Mugen no Juunin: Immortal

This remake of the original 2006 version was absolutely amazing, I actually don't remember what happened in the original anime, I guess I was either out of it, or I was not paying very much attention to the anime during that time, so I let it slip right through my fingers. Either way, this remake of the original, helped me realize how much I absolutely love samurai anime, because of the gore, language and carefree attitudes that samurai anime, there is something about that I rather enjoy very much. I believe it keeps my attention way longer then a regular review. Or assessment.

I entered Mugen no Jūnin: Immortal (or Blade of the Immortal (2019)) without previous knowledge of it, didn’t know that it was an adaptation for a manga of almost the same name and that this was the second time an anime adaptation has been made. To my surprise the first chapter encompassed greatly the themes and violent nature of the show, a thing that I wasn’t that prepared for, nevertheless I was swallowed by it. We follow the exploits of Manji, a wandering ronin that apparently cannot die by any normal means, and Rin, the daughter of a renowned sword Dojo leader and brutally killed alongside his wife by a newly Dojo called Itto-Ryu led by the brilliant but mortal Anotsu Kagehisa and his swordsmen peers. Rin seeks revenge for the death of her parents and ends up hiring Manji to be her bodyguard and executer. The premise’s a simple one along with the conflicts but as the plot unfolds, things aren’t as easy. It is a super-fast pacing show, and in a sense is good as the plot is always moving forward, we don’t lose any time in any episode, however, some of the things feel rushed and characters that seem important and others that are important for the story have rushed developments, so more often than not it’s hard to follow who is who and what their alliance is. It kinda works with the chaotic and deceitful nature of its themes but you better pay attention if you want to have the most of it. On the other hand, unlike many contemporary shows, there isn’t much exposition and the anime trusts you’re following up and rewarding you by doing so. Mugen is filled with great characters introduced in almost every episode, they’re likable and hateable for different reasons making them all the more compelling. Sometimes you’re getting the liking of any of them just to get a scene of how their nature works and remind you that almost every one of them is a cold-blooded killer. On that note, violence can be quite gruesome, it serves to set the mood and hyper hostile world our protagonists inhabit, but I can see someone getting uncomfortable by it. After watching Dororo (2019) I wasn’t sure if I was in the mood for more gritty samurai action, but having finished Mugen I was glad that I randomly stumbled upon it, it has the feeling and themes of the 90s and 80s sensibilities that many modern mature shows don’t have anymore. It has some uncomfortable themes and imagery but when you overcome those things you’ll have an amazing ride to think about.