Plus, if they ever do come out with a proper transfer to widescreen then I will buy that version as well. But, that is not the version I usually watch. I did deduct one star, as like many others have pointed out, the widescreen version does crop the top and bottom off the original to make it fit. Having finally exchanged all my old VHS players out for DVD players and still wanting to be able to break out this oldie-but-goodie, I found this 10th Anniversary Edition fit the bill nicely.

Its combination of great artwork and animation along with an imaginative story line loosely based on Japanese folk-lore/history still far exceeds the quality of many animations created today. The amount of raw talent that went into this film is spectacular. You have to remember that when this first came out there was little development of computer animation and software to help draw or model and color animation cells like there is today, so watching anime like this can really help you appreciate the quality that was achieved before the advent of what is now 'modern computer animation'. It might not be my first choice of recommendation now, as there have been many other great animations I have seen since this was created, but many modern anime styles and story lines have come out of the study of classics like 'Ninja Scroll', so I will continue to always at least recommend it as a must-see-film for anyone interested in anime and/or ninjas.

The true value of this classic anime might be lost on newer viewers, but as I was growing up I had always used this to introduce my friends to anime. But, I always find myself wanting to go back and re-watch 'Ninja Scroll' for the pure entertainment value, fantastic story line, and kicka$$ characters that have some great development through their smart action sequences. I have of course expanded my view to include many other styles and themes of anime, like the wonderful works of Miyazaki at Studio Ghibli. Out of these 5 CLASSICS that I was lucky enough to grow up with in the `80s, I have always been fondest of 'Ninja Scroll', for its great story, pacing and characters with their cool and unique abilities. It along with 'Fist of the North Star', 'Akira', 'Ghost in the Shell' and 'Street Fighter II' was my original introduction to anime and I have been hooked ever since. I originally owned this on VHS, once upon a time when I was a young kid.

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