Review - Basilisk 3: The Parting of Ways
Reviewed by Richard Brownell on 8.23.2009.
Score: 9/10
Volume 3 of Basilisk opens with Gennosuke learning about the ninja scroll and the dissolution of the non-aggression treaty between the Kouga and Iga clans. He's in the village of the enemy with only two of his cohorts to protect him. The entire force of the Iga is ready to come bearing down atop him, but they don't. This is because they don't know what Gennosuke is truly capable of. This scene is the best in the show so far, and easily one of the most tense scenes of anything I've seen in a while. How it resolves affects the direction of the rest of the show.
As I've mentioned in prior Basilisk reviews, part of the fun of the show is seeing what hidden powers each of the ninjas have. Beyond a few quick and vague mentions in my first review, I've chosen not to spoil what any of the powers are. We've seen quite a few up until now and there are only a few surprises left. We caught a glimpse of what Oboro is capable of in the last volume, but clearly not everything. I didn't think we'd get to see what she and Gennosuke are truly capable of until near the end of the show, but I was wrong.
Gennosuke's secret power is awesome. It's fairly unexpected too. But it plays out very well and throws such a wrench into the Iga's plans that they aren't exactly sure what to do about him. The exciting part about Basilisk is that it seems like several of the characters have nearly unstoppable powers. How can you kill somebody who has hair all over their body and each strand can be both defensive and a deadly weapon? But there's always a way.
We start volume 3 with the death count at Kougas 5 and Igas 3. The Iga used their knowledge of the ninja scroll as an advantage, but they no longer have said advantage. And the Kouga clan used up their trump card once Gennosuke's power was unveiled. The more each clan knows about its enemies, the closer they are to defeating them.
The second episode of volume 3 is easily the low point. It's a recap episode. It's not done in the horrible way of just tossing together a bunch of scenes from the show and calling it an episode, but it's not much better either. It has an operative from the Shogun reporting to him on the progress of war. The redeeming part of the episode is that we catch a glimpse of what's going on at the Shogun's palace.
This could become very important as the Kouga set off on a journey to meet with the Shogun himself to ask him to halt the war prematurely. The direction of the show at this point is a mystery. I thought it might come down to every Kouga and Iga killing each other and Gennosuke or Oboro killing one another. It still may come to that, but it seems like things may take a different direction if the Shogun becomes directly involved.
Gennosuke and Oboro's love for each other is the not so hidden highlight of both the show and this volume in particular. They each are asked to forget the love they had for the other and to kill their lover. If it's true love, which in this case it seems to be, how could that ever happen? The tragic part of Basilisk is that it is forced to happen whether they like it or not. The show opens with two lovers having to desert and later kill each other over the feud. Will Gennosuke and Oboro suffer the same fate?
Special Features
· Behind the Scenes of Basilisk: Japanese Original Extra Features
· Textless Songs
· Trailers
