Basilisk Plot Summary:
In a time when feudal lords fought for the glory of their shogun and when intrigue was rampant in the palace, two feuding ninja clans quietly waged a war of extinction.
The Kouga and the Iga are two of Japan’s oldest and most powerful ninja clans. Tucked away in separate valleys in the scenic Japanese landscape, the two ninja ryu have fought a fierce war for over 400 years. No one remembers why the two loathe each other, but it’s a sentiment that has been passed down and nurtured through generations on both sides, just as if it were a family name or heirloom.
Now, two representatives of each clan openly duel for the pleasure of the retired shogun, Tokagawa Ieyasu. These two are no ordinary shinobi; they have special abilities that far outstrip their “normal” counterparts. They duel now so that the shogun can gauge their talents so he may best know how to wield them or dispose of them if necessary.
The elderly shogun is amazed and disturbed at the power of the two ninja clans. With his house ninja, Hanzo Hattori, by his side him, the shogun enacts a plan to deal with pressing issues; the choosing of the shogun’s successor and the elimination of what the shogun deems dangerous elements: Kouga Ryu and Iga Ryu.
The plan is simple: Kouga and Iga would each represent one of the emperor’s choices for shogun. A battle would be decreed and the next shogun would be chosen by whomever was left at the end of the ninpo war. That’s the official story. The unofficial story is the hopeful elimination of Kouga and Iga’s most fearsome fighters in a ninpou war. Kouga Danjo and Iga Oden, heads of each clan respectively, draw up a battle roster with ten names of each clan’s best fighters. The roster also represents the end of the anti-war pact that has restrained the Kouga and Iga from offing each other. The war pact now rescinded, the two ninja representatives speed away towards their valleys with news and the rosters. Unaware of any of this are the successors to the family heads: Iga Oboro and Kouga Gennosuke. The two were betrothed in the hope of unifying both clans. Although they had only met once before the betrothal, the two are now madly in love with each other and are eager to end the bitter hate between their clans.
But their love is not to be as the ninpou battle slowly unfolds in secret and then at a greater, grander pace and scale. Can they transcend the hate that has bound their two clans in bitter rivalry? Will they stay true to their love and their beliefs?
-
Basilisk is my most favorite anime out there. The story is just too good and very sad. Clannad After Story and Onegai Teacher's emotional scenes are just below Basilisk's emotional scenes in my opinion. (Basilisk, Onegai Teahcer and Clannad are my top three anime)
*SPOILER WARNING*
There were two moments for me that were very sad. The scene where Gennosuke and Oboro were under the stairs and their tears touched. The second scene was where Oboro killed herself from stabbing her heart and at that exact moment when she falls, Gennosuke's eyes were free.
The way they showed the story, everyone's fate, Gennosuke & Oboro's love for one another, and the hatred between the two clans was just remarkable. You feel so winded up in the anime, you really feel what they were going through. At the end, the outcome made me bawl. The pain at the bottom of my neck hurt badly. When they played that song at the end, it fit the scene so perfectly, it just really completes the whole feeling. This is why I recommend Basilisk. No matter what, you will end up in tears. It's just too good.
Discuss:
-Favorite characters and why
-Least favorite characters and why
-Why you like Basilisk
-Which character had the worst death in your opinion
-Certain scenes you like that you would like to share
-Anything else related to Basilisk
*Please be on topic*