become hits with female anime fans.

This time, we take a look at "Basilisk: Koga Ninpocho" (2005), a masterpiece of historical anime.

Onihei," an anime adaptation of Shotaro Ikenami's popular historical novel, is currently being broadcast to celebrate its 50th anniversary. More and more people are opening their eyes to the appeal of period drama anime.

What if there had been such a hero in our country hundreds of years ago? What if there had been such incidents behind the scenes of history? The charm of historical drama is that it is a fantasy that is connected to our modern world.

The author, who was awakened to the charms of Futaro Yamada's works by "Basilisk: Koga Ninpocho," introduces the enjoyment of these works, which attract women as well.

A ninja competition among 20 ninjas for the third Tokugawa heir

Basilisk: Koga Ninpocho" opens with an episode from the backstage of history that is well known to everyone.

Tokugawa Ieyasu, who unified the country, was torn between which of his brothers, the sons of the second shogun, Hidetada, would be his successor, and decided to let a ninja war between the Kouga and Iga clans decide the issue by proxy.

Originally, the Kouga Manjidani clan and the Iga Tsubagakure clan were both followers of Hattori Hanzo, but had been irreconcilable enemies for several hundred years. When an order is given to break the covenant of non-war, a total of 20 ninja, 10 from each side, kill each other using all their ninjutsu beyond human understanding.

Kouga Gennosuke, grandson of the Kouga chieftain, and Oboro, grandson of the Iga chieftain, were in love on the eve of the celebration, but were torn apart by this fateful turn of events.

The Kouga Manjidani-shu and the Iga Tsubagakure-shu target, taunt, and crush each other. Which of them will survive and be the winner in the end? ......

This is a no-holds-barred, action-packed entertainment in which aliens and super-humans play an active role!

The ninjutsu they use is outrageous. There are rubber people whose arms and legs can grow, those who can manipulate long hair, those who can change their faces at will and transform into others, those who become invisible, and those who come back to life no matter how many times they die. ...... Just counting up their abilities, I feel that they are so dense that I would not be able to add two or three of Weekly Shonen Jump's signature works to the list.

Their battles as a group are also interesting: what abilities each of them possesses is not revealed until they fight, and the timing and combination of their abilities add to the competition.

First of all, surprise is the best way to win, and you must make the first move. The one who makes the first move has a definite advantage. In the case of a battle of opposites, compatibility of abilities comes into play; an ability that can beat 9 out of 10 opponents may be defeated because of a clash with an incompatible opponent.

Furthermore, in some situations, it may be one against several. There are schemes, plots, deceptions, and rivalries that come into play. The game is very fast-paced and full of unexpected twists and turns, leaving no time to catch your breath.

The basilisk is an imaginary snake-like animal in Europe that was believed to be poisonous and kill anyone who saw it. In this work, Gennosuke and Oboro each possess an invincible "pupil technique" that takes effect when seen. It is likely that this animal's name was applied to the title.

The worldview in which despair and sorrow dominate is vivid!

To put it simply, this is a story in which the characters are constantly fighting to reduce their numbers. The title of the first episode is a vivid reminder of the worldview and atmosphere of the story. The title "My Beloved, Die (Sorae)" appears at the beginning of each episode.

Then, "Jinbetsu-cho" appears with a flame. The scroll lists the names of 20 people who were nominated to represent both the Kouga and the Iga. The names of those who have been defeated are then covered with blood. The number of names erased increases with each story.

The most fascinating aspect of this work, in addition to the spectacular battle of supernatural powers, is its compelling tragedy. Regardless of the ending, there is a power that compels you to see it through, and you will be taken with it whether you want to or not.

The tragic love and unrequited love between a beautiful man and a beautiful woman is heartbreakingly poignant.

The reason why female fans are also attracted to this work is that it can be enjoyed in a variety of ways as a romantic drama.

At the top of the list is the tragic love between Gennosuke and Oboro. In the midst of a bleak world, their feelings are pure, tender and beautiful to the point of sadness. Incidentally, the two are still in a clean relationship. They hold hands and walk together, and their shyness is very first-time.

Oboro is a natural screw-up, and Gennosuke is an impossibly refreshingly handsome man. Both are single-mindedly devoted to the other and sincerely hope for the peace that will bring reconciliation between the two villages. They are the refreshing refreshment in this story of endless battles, but the painfully sad depiction of their distress and pain at not wanting to fight was just as painful.

Each of these leading couples also has a fellow village member who has a crush on the other. Chikuma Koshiro, a childhood friend who grew up with Oboro, is like a sister to her. He harbors antipathy toward Gennosuke, whom Oboro adores, and is troubled by the outbursts of Yakushiji Tenzen, whom he serves. He is a simple and cute younger brother type.

Gennosuke's admirer is Kagero, also a member of the Kouga Manjidani-shu. He is unable to be with Gennosuke because of his constitution, which causes his breath to become poison when he loves a man. He is the closest to the man he loves, but he cannot even kiss him. She plays the role of a rival who hates Oboro, but her feminine heart is sad and she is not hateful.

Attractive female characters, forms of love depicted

There are also other couples. They are Yashamaru and Hotarubi, a beautiful boy/girl couple from the Iga Tsubagakureshu. Hotarubi is quite scary because of the gap between her maidenly love for her lover and her harshness toward her enemies. Nowadays, we might say that she is a Yandere who loves too much and gets sick.

Dusty are Kisaragi Saemon (Kisaragi Saemon) and Ogoi (Koi), siblings of the Koga Manjidani-shu. Ogoi, whose breasts are shaking in the opening scene, seems to be the sexy one, but in fact she is an innocent and cute younger sister who loves her big brother. The love between the two siblings is highly amicable, which makes the farewell episode especially tearful.

Akeginu, a member of the Iga of Tsubagakureshu, is a strong and devoted sister character. Akeginu is Oboro's caretaker, and she is considerate of her fellow ninja, compassionate, calm, and dependable in battle. He is also a very reliable fighter. "I would give up my skin for the sake of ninpo. What's wrong with that? He has the grace of an adult. She is also cute when she has feelings for the wounded Koshiro (who is probably younger than her). She is probably the best woman in this work.

The female characters are all very strong and attractive in their own way. The main attraction of this work is that you can enjoy various "forms of love.

The male characters are rich, numbing, and moe!

Of course, the male characters are also very attractive.

In the handsome and handsome boy category, we have Koga Gennosuke, Yashamaru, and Chikuma Koshiro, as mentioned above.

In the cool, calm, and intelligent group of strategists, the blind master Muroga Hyoma of the Kouga Manjidani-shu and the mild-mannered schemer Kisaragi Saemon are highly recommended.

The brains of the Iga Tsubagakureshu are Yakushiji Tenzen. He is more of a shadowy chieftain and a last boss than a strategist, as he does not hesitate to use any means to achieve victory, and even tries to subdue Oboro, his main plot device. He is a lecher, an enemy of women, and truly vicious!　But he tends to let his guard down and is often defeated, which is cute and interesting.

The male characters in this work are the essence of their charm. The real charm of the male characters in this work lies in their strong old men who are so far removed from human beings that they are almost too human. They are too human, and they have charm.

Azuki Rousai, an old man whose arms and legs grow long.
Mino Nenki, who has too much body hair.
Amayo Jingoro has the constitution of a slug.
Kasumi Gyobu, who spends his days in the nude for the sake of ninjutsu.

These are just a few of the "What the hell is that? These strange and unusual old men gradually start to look cute. In particular, the slug man, Jingoro Ameya, was a topic of conversation at the time of the broadcast, as he became more and more creepy-cute with his pathetic and hilarious antics.

From novel to comic to anime. The baton passed on, the enjoyment of connecting

Based on Futaro Yamada's masterpiece historical novel "Koga Ninpocho," which was serialized from 1958 to the following year. This work triggered the "Ninpocho" boom. From 2003 to 2004, manga artist Masaki Segawa adapted it into a comic book, and in 2005, GONZO made an anime version (which was later adapted into a pachinko/pachislot game, further increasing the number of fans).

This work is a fresh and powerful anime that even today's anime fans, who are used to seeing battles with different powers, will find fresh and powerful. The quality of the artwork, which depicts the battle of the ninja with different powers as action filled with a sense of sharpness and a sense of wonder, is of an extremely high quality.

The gentle direction, which makes the viewer feel emotionally involved with the characters, is also of a high level of perfection. The quality of the work, which was originally created as a novel about half a century ago, is vividly brought back to life today. It overturns the assumption that "old works are not so interesting," and that "old works are not so interesting. This is a great way to overturn the assumption that "old works are not so interesting.

The "Ninpocho" series by Futaro Yamada was subsequently adapted into comic books by Masaki Segawa: "Yagyu Ninpocho" → "Y10M - Yagyu Ninpocho" and "Makai Tensei" → "10 - Ninpo Makai Tensei". The main character in both series, the one-eyed swordsman Jubei Yagyu, was once a very popular character in period dramas, a good man whom both men and women love. I would like to see this one in anime as well.

(Text by YAMAYU)

Basilisk: Koga Ninpocho [Blu-ray].

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