The original Ninja Scroll anime is widely regarded as one of the most exciting and visually resplendent action-adventure films ever created, animated or otherwise. So naturally, when the marketing team behind the OAV sequel Ninja Resurrection sat down to iron out how they were going to "sell" this series of telefilms, they decided to evoke Ninja Scroll as much as possible. This included similar packaging, using the same font in the labeling, the obvious similarities in title names, and using the subtitle "The Revenge of Jubei" to remind viewers of Jubei Kibagami, the intrepid hero of the first film. And so, the sequel Ninja Resurrection  was born, unleashed to a world of fans drooling and hyperventilating for more exciting adventures in the dark, terrifying, and powerful world created in the original film.

Except that Ninja Resurrection wasn't a sequel to Ninja Scroll. In fact, it had nothing to do with Ninja Scroll at all. Writer/director Yoshiaki Kawajiri, whose talents elevated Ninja Scroll from being "just another bloody hack/slash anime" to something closely resembling a near classic of the genre, had nothing to do with Ninja Resurrection. The new "film" – which consists of two forty-minute OAV episodes entitled "The Revenge of Jubei" and "Hell's Spawn" – does feature a character named Jubei… only a different Jubei entirely. This Jubei is the legendary Jubei Yagyu, a legendary folk hero of samurai folklore. The setting is also different: Ninja Resurrection sells itself as a historical epic, firmly rooted in the time period just following the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate in early 1600s.

What Ninja Resurrection also lacks is a compelling narrative. The first episode centers largely around the Shimabara Riot, in which 40,000 Christians (mostly farmers) formed an uprising against the local daimyo, taking refuge in an island castle before shogunate troops (with help from Dutch ships) took the castle and slaughtered the inhabitants. A historical epic set against such a powerful and tragic real event is definitely ripe with strong storytelling possibilities, but "The Revenge of Jubei" is a dull endeavor. You have the requisite violence, bloodletting, action scenes, and mysticism bursting with would-be grandeur, but the story simply seems to move from one point to another without reason, flow, style, or compulsion. The abrupt ending and grandly unfocused storyline probably did not do too much to endear the film to anime fans, either.

The second episode, "Hell's Spawn", fares somewhat better than the original. In fact, compared to "The Revenge of Jubei", "Hell's Spawn" is pretty decent. It takes place months after the previous episode, and centers its focus to a smaller group of characters and a more interesting plot. Due to the events of the first episode, many terrifying demons are discovered haunting the countryside. Meanwhile, Jubei experiences a crisis of conscience, tiring of the violence and bloodshed that has haunted his life and career as a samurai, and is advised to seek out the legendary Japanese swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi. And then, as things seem to being coalescing into place... the episode ends abruptly in a most frustrating manner. Up until that point, there is a fair amount of gore, violence, nudity, and bloodletting that will satisfy that the depraved tendencies in all of us, but those looking for a compelling, satisfying narrative will have to look elsewhere. "Hell's Spawn" is worlds better than "The Revenge of Jubei", but its abbreviated running time, incomplete story, and somewhat generic style will do little to compel the anime enthusiast or encourage the neophyte.

Ninja Resurrection: Essential Anime Collection collects both episodes on one DVD.