The Yotoden feature isn't really a film. Well, it's not how Yotoden was ever intended to be seen, anyway. In the UK Yotoden has been released in it's original OAV format, in 3 one hour parts. In the US however, aforementioned series was bought up, edited down to 90 minutes, removing most of the story segments in favour for the series' admittedly brilliant battle sequences. What story was left was turned into gibberish by an unintelligible dub, and the rest is history.Yotoden is one of the better Anime series to make it over here during the 80s. Bubblegum Crisis it ain't, but when you think that BGC aside, the era it's from was typified by Robotech and Fist of the North Star, even the American feature version looks quite solid. The story is reasonably strong, never over-egging itself too much but keeping dramatic tension high regardless, and the character design and animation is inventive. Many reviewers have commented on it's similarity to the better known Ninja Scroll, and this is a fair comment, but the extra restraint Yotoden shows makes it a more subtle and satisfying watch than Ninja Scroll.Still, it has it's down points. The ending is both anticlimactic and slightly annoying, the main character actually gets to do very little despite apparently being 'the only one who can stop this disaster' etc etc, and the movie is showing its age much worse than some of its peers, perhaps because of its rigid attachment to the constraints of the ninja genre. If it mixed it up a bit more, Yotoden would come out of enjoyable and into great, but it just doesn't manage it. Also, the American voice actors don't really fit too well with their characters, and the story in the half-length version is butchered so badly as to make the series incomprehensible.If you can track a full unedited version down, add two points to the above score, and check it out. However, as it stands, there's not enough going for the US version of Yotoden to really recommend it over other more coherent films like Ninja Scroll or Shadow Skill. Yotoden in it's original form is a great sleeper hit from the 80s, but getting your mitts on it will be very tricky.

I really liked this one. (SPOILERS??) It had a really good plot, the main female in this movie is really kewl.Despite the fact that she's the only one left alive and her lover dead, it seemed to be much like Ninja Scroll. Another kick ass movie. ;)Watch it in japanese with subtitles. I don't know where the idiots who learned to speak english are, but for some reason all dubs get an F in translation techniques. The subtitles are more correct. 9/10Quality: 7/10 Entertainment: 10/10 Replayable: 9/10

this particular title is very interesting. the whole movie was like watching a ninja RPG, which is really cool. three magical swords, three clans, a horrible demon, a political power, yotoden has it all. the animation is decent, but a little grainy, the story is top notch, and the fight scenes are real cool. one thing that really looks good in this movie are the monsters. they are pretty freaky. if you liked blood reign and ninja scroll, yotoden is the one to see.

After reading more than my fair share of reviews for a vast number of different movies I have noticed a certain trend, people judge to harshly on what the expected to see. I figure if you go into a movie open-minded not expecting anything certain than you will have better feelings towards it then if you try and watch but have pre-created standards you want it to reach.Since I try not to be hypocritical I watched this movie with a very clean slate and open-mind, and was very much pleased. Since it is not a mainstream title or award winning for that matter I did not know quite what to expect, but in all truth I enjoyed it a good deal more than Ninja Scroll. Lovely animation, deep story, and the always joyful ninja hack-n-slashing combined extremely well to one of my personal favorite animes ever made.I am not promising that you will enjoy it, but just give it a chance and you may come out with a pleasant surprise."Before speaking, be sure of what you will say will be more beautiful than the silence" - Chinese proverb