Rokujo Miharu has within him the Shinrabanshu, the most powerful ninja technique ever. But he can't call it up or control it. The leader of the Iga ninja clan wants it, along with the forbidden techniques of all the other clans -- he intends to appropriate the Shinrabanshu himself and use it to make the world a better place -- better in his eyes, at least.
The key here is the relationship between Miharu and one of the Iga Kairoshu, the Grey Wolves, Yoite by name. Yoite is a sixteen-year-old boy who uses the kira technique, which is slowly killing him. Both boys, orphans, have no memory of their pasts. Miharu forbids himself to want anything; Yoite only wishes never to have existed. The slow unfolding of the relationship -- not romance, something beyond friendship, an almost tangible empathy -- provides a surprisingly powerful story that leads to an ending that I can't call "happy" in the fairy tale sense that we always seem to want, but it is a happy ending from the standpoint of the logic of the story.
What's more, it left me completely emotionally satisfied, and how often does that happen?
It's a beautiful series. The animators were not only on top of the visual characterizations, but even seem to have paid close attention to colors and how they worked together. Gorgeous.
The Japanese voice acting is superb, the English-language, not to much. I have a theory that the English voice actors are too worried about synchronizing with the lip movements to spend time digging into the emotional context. Maybe, maybe not, but I recommend the Japanese language with subtitles.
From Funimation.
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