homenick.elvera - 2015-11-04 22:29:08

 Sword of the Stranger was made by studio Bones, a studio I think everybody should know of because of Fullmetal Alchemist the most, Darker Than Black, Noragami and Soul Eater. 
Now you could say there was a strange thing for this movie, since it has a fairly large budget for a movie, usually in the anime industry a large budget is meant for either sequels for something that was really popular with the fans or for something that is based off of some successful source material. For Sword of the Stranger its none of these things, so the movie is filled with fast action, intense battle music and simple but effective characterization.

The look and the sound is enough to make you want to watch it until the end. The plot of the movie is fairly simple, you have a boy with his dog surviving by themselves and one day a group of soldiers comes in and tries to take them away for something. The are saved by our main character Nanashi, who is a lets say "wandering" samurai. They stick together, have some nice little adventures and later on we find out that our characters are targets of something big and they must fight the enemy to survive. Pretty simple and straightforward. 

Now while the story isn't anything new, we do actually have a big cast of characters, which is always nice but the problem is that because of the lack of time they don't have much screen time and they don't develop into something, the movie can make you think its character driven but it turns out the opposite.  

Now on to something that this movie excels in a lot, the visuals. I can't stress enough high pretty this anime is, from the realistic looking characters to the amazingly drawn battle scenes. Its truly amazing to see our main character fight the enemy in a roaring skirmish amidst snow and fire, its just breathtaking. More than just an impressive, visceral action sequence, it is tinged with emotion and dramatic tension, which drives the movie to its climax. The visuals also set the mood for the movie.

Soundtrack is also something really amazing in this movie. It makes the fights intense and dramatic, gives us some nice music to listen when everything is calm, also knows what kind of music to play when a sad scene happens and wants to make us care what happened to somebody. 

Just listen to one of the soundtracks and you will be blown away.

In conclusion, some people call this movie a classic, but I wouldn't put it up so high in, mainly because it doesn't have a crucial element to elevate it into that tier. The characters needed some more doing, as in giving us more backstory, especially for some of the side characters. The story like I said before is nothing we haven't seen before, the visuals are amazing along with epic action scenes followed by well played background music, but it never gives that extra effort needed to send it up in the classics, so that's why even the first Kara no Kyoukai movie is more of a classic than this movie.

But putting aside everything, if you want an anime with nicely done animation, full of action, beautiful music and you can ignore the slight lack of depth in characters and the completely unremarkable plot, go for it! Its your best bet especially if you have grown tired with some of the mediocre anime stuff that sadly likes to get into this medium, making people forget to appreciate anime as an art form. 

rachael.mohr - 2014-12-07 08:31:21

Though the characters and storyline aren't particularly original, they're very well done. The animation is beautiful and the fight scenes in particular are done in loving detail. 

cruickshank.filomena - 2014-11-12 05:54:59

Sword of the Stranger


Studio Bones

A spoiler free review by BasedEMP

Introduction

Disclaimer: This is my first review and I'd very much appreciate some feedback. Since Hummingbird doesn't allow comments on reviews, feel free to use my profile wall to contact me, thanks!

Sword of the Stranger is a movie by Studio Bones released in September of 2007. It has become somewhat of a cult classic, and the general opinion of this film is very high, yet it's no where near as popular as most anime series or even most anime films these days. I find that particularly sad because Sword of the Stranger deserves every bit of attention it gets and much, much more.

The story takes place during the Sengoku Jidai period in Japan. The plot follows a young boy named Kotaro who is from the Ming Empire of China and his Shiba Inu companion Tobimaru. Kotaro is hunted down by a group of officials ordered by the Ming Emperor in order to carry out a sacrificial ritual which involves killing him and draining his blood at a special shrine, which needs to be built. Very early in the movie Kotaro and Tobimaru run into a wandering ronin who calls himself Nanashi (meaning "no name"). Kotaro employs Nanashi to help him get somewhere safe and the real adventure begins from there.

Anime Breakdown

Story: While the story is not bad, it is also not all that original and really just devolves into a backdrop for the action to happen. The plot is simple, but it also serves its purpose just fine. It's not all that memorable, for good or bad.(5/10)

Characters: The characters for the most part are very likable. While they honestly are mostly copy paste warriors, they are great copy paste warriors. Everyone has a motivation and isn't just there for plot convenience, even backdrop characters. Overall I think it would be challenging to find fault with them. (8/10)

Main Character Overview

Nanashi: A wandering Ronin who agrees to escort Kotaro to someplace safe for payment. Has a troubling past that is explained throughout the movie, because of this past he has vowed to always keep his sword sheathed. Personality-wise he is humble and blunt, but also honorable. A very skilled and intelligent warrior.

Kotaro: A hotheaded kid who seems like a punk but means well. He is from Ming and is hunted by warriors who are also from Ming. He travels with his Shiba Inu companion Tobimaru.

Luo-Lang: A mysterious foreign warrior from the West hired by the Ming to help capture Kotaro for a sacrificial ritual. His motives are unclear, but it's made abundantly obvious he doesn't fight for the money. He is exceptionally skilled at combat.

Art: The art in Sword of the Stranger is absolutely gorgeous. It goes for the realistic approach rather than hyper stylized approach many anime take. The movie takes place during late autumn/early winter and Japan really couldn't look much better in animation than what Sword of the Stranger has portrayed. The backgrounds and scenery are lush, and vibrant, despite using a very brown color palette. You can't help but want to jump in your screen and go take a hike through the Japan Sword of the Stranger illustrates. As far as characters go, much detail has gone into them. They are sharp and stand out in the picture. Like the scenery, a much more realistic approach has gone into faces and body shapes. Instead of using overly large eyes and crazy colored hair, the art team has given facial features that not only look real, but even fit each character's personality. The unique faces and attention to detail in even background characters who are sword fodder and exist for 3 seconds before being disemboweled adds to the visceral feel of combat. Instead of acknowledging deaths like that as sword fodder you feel as though a human really was brutally slain instead of some dummy. Overall the art is everything you could ask for from an anime with a serious tone like the one in Sword of the Stranger.(10/10)

Animation: The animation in Sword of the Stranger is not only fluid and smooth, but it is also extremely detailed. The attention to detail is astounding. Characters will glide and slide on snow and ice, dust and leaves will blow in the wind, fog curls around the ground, trees and mountains when appropriate, rainstorms are intense and all this really sets the mood for the respective scenes perfectly. The weather effects really make the scenes come alive. Footsteps and impacts kick up snow or dirt. Emotions are portrayed clearly through character's faces and body movements. Fights are flashy and fast, yet it is still very easy to see what is going on. Combat is visceral and bloody, but not over the top. The only downside I can think of in the animation is that there is about 2 minutes total in the entire movie of some average-looking CG. It's not even bad-looking, but when put side by side with the normal animation, the normal animation blows it out of the water and makes it look out of place compared to the rest of the movie. (10/10)

Sound: Like the animation and art, I have nothing but praise for the sound design. The orchestral score for this movie is pure goodness for your ears. In action scenes the music incorporates powerful, hard hitting drums with traditional Asian instruments. It really gets the heart racing and compliments the scenes perfectly. During calmer scenes songs incorporating a variation of the flute and Asian instruments play. They are very mellow in composition, but uplifting in sound. They compliment Nanashi's and Tobimaru's relationship and personalities perfectly. There are other tones of music in the movie, and they are all equally as good. Simply put, I would be surprised if you don't listen to at least one of these songs again after watching the movie. In fact the music is so good and compliments the respective scenes so much that I felt it would be a spoiler linking most of the songs for the music sampler, so I linked what I view as one of the worst songs in the soundtrack to avoid spoiling scenes for you. As for general sound design goes, voice acting is fine and captures the emotions portrayed excellently. The Chinese admittedly doesn't sound like native Chinese (compared to the very minimal amounts of native Chinese I have heard), but it doesn't sound bad either. In terms of voice casting I'd say it was spot on. Every voice fits the face and nobody is overly annoying sounding. The sounds of battle are all great, you hear arrows whistling above and wizzing past the character's heads, the powerful sounding clang of swords and footsteps thundering. The sounds of the environment are also very immersive and well done. (10/10)

Music Sampler                                                     

Choreography and Cinematography: I know this isn't a section in the scoring but I feel this must be talked about. The fight choreography in this movie is absolutely insane, so much to the point I think it is the very best I've seen in an anime. The attention to detail is superb, whether it's characters using their surroundings to their fullest, or the awareness of the katana's attributes. The movie acknowledges that katanas were not very strong swords, they will chip, notch and even break when stressed enough or when used too much. Speaking of attention to detail, I love how much Bones showed appreciation for nature in this movie. Horses aren't Sengoku period Lamborghini's like they all too often are portrayed in anime but are actually living, breathing animals with real emotion. Horses show fatigue, and react to violent or unsettling imagery appropriately. It's a small detail but it really does have a huge effect. Even Tobimaru is done really well, he has the same reactions that you'd think a loyal dog companion would have. The cinematography in this movie really is something special.

Conclusion

If such a concept as a flawed masterpiece exists, Sword of the Stranger would be the anime poster child for the concept. The only thing holding it back from perfection is its underdeveloped story. The art, animation, sound and characters are all superb and make for a thoroughly enjoyable experience. If the lack of a great story didn't make me feel wrong for rating this alongside other anime greats, I would be giving Sword of the Stranger a perfect score. The art, animation, cinematography, sound design and overall attention to detail is in a whole other league. I feel Sword of the Stranger is one of the few anime you must watch, and I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy it (except for maybe pacifist hippies).

tl;dr Score Breakdown

Story: It does its job but isn't anything special. 5

Animation: Simply amazing with great attention to detail. 10

Sound: A standout soundtrack with great general sound design as well. 10

Character: Lovable characters with well done motives. 8                                   

Thanks for reading and I hope I have inspired you to watch this wonderful movie!

lonzo08 - 2014-07-21 10:47:17

nathanael85 - 2014-03-30 15:00:22

Thunder's review no.3: Sword of the Stranger

When I decided to watch Sword of the Stranger my expectations were set pretty high and after watching the movie I can gladly say that they were completely fulfilled. I expected good story set in interesting period of Japanese history and great productions values that studio Bones are known for, all of this were there and even more.

The Story 8/10

I was always interested in asian culture and history, it fascinated me as a huge history nerd. It was something different from the European culture that I grew to know and I became interested in Japan's history and culture particularly when I started watching anime. Sword of the Stranger is set in Sengoku Shogunate period when Japan was greatly divided in lesser clans who constantly declared wars on each other to gain more power. The story's setting is wonderfully presented and characters that that range from Japanese Samurai Warriors to foreigners from China suit it very well. Despite some light mystery plot devices conflicts in the movie feel realistic and in place in this period of cruel politics and war making.

Sword of the Stranger is a story of a boy, a hound and a former Samurai getting to know each other as they are chased by mysterious warriors from China and Japanese government. The Story is mostly about bright themes such as trust and friendship but there are also some darker undertones such as greed for power and egoistic desires. When the story itself isn't especially original it is definitely very well presented. There is always something interesting going on and amazingly EPIC fight scenes thrown in to keep viewers entertain. Only sometimes it may feel that the movie is constantly slowing down to get from the one great part to another. The final climax definitely deserves mentioning, it is everything that action flick's final climax should be. Without spoiling much I can say that there's some awesome battle. 

Sword of the Stranger is a type of movie that rewards you if you pay attention to the details, there are many things that are easily missed but matters to the plot. If your eyes did not caught everything, you can just rewatch the movie, it is really worth it.

The Animation 10/10

Let us start with one of things that make Sword of the Stranger one of my favorite anime films. Fights. Such words as EPIC are heavily overused on the internet but there is no better way of describing fight scenes in this movie. You can't call them very realistic but they still manage to suit medieval Japan's setting well enough to maintain the climate. Animations are extremely fluid and movements have real weigh to them. The facial expressions are also amazingly well done. Backgrounds are well done, in fact I would give 9 or 10 to this movie for animation if it would be aired this year and not almost seven years ago. I always find it hard to describe how good something looks without showing it so have the look at opening scene:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMg3Jqoxksg

The Sound 10/10

I found movies soundtrack very emotional, actually I think that music contributes a lot to the feel of a whole movie. Both the amazingly animated fights scenes and what comes between would not have the same impact without this wonderful soundtrack.

I did not found anything wrong with voice acting. The only "problem" that I had was the chinese voice acting. Honestly I can't tell if it's bad voice acting or just chinese doesn't sound that good to me.

The Characters 8/10

For a two hours long movie Sword of the Strangers characters are well developed. There are few characters that goals are explained, there are some greedy characters, good guys or just common folk that just care for the weather and market prices. With good diversity and development of the main cast we already have a group of maybe not completely original but interesting characters. The way different characters behave is fairly realistic and suit Japans Sengoku period and historical accuracy is always a nice touch to any series.

The Enjoyment 9/10

I really liked excellent sword play that this film have to offer and realistic medieval Japan's setting. Story wasn't very original but definitely enjoyable one. Final climax was also excellent and show rewarded my attention to details. Overall extremely enjoyable movie.

Sword of the Stranger is definitely fine piece of art and I can easily recommend it to anyone. Even if your not a fan of Japanese culture you definitely find this movie enjoyable, thanks to its extremely high production values and simple story that everybody can enjoy, more or less.

sincere78 - 2013-11-13 14:53:05

So based on a much larger and probably better manga version Sword of the Stranger brings us great animation with fluid battles, great coreography and nicely done backgrounds. After all the animation was done by BONES. And BONES knows it's animation. But... It's a BONES anime. This means it often relies on exterior and just that. And this is one of the best textbook examples of a shallow, empty exterior. Set in kendo era Japan it follows... A guy with a sword. I can't really say anything else about him. He is just and only a kind heart swordsman. It's not bad that he is kind hearted and all that but come on! I can't give him any other characteristics. He doesn't develop, doesn't have any personality, isn't interesting to watch. Next we have the child. Who, again, is just that. A child. Nothing else to describe him. An angry kid who is here for you to say ''AWWWW LIEK IF IT MADE U CRY EVERY TIME''. He has lived through a tragedy. And it's where any resemblance with an actual character end. After the kid we get the villain. Who wants to fight the strongest enemy. And that he does and doesn't do anything else, it's the only thing I can say about him. The story, like the characters is simple to the point of nothing interesting going on. The kid does something wrong. He is chased by some evil people. He is saved. Than kidnapped again. Than they want to do him more harm. Than he is saved. And than it ends.

julio.haley - 2013-10-24 03:34:53

Short Review:

The animation is smooth as butter, the characters intriguing and fun. The music is sweet as can be, I have the compilation on my laptop and my phone so I can listen when ever I feel the need.

While the ending worked perfectly, I do find myself wishing I could watch more of the characters, not just the main characters Kotarou, Nanashi and Tobimaru, but many of the antagonists and side characters as well.

In depth:

Story: 7
At it's base, it's a very common story. A swordsman is hired by a boy to protect him (and his dog) while being pursued by antagonists that work for a king seeking imortality. But the way it is presented is extremely enjoyable. Best of all, no irritating "love interest" character and the "fanservice", if you can even call it that, is entirely plot oriented and a great scene anyway.

I liked how the plot didn't simply stick with the main characters, and you get to see things unfold not just from the antagonists as well, but a third party politically entwined with the antagonists.

I would say only one maybe two characters seem like straight up villains, but that doesn't make any blade hesitate. There are no long winded speeches about good and evil, or any attempts to win one side or another over. There is an overarching story of regret and redemption but you always feel these are personal, and the main character never once bitches about the mistakes he's made in his life.

Animation: 10

the animation is in a word, stunning. Everything flows smoothly, there is a crazy attention to detail, and it's all very nice to look at, from the environment to the characters to the blood and mild gore. Some might criticize the color pallet of the movie but I liked it and thought the slightly dulled tones fit the scenes and helped with the visual story telling.

The battle scenes are absolutely the cream of this film. My Gods. they are as gorgeous as they are unrelentingly brutal. Nothing is left out, no one is safe. Honestly I was left in a giggling mess of jubilation watching the climatic battle scenes towards the end of the movie. Even the torture scene was delightfully detailed and turns the stomach just right. ♥

Sound: 10

Great sound quality. I already mentioned I adore the soundtrack, which is in turn whimsical and blood-pumping. I watched this movie with subs and so suffered none of the out of sync sound problems that I've heard plague the dub. (although that is hearsay, as I haven't watched the dub)

Character:

The nameless swordsman, or Nanashi, is probably my favorite character. A quiet character, but not silent or overly stoic. He clearly has a sense of humor without it being overdone. You feel there is much to him that is never fully explained, but he never feels under-explored. I have 0 criticism towards this character. He's freaking flawless in design and presentation.
Kotarou, the other main-character doesn't have as great an introduction. He feels somewhat bratty, being overly defensive, un-trusting, and even talks his own distrust in a circle (I can't trust you because you'll do anything for money, Anyone offering to help for free is lying and can't be trusted, but you're untrustworthy because you won't help for free. etc) But he grows on you. And his affection for Tobimaru and eventually Nanashi feels very genuine.
Tobimaru I fucking love this dog. He's great. Honestly He's up there with some of the best of anime canines.
Rarou/Luo-Lang is a pretty cool, though simple character. He has a simple desire, and he sticks to it. He never acts out of character and isn't even a hypocrite, which is rare for his 'type' of character in anime. Dude is brutal and you'll love every moment of it.

Overall Enjoyment: 10

Considering my gushing review, it can't be a surprise that I rated this 10. I loved every moment of this movie, Whenever I go to watch a single scene, I end up watching the whole movie. If you haven't seen this movie you're definitely missing out.

krystal.considine - 2013-10-02 06:25:59

Although not old in its creation, I feel like its a throwback in its story. I did enjoy watching it, I think because I could appreciate its simplicity. Do check this one out if not for its fight scenes.

miller80 - 2013-09-03 04:11:03

I got high expectations for this movie for I heard it won an award in Brazil. And somehow I was not disappointed, this film truly delivered. A movie about redemption that did not drag too much and has an epic animation and soundtrack to boot.

Its a story of a small yet tough boy named Kotarou and his dog. They are wandering aimlessly in a vast land in search for a high priest and his temple and they needed all the help they can get. One fateful day he stumbled across a stranger with a sword tied to its scabbard. After this unlikely wanderer saved Kotarou's life, the boy offered him a job to escort him to the temple. What follows is a tale that is not overly complicated plotwise but is played out so well that it is epic in its own rights.

The plot is a bit deeper than it seems on the surface, some sort of conflict between traditions and how foreigners are seen during the early shogunate periods of Japan. Add some cult and the implications of substance abuse and this is not something that is easy to grasp. The story revolves in two perspective, the side of the wandering group and the side of the enemy. There is also some parts that focuses on the shogun lord and his men, but this is just as a plot addition and we are somewhat left in the dark on why the conflict between them and the foreigners did not escalate fast enough to begin with. I guess this is just silly plot mechanic to not doubt the foreigners who are building random crap on your backyard and just let them be, unless they do something stupid like kidnap your leader or do random unauthorized ceremonies. The story could have made better sense overall if it weren't for this major flaw in the flow of events. Guess the whole thing focuses on the side of Kotaro and nameless samurai so much that this is just something that can be forgivable in a sense.

The animation quality is amazing, a common norm in anime movies, but this is a huge step up. Knowing that this is a shogunate era film expect sword combats, lots of it. And damn these sword figths are good. All I can say is that if most fight scenes in anime shows are like this guess we will have less rants about people complaining about battle scenes only composing of speedlines and stop animation with lots of (unnecessary) shouting. An astounding feat that truly set the bar high for anime in general. Its not hesitant on the bloodshed as well. The whole film is truly gory and copious amounts of blood are splattered. If you are going to make a proper samurai movie make sure its very violent and bloody, and yes, they follow this norm fairly well.

Sound is just a equally great. The soundtrack is something truly worth mentioning. Composed of intense battle tracks and very calming interludes it is a feast for the ears. I cannot say much for the dubbing since I watched the locally dubbed version but I am guessing they did good on that part as well.

Overall very intruiging and engaging anime movie that will have you at the edge of the seats and calm your senses at the same time. It has some flaws, especially on character development and wacky plot progressions, but those are somewhat forgivable. Make sure you check it out for this is very recommended especially for you samurai geeks.

ebradtke - 2013-05-30 23:39:55

Sword of the Stranger is a great exciting action movie that will have you glued to your seat throughout the whole experience. As expected from Bones, the animation is incredible and the entire package comes together to provide one of the best anime movies ever made. Story: 7.5The story is probably the worst part of this anime. That is not to say it is bad, it is just nothing special. A samurai saves a child from those who are hunting him and the anime kicks off from there focusing on themes such as companionship and loyalty. The plot is a rather generic "king wants immortality by sacrifice" story but it still remains enjoyable despite not being fully impressive. However, this anime definitely gets a bonus for having no fan-service and romance (I hate romance). Art and Animation: 9 The animation is simply top notch. Its hard to see how it can get better than this. The weather effects are amazingly animated, the fight scenes flow smoothly and are well choreographed. The general attention to detail is completely stunning. Everything from the blood spewing from the characters after they are struck and then sparks caused by clashes of blades show that Bones truly are animation gods. The art can use some work however. The whole anime felt a bit dull and grey looking and some of the characters looked significantly worse than others. However, the general scenery and backgrounds are great.Sounds: 9Sometimes I felt like the audio was slightly out of sync but maybe its cause I was watching the dub. Either way, no real issues and its worth mentioning that the movie boasts an excellent soundtrack. The sound effects are flawless as well, with everything sounding as expected.Characters: 8The main samurai character and the blonde haired chinese mercenary were the coolest and most epic characters in this anime. The rest are nothing special and just exist for the 2 warriors to show off their awesomeness. The kid got on my nerves as he felt like a spoiled brat. Quite weird for someone who was being raised in a temple. The character development was smooth and soon enough all the main characters became likable. I even grew attached to the dog. However, the supporting characters to the leads were still lacking and were simply there to hack meat and then be meat themselves.Enjoyment: 10 Despite the criticisms, I can tell you that they are all minor things that wont stop you from enjoying this anime. I considered marking it off to a 9 due to the kid getting on my nerves in the beginning but he redeemed himself by the end and I was glued to my seat throughout the whole show. Absolutely EPIC anime.Overall: Minor issues hold this anime back from perfection but its still probably the best action anime movie available. Watch it, you wont be disappointed.