Get ready for gallons of blood and fiery battles.
Madhouse did not skimp on interesting solutions and bloody fights, and created one of the best and most brutal seinen – Shigurui: Death Frenzy. This is a bloody story of samurai revenge and confrontation of outstanding swordsmen of the Edo era.
What Is Shigurui About?
The Edo period, the reign of the Tokugawa clan. Tadanaga Tokugawa, brother of the third shogun and daimyo of the Suruga province, decides to amuse himself in an unusual way: he holds a tournament among his samurai subjects using real weapons.
The first duel features two famous masters whose very appearance inspires fear: Gennosuke Fujiki is missing his left arm, and Seigen Irako is blind. However, both are considered to be among the best swordsmen of their time.
This is not their first battle: the warriors are bound by a deep and complex conflict that has not only scarred their bodies, but also crippled their souls.
Shigurui Is Not Your Ordinary Samurai Story
Shigurui stands out from the crowd of usual stories about samurai, where they are somehow portrayed as noble warriors. There are almost no positive characters here: most of them are unlikely to evoke any emotions other than hostility, and in some cases even disgust.
The central conflict is framed by smaller stories that intersect with it in one way or another. However, with a big story where there was room for a few dozen characters, Shigurui stays focused on the main duo.
When Fujiki or Irako are not on screen, the others are most likely dealing with the consequences of their decisions.
Shigurui Features Unusual Fights
And as expected, there was room for fights – and this is perhaps the most interesting thing about the series.
The fights in the anime are extremely quick and incredibly bloody. As in reality, there is no room for long and beautiful battles: the fights are without grace and usually end in a quick defeat of one of the parties.
The end is accompanied by severed limbs and a lot of blood – and it doesn't look aesthetically pleasing. Some of the scenes are very graphic – and this is worth considering before watching.
Shigurui Is One of the Most Ghounded Seinen Titles Out There
In general, Shigurui is an extremely down-to-earth anime, where many things are shown without embellishments. If there is something that can cause aesthetic pleasure, it is the general contemplation and attention to detail.
Despite the cruelty and the focus on revenge, there are often quieter scenes: be it cicadas sitting in trees or running water.
The main drawback of the anime is its incompleteness: the adaptation of the manga by Takayuki Yamaguchi covers about 30 chapters out of more than 80 – and much is left out.
The viewer will never know how Fujiki lost his arm or how Irako injured his leg. However, what is shown is more than enough to arouse interest in the original source.
Where to Watch Shigurui: Death Frenzy?
Shigurui: Death Frenzy is available to stream on Crunchyroll.