Ask John: Is Shigurui Good?

Question:
Just wondering if you have seen the Shigurui anime recently done by Madhouse? Is it any good? Is it disgusting and repulsive like Apocalypse Zero? I ask because the story sounds good but my stomach can only take so much.

Answer:
The summer 2007 anime television series Shigurui is a bit of an oddity in relation to American anime fans because, in many respects, it should be relatively popular, but in fact it’s not well known among American anime fans at all. The 12 episode samurai story is not pornographic, but is clearly intended exclusively for mature viewers. Dark and violent swordplay stories including Basilisk, Jubei Ninpucho (known in America as “Ninja Scroll”), Makai Tensho (known in America as “Ninja Resurrection”), and Berserk are quite popular among American fans, but oddly Shigurui is not. The anime series is based on Takayuki Yamaguchi’s manga adaptation of Norio Nanjo’s novel “Suruga-jou Gozen Jiai.” While Nanjo may not be a familiar name to American anime fans, Yamaguchi is well known in the American fan community as the creator of the gruesome, post-apocalyptic martial arts action manga “Apocalypse Zero” (“Kakugo no Susume”). The Kakugo no Susume manga and its anime adaptation have not been especially popular in America, but that alone shouldn’t entirely explain the unpopularity of Shigurui because Shigurui is, in many respects, very different from Kakugo no Susume. However, I do think I understand why Shigurui is rather overlooked and unappreciated in America. It’s not because the series is bad. It’s largely to do with the style of the series, and the fact that it’s good but not without some flaws.

The Shigurui anime bears much more overt similarity to traditional Japanese samurai films – particularly rather seedy and violent ones like the “Tokugawa Onna Keibatsu” series, the “Nemuri Kyoshiro” series, the “Goyokiba” series, and Kihachi Okamoto’s classic “Daibosatsu Touge” – than it compares to the gleefully absurd excess of Takayuki Yamaguchi’s Kakugo no Susume. The Shigurui anime is a grim and morbid drama with a sinister atmosphere of dread and shocking, sudden violence, and plenty of nudity, sex, sadism, blood, and brutality. At the same time, the series extensively employs the slow pace, the long pauses, and the languid, abstract cinematography characteristic of traditional Japanese cinema. In fact, the entire 12 episode series is literally the depiction of a single sword fight, with extensive flashbacks used to illustrate how and why the two fighters have come to face each other in a duel to the death.

Although the Shigurui anime does contain graphic nudity, sexuality, bloody gore, and scenes of shocking violence, what viewers actually see on screen is frequently glimpsed only briefly, or not seen at all. The series makes full use of the viewer’s imagination by often concentrating on abstract or indirect cues that signify the violence rather than concentrating on a fetishistic examination of the gore itself. As a result, the Shigurui anime doesn’t match the excessive, grotesquely graphic excess of titles like Kakugo no Susume or Riki-Oh, but Shigurui’s judicious restraint actually makes it even more intense. The grim, deathly serious violence and gore frequently glimpsed in Shigurui packs a powerful punch because it can’t be easily laughed off like the absurd, exploitive excess of Kakugo no Susume or Riki-Oh.

The characters in Shigurui are difficult for modern viewers to relate to because they’re so doggedly devoted to strict Bushido ideals that don’t exist in modern society. Furthermore, the Shigurui anime takes a few episodes to settle into a rhythm and fully reveal itself. The early episodes feel a bit pretentious, and feel under-produced instead of consciously minimalist. The first episode consists almost entirely of talking heads, so American viewers that expect samurai anime to include action, and anime fans that may not be familiar with the measured pacing of traditional Japanese “chambara” films may find the early episodes of Shigurui very dull and uninvolving. However, viewers with a high tolerance for depictions of cruelty, a stomach for macabre imagery, and a taste for fascinating dramatic tragedy will be amply rewarded by sticking with the series.

As the series reaches its second quarter, it begins to clearly reveal its character motivations, the story’s plot points, and the series’ adult content. As relationships and tensions become clear, viewers overcome their initial alienation and begin to empathize with the characters and become engrossed in the story. Furthermore, as it develops, the series begins to slowly reveal the deadly, secret sword techniques that its characters use. These amazing techniques are like nothing I’ve ever seen before in any anime or live action film. They’re even more impressive because they all seem like plausibly realistic techniques that extensively trained swordsmen could actually perform. I can’t be more specific than that because actually seeing what these techniques are is part of the fun of the show.

The Shigurui anime isn’t especially unique in the context of the heritage of Japanese cinema, but it is unique compared to other contemporary anime. I think that the series may be especially daunting to American viewers because its first three or four episodes are difficult for American viewers to relate to and appreciate. Part of that inaccessibility is doubtlessly due to culture shock. Some blame may also be levied upon the show itself taking a few episodes to firmly establish its voice. In my opinion, Shigurui isn’t one of the very best anime productions of 2007, but it lies closer to the top of the ranking than the middle or bottom. The show is quite good, and amply rewarding for viewers that are diligent enough to faithfully watch it. But it’s not a show for timid or easily offended viewers. That’s not meant as an insult, as there’s nothing at all wrong with being someone that doesn’t like graphic, gruesome entertainment. Shigurui isn’t an exploitive, trashy z-grade gore fest; it’s a methodical and artistic drama that uses grotesque imagery, situations, and events to illustrate its violent story. The gruesome material in Shigurui is integral to the presentation of the story rather than the primary point of the production. So I think that the Shigurui anime is very good, but it’s definitely not a show for everyone.