Sword of the Stranger - Reviews

Sword of the Stranger is an entertaining tale if you are into beautifully animated fight scenes (surprised considering it is over 10 years old) and... if you love dogs? (Which I do so haha!)

But regardless of my love for dogs, I must remain objective...

I gave Sword of the Stranger a 6/10 which is "Above Average" in my grading scale.  For perspective, I would not recommend anything 3/10 or below.  

I was able to enjoy the movie throughout the entire length because it had good pacing, with enough fight scenes to keep me entertained, and some character interaction to call "plot".  But it cannot be rated any higher than "Above Average" because there is nothing memorable about this movie (besides the fight scenes were well animated).  Nothing memorable, as in, I was not stirred in any emotional way, or intrigued, surprised, or challenged mentally.  Sure, the characters are likeable enough but there was not much interesting development or complexity.  Story is straight forward.  I wouldn't say it was predictable but definitely did not contain any twists that blew my mind or scenes that pulled any heart strings. 

My biggest issue was that some development, and especially characters, felt a little understated or not fleshed out enough.  Perhaps it would had been better as a 9 or 13 episode series.  

Overall, if you enjoy the samurai genre and enjoy good fight scenes, I would recommend Sword of the Stranger.

Another review said it fell short in comparison to Moribito which I found interesting.  I found Moribito was only interesting for the first 2 episodes and was completely a lull through-out (besides 1 brief fight scene nearing the end).  One of the most disappointing and anti-climatic animes that I have ever seen. 

i Say everyone should watch the this movie it's a great reason why quality is superb in the anime, it came out 11 years ago and has better animation music and sound design than almost every show that has come out.i understand that it is a movie but the budget for many anime these days are way higher than before teams they still cut corners. Also the righting is a simple cowboy Lone ranger story in a Japanese samurai setting and it's great I typically give full reviews but  

scambolli reviews on YouTube has done a much better job of reviewing it than I so go watch his video. 

Sword of the Stranger is one of all-time great anime action movies.

STORY

It's a simple story, but it does its job to set-up a series of cool fight scenes and doesn't insult my intelligence. I can't say there are any particularly deep themes or philosophies discussed, but SotS is still willing to take its time between action sequences to establish its characters and emotional stakes- rather than race from spectacle to spectacle like some lesser action films I've seen. 

ART & SOUND

Production values are top-notch in Sword of the Stranger. The animation is highly fluid and very consistent, particularly during the fight scenes that are this movie's main selling point. The sound is quite good as well. The soundtrack is largely composed of traditional Japanese instruments to fit the Sengoku period. The English dub is pretty good, the main characters are well acted but some of the secondary voices are used for multiple characters and it's not too hard to catch.

CHARACTERS

Like the story, the cast is relatively simple but well executed. Kotaro and the Nameless Samurai develop a believable bond despite their relatively short time together, and even with his simple motivation Luo-Long makes an intimidating antagonist. The cast is surprisingly good at carrying the story between major fight scenes, the middle of the movie is unexpectedly calm but doesn't become boring. 

OVERALL

I first watched this film after seeing it top several lists of Best Fight Scenes, and that reputation is well earned. It's a simple film, but expertly made.

First, a small rant: I feel sorry for some of the people out there, who can't watch an anime without obsessing over finding every little detail with what could be wrong with the anime. I feel sorry because these people probably only find a minimum amount of things they actually enjoy in life. I'm glad I don't live such a boring and dull life like that.

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Story: 8.3/10

The plot to the show is pretty simple. This is one of the main reasons why "critics" are giving it such harsh reviews. It's plain and simple, but it's not bad at all. When you combine the story together with the intense action packed fighting scenes, it definitely helps make up for it.

Animation: 9.8/10

The animation in Sword of a Stranger has to be some of the best I have seen. It was extraordinarily well done in almost all aspects. Very detailed, for me it seems to have somewhat of a "western feeling" to it. I'm not just comparing this to other anime movies either, it's some of the best animation I've seen period. From the generic scenes to the fighting scenes, the attention to detail is amazing.

Sound: 9.1/10

I also must give major props to the voice actors of this movie. Although I wasn't paying to much attention, the timing and everything seemed to be very well in sync. The music was also decent, and pleasant to the ears. Overall another definite plus to the anime.

Characters: 7.3/10

The characters for the most part were very generic. You could consider this another area critics target. There's a samurai who's troubled over his past, along with a mysterious boy who's being chased after some bad people. Then there's the boys dog also. No intense history or anything is really behind any of the characters.

Overall: 9.7/10

Overall, this is probably one of the best anime movies I have seen. While I haven't seen a lot of them, this was probably one of the only ones that I felt myself truly get into. Unlike some of the others were I could get bored pretty easily halfway through, this one seemed to have a good grip on my attention throughout the entire movie. It's a great movie with a basic plot, basic characters, but with very redeeming action packed, intense fighting scenes. Along with the great voice acting, it makes this a truly wonderful film.

I recently got to watch Sword of the Stranger in glorious HD. Let me start off by saying the world is beautiful. The story unfolds in beautiful rendition of Feudal Japan, draped in a muted color scheme that serves perfectly.Every fight scene is flawless in its planning and execution. The final battle between Nanashi and Luo-Lang has made it to the top of my list of best anime fight scenes, actually, make that list of best fight scenes ever. 



The plot moves forward quickly with little time for characterization or back story. In a nutshell, a warrior has to defend a small boy from Imperial Chinese Warriors who are seeking immortality. The epic stars Nanashi, a disowned samurai, who has taken a vow not to kill. Nanashi's past is hinted at throughout until a rather emotional scene near the finale. This scene had me going "Holy Shit" when it happened, but looking back now, I wish for more. Sharing the screen with Nanashi is Kotarou. Now maybe this makes me a bad person, but I normally can't stand children in my anime, they bother me alot, but thankfully this wasn't the case. Though he is whiny at points, he manages to be useful to Nanashi. Luo-Lang is a rather bland adversary whose only motive is to fight stronger opponents. He does however deliver a cool enough battle for this to be overlooked.

In conclusion, Sword of the Stranger is comprised mostly of jaw dropping fight scenes and high quality scenery porn. The plot is rather straight forward but works well with the characters. The characters themselves, with the exception of a few cliches, are as interesting and detailed as the environment they inhabit. I give 
Sword of the Stranger a 8/10. This is my first review so I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks for reading.