Ninjas, samurais, mobile suits and a crazy lady with a gatling gun oh my. Based on a series of video games Sengoku Basara is an anime that takes place during the warring states period of Japanese History which mixes traditional warriors and history with some of the most fanciful off the wall characters that I've seen in some time. Ok after thinking about it and re-reading my review...it sucked so here's another shot at it. [updated Aug 5, 2009]
Ninjas, check! Samurai warriors, check! Hot chicks in revealing outfits, check! Mobile Suit armor...wait what? Oh OK check! Insane weapons and superhuman abilities, check! Feudal Japan warring states large scale standing armies of young men willing to throw their lives away as cannon fodder, yup check! Basara is one of those suspend reality turn off your reasoning and thinking and just sit back enjoy the fanservice and battles of an anime very loosely based around the warring states period. The anime started out as a handful of video games of the same nature and takes from the video games the characters and plot basicly a handful of the warring states generals band together to defeat the self appointed Devil King who is out to take over Japan by pretty much killing everyone.
On the bad guy side you have the Devil King a super insane leitenant who likes to relish in other's pain as well as his own. A crazy lady who has a thing for guns and can whip out a gatling gun for fun. There is even a young dude who's an archer with little screen time but enough to know that he's a bad ass with a bow and arrow.
On the good guy side is several crazy Generals and leitenants of various feudal states with their own unique personalities, weapons and abilities. And one hot little blond ninja lady who I think ends up being more about comedy relief than a kick ass warrior like she could be. We see little snippets of her fighting but then we also see more of her cleavage as well. In any case she's just like the rest of them and just way out there for what she can do and with what.
I really did enjoy the series it was a fun little time waster not epic not OMFG you have to see this but just fun and enjoyable in that far fetched fantasy of the warring states idea. Luckily for those of you who missed it FUNimation has licensed the first season which I'm thinking will also include the forth coming 13th episode OVA and double hopefully the second season that will be out during the spring(?) season. While I probably wouldn't buy it myself I do have to admit that as soon as I can I'll be adding it to my Netflix queue. I've included the opening to the series so that you can check it out, so enjoy.
