Ravi Thej This is Masahiro Ando's first and only animated feature . The movie is great with good sword fights with tons of blood. The animation is stunning and voice & acting are very good. The music is outstanding especially in the beginning fight of tittles . The colors, music, story, effects and sword fights are top class. This animation made me look for more action animations. This movie has deep characterization. Exceptional music, astounding cinematography. This is the greatest Samurai animation that i ever seen. I felt ending fight could have been better. A must-watch movie for anime and action movie lovers . this is time-less classic .

Roland 1979 I had to create a account here just to post this review. This movie is a incredible anime and should be reviewed and rated as such. To me this felt a bit like Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen meets Juubee Ninpuuchou but at the same time unique in it's own way. A young boy is to be used in a sacrificial ritual. Boy hires a rounin for his protection. Some Chinese Ming clan/army has been hired to catch the boy. The story, though not bad, is not mind boggling or very unique, it's a re-telling of stories we have heard before. However, the way that it tells it (sometimes just by pure action or visuals) is very decent. 8/10Art... easy. Very good. Good shadow work. Rich and detailed. Colors, backgrounds and scenery often felt very right. 9/10Sound... a bit harder. Ambient sounds are solid. The music was quite good and in some parts it felt just right in others... not wrong at all. However, not epic either. At parts I couldn't help but feeling other movies had moments like this, and with epic music lifting the whole scene. I would have giving it a 10 if it was a perfect match for every scene and moment. Still a very solid 9/10.Even though we have seen the types of characters before they still grow on you. This movie uses different ways to let you feel connected to them. What they have done is done before... but at least they did it very well. The characters don't develop a great deal over time, rather, you get to know them better and better. The Ming foreigner feels very unique. And his skills is popping on screen so hard, a split second I almost rooted for him (thus killing our main character...). A deserved 9/10.Enjoyment... 10/10! Epic! Delicious! We want more! More!!And now I wish there was a separate category for choreography. Because it was very, very, very good. The action was a real feast. The unique and different styles all are shown really well. The Ming warriors with their different weapons and kung fu and are main hero's kenjitsu (sword techniques, if I use that correctly )... they are all animated so spectacular, realistic. The fights are almost art at times. They have outdone and transcended themselves. So... choreography, a perfect 10/10.If only the whole movie was flawless. I really want to give it a 10/10, but I can't in all honestly. But I feel giving a 9 is selling it short. Because this is something you just have to have watched at least once. D*mn this system. I'm not going to choose between a 9/10 and a 10/10. I'll ignore the system and give it not only a 9.5/10 but also a VERY STRONG recommendation. Go watch this now. Seriously.

brandon_lee420 Sword of the Stranger is highly unnoticed film here on IMDb and only has around 4 thousand people who have voted for it. This Anime deserves to be recognized for its beautiful animation, its characters, for its music and soundtrack, and for the good film that is. It is just the perfect length, around 1 hr and 40 mins, and it is fun the whole way throughout. The director Masahiro Ando has previously worked on Animes such as Cowboy Bepop and Ghost in the Shell and this time he has crafted an impressive and stylish anime with lots of dedication.A young boy and his dog find themselves the target of the Ming: a foreign dynasty that will stop at nothing. One day, a quiet and solemn warrior crosses their path, and becomes irrevocably connected with the two. A deal is struck and the warrior agrees to take the boy to a remote, Buddhist temple, where a kind monk is waiting to care for him and the dog. Unfortunately, the Ming have sent their elite, and they will test their strength, courage, and quality every step of the way.First off I want to say is that one of the things that really struck me about this anime was the amazing soundtrack. The music really comes to life during the battle scenes and the incorporation of drums, like in the beginning sequence, just alleviates the action even more and gives it that awesome feeling. Whoever composed the music should be proud of themselves. The story isn't really original and is kind-of stereotypical but its numerous characters really make this a different kind of anime to watch. The characters are really well done and they also look great as well. One of the main faults is that the story could've been a bit more original but it didn't really affect the viewing experience for me.To all those who call themselves Anime freaks, they should be ashamed if they haven't already watched this. It doesn't matter if you like anime or not because this film breaks those boundaries and offers a marvelous anime with lots of heart. A really good film! 8/10 'Over and out.' 16 April 2012

levich122 If you are a fan of action anime and ninjas/ sword fighting this is definitely worth watching. I feel like its been quite sometime since I've watched any good anime, so I was happy I ran across this. While nothing is amazing, everything is solid. Plot isn't really new (wandering reluctant hero type ends up saving someone in need)and the drawing isn't very new age, rather reminisce of old school animes, BUT - like I said, everything is the classic formula for a good anime. I've seen ppl liken this to Ninja Scroll, and in that vein I would agree. If you liked that you should like this.and if anyone has some suggestions of some good anime movies like this (solid action/ drawing/ decent plot etc) I'd love to hear em and I could probably give a couple good suggestions too.