MovieChat Forums > Basilisk: Kôga ninpô chô (2005) Discussion > This is NOT the worst series I've ever s...

This is NOT the worst series I've ever seen...but that's the problem.

posted 13 years ago by Seiryu
2 replies | jump to latest

**Spoilers are likely, if that kind of thing worries you***

Thanks to Netflix Instant, I recently saw this series in its entirety. For the most part, I was really enjoying this show...but then it ended.

Basilisk is a series that just doesn't realize its potential solely by being so predictable. The initial set-up between Danjo and Ogen should NOT have been as foreshadowing as it turned out to be. The series had so many possible directions to take that could've led to a similar yet far more interesting conclusion. Instead, I had friends that predicted exactly what would happen without even seeing a single episode and I hate that they were right. But not as much as I hate aspects of the show that betray its chance at being a series worth remembering.

The character design is a brilliant touch as the obvious intention was to craft characters with appearances that made it nigh-impossible to decipher which side of the conflict was "the villain." Unfortunately, character actions, history, and motivations don't do the Kouga too many favors. Nor does the fact that we are introduced to the clans through Shogen of the Kouga and Yashamaru of the Iga. The Iga clan's actions were also within the frames of an ongoing war, even when they were plotting to use the Kouga's ignorance of the dissolution of the No-hostilities pact to their advantage. Even being aware of this, Jingoro not only retracted his assassination attempt on Gennosuke, but he told Josuke of the pact's dissolution before killing him. That was fairly honorable, but the same can't be said of the Kouga. They planned an ambush in Manjidani without truly knowing the intentions of the Iga. Since they had no knowledge of the status of the No-hostilities pact, their subsequent attack of the Iga was a knowing violation of said pact. Their attack on Yashamaru was all based on the ASSUMPTION that the pact had been nullified. Practically everything right down to Tenzen's back-story shows the Kouga to be unrepentant scum by comparison. But that's really only the tip of the iceberg of things gone wrong here.

As much as I found no reason to ever truly side with the Kouga at any point, I found myself hating one character more than anyone else in the series...Oboro.

I'll expand on that later...

[–] ludovico_88 12 years ago

Really? I actually saw myself siding with Kouga all the way to the end (except at the very start... who sides with an ugly human spider right?). Jingoro didn't refract his attempt, he simply didn't have the guts to pull it against Gennosuke when he was spotted. The Manjidani trap was also right since the big guy felt Iga's true purposes with his telepathy.

I'm just thinking if Yashamaru's death was based on an assumption or not, I can't recall. I thought Kouga already knew about the open war status at the time.

Since you liked Iga much more than Kouga I can assume your Oboro dislike is linked to her initiative on sealing her eyes... wich I kinda agree. She sucks as a leader.

The Past is an illusion. It is indeterminate and probabilistic.

[–] Unicorn_Blade 11 years ago

I think some things, like the fact you preferred Iga, have to do with the way of fighting. I can't remember where I read this, but most Kouga were specialising in 'clandestine' non-battle skills (deception, shape shifting, poison), while Iga were more skilled in actual combat; I do believe that Kouga had a slight advantge at the beginning.

I do not think the series finale and the fact you can easily figure it out was such a disappointment. I mean, it is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet theme, and we all know how that ended, so with or without the foreshadowing of the first episode, and the knowledge that only one one clan could survive, you would have guessed what the ending result will be. I do not think the series is all about a surprise twist/ending, etc, it's about how the characters get there.

In terms of honour, the hatred made it that neither party had shown much of it. Iga first planned the assassination of Gennosuke, then they attacked the Manjidani village out of the blue, but were overwhelmed and had to withdraw, while the Kouga still did not know about the end of the pact. I would not call that particularly honourable. Jingorou also did not ill Gennosuke not because he changed his mind but because Oboro interfered; otherwise he would have proceeded with his plan.