List of Blade of the Immortal episodes
Blade of the Immortal (無限の住人 Mugen no Jūnin, lit. "the inhabitant of infinity") is an anime series based on the manga series created by Hiroaki Samura. It was directed by Kōichi Mashimo and produced by Bee Train, with production support by Production I.G and Pony Canyon. Bee Train was responsible for the animation production, Pony Canyon produced the music for the series, and Yoshimitsu Yamashita designed the characters.[1] The story follows the adventures of Manji, a samurai cursed with immortality due to killing one hundred men. Weary of his immortal life, Manji seeks to repent for sins and lift the curse of immortality by killing 1,000 evil men.
The first announcement of the Blade of the Immortal anime was in Kodansha's Afternoon magazine. The series aired from July 14, 2008 to December 29, 2008 on AT-X.
The opening theme is "Akai Usagi" (赤いウサギ, lit. "red rabbit") by Makura no Sōshi, and the closing theme is "Wants" by GRAPEVINE. "Akai Usagi" was included on the CD album "Mugen no Jūnin Original Soundtrack", released on July 16, 2008, and "Wants" was released on a CD single on May 21, 2009.[2]
Seven DVD compilation volumes were released by Pony Canyon between August 29, 2008 and February 27, 2009, followed by a DVD-box on November 11, 2010.[3]
Episode list
| # | Episode title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Criminal" "Togabito" (罪人) | July 14, 2008 |
| Manji visits a priest in order to confess his sins, namely killing his lord and one hundred of his retainers. The priest, who is actually a con artist named Johnny Gyobutsu, attempts to kill Manji by shooting him in the forehead, but Manji kills him and regenerates the wound. Manji returns to his home to find Yaobikuni, a nun who placed "sacred bloodworms" into Manji that make him immortal, and his sister Machi. That evening, Machi dreams of the time when Manji was forced to kill her husband, a police officer pursuing Manji, causing her to lose her mind. After the dream, she wanders into the night and is captured by a group of ronin led by the brother of Johnny that Manji had killed. Manji pursues Machi but is unable to prevent her from being killed. In response, he kills every member of the ronin group, and upon returning to Yaobikuni, declares that he will seek redemption for the hundred men he killed by killing one thousand evil men. A few times during this episode we see Rin praying at the grave of her father, Kurase Asano, as she swears to take revenge on Kagehisa Anotsu. | ||
| 2 | "Conquest" "Seifuku" (征服) | July 28, 2008 |
| As Rin recounts her tragic demise of her family's dojo suffered upon the Ittō-ryū, Yaobikuni sends her to Manji. Meanwhile, the Mugai-ryū has received word about Manji, determining whether he is an ally or a foe. Rin tries to convince Manji to help her defeat the Ittō-ryū. It is revealed that Takayoshi Asano and Saburō Anotsu were competing for the license of the dojo fifty years ago. A group of bandits interrupted the match, in which Takayoshi killed four of them and Saburō killed nine of them. However, Saburō is the one expelled from the dojo for using a foreign blade. After Anotsu claims that the Ittō-ryū will take over the dojo, Kurose is murdered and his wife is kidnapped, which heavily traumatizes Rin. Manji agrees to assist Rin in her revenge on the Ittō-ryū. Yaobikuni questions whether Manji would save Rin, or vice versa. | ||
| 3 | "Love Song" "Koiuta" (恋詠) | August 11, 2008 |
| Rin, and later Manji, fatefully encounters Sabato Kuroi at a riverbank, who voices that love is eternal through death. The two combine their strengths to overpower Sabato. But the irony is unveiled when Kuroi's face is exposed. The heads of both his wife and Rin's mother are placed on each of his shoulders. Sabato delivers a blow to Manji's chest. Sabato offers his life in exchanges for hers as proof of his love for her. A revived Manji stabs Sabato's back just as Rin is about to commit suicide. Sabato attacks Manji, frustrated for his immorality. Sabato suddenly sets his sights on Rin, but is soon assassinated by Manji. Later on, Manji reminds Rin of her main objective, which is to prevent Anotsu from taking over the dojo. Meanwhile, Anotsu is conversing with Kagimura Habaki, accepts the wager proposed to unite people from different fighting styles into one unique group. | ||
| 4 | "Genius" "Tensai" (天才) | August 25, 2008 |
| Manji and Rin go to the house of the famous artist Master Sori, vainly trying to hire him to help her get revenge on the Ittō-ryū. While Master Sori is painting a portrait of her, Rin attempts to convince him to join her, after saying she is aware that he is a spy on the shogunate. After Master Sori admits the truth and the reason for his former position, Manji storms out of the house, disgraced by his excuses. Rin wakes up from a dream, only to see the house being attacked by minions of the Ittō-ryū. Manji tries to fend them off but is later trapped. Master Sori, looking for a shade of red to complete his drawing, is overjoyed when a drop of blood lands on his masterpiece, showing his true colors. Rin tries to intervene with one of the minions, she is weakened by his attacks. Just as Rin is about to meet his sword to her face, Master Sori stabs the minion through his throat. Anotsu later comes and killed two minions for disobeying the rule of one-on-one matches. Master Sori comments how he and Manji are one in the same. Rin is given a sack of money from Master Sori, in payment for completing his masterpiece with blood. | ||
| 5 | "Fanatic" "Shūjin" (執人) | September 8, 2008 |
| Taito Magatsu, another member of the Ittō-ryū, attempts to lead a normal life by leaving the Ittō-ryū. O-ren, his prostituted lover, is concerned for him, seeing as he feels no signs of affection toward her. While Rin goes to a blacksmith to have Manji's unusual weapons sharpened, she catches sight of Magatsu's sword, begging him to sell it to her in exchange for the sack of money. However, he accepts only under the condition of knowing where to find the daughter of the Asano dojo, unbeknownst to him that she is that girl. Rin explains to Manji that this sword was once in the possession of Kurose before the Ittō-ryū had raided the dojo. Two men are carrying Magatsu in a wooden throne toward the Ittō-ryū dojo. They stab him after they found out he is a member of the clan, but he kills them in response. Once he arrives at the dojo, Anotsu tells him that the Ittō-ryū will be a branch of the shogunate. Manji sympathize for Rin, seeing her cry in her sleep, for she is so determined to avenge her parents. Manji later encounters Magatsu in a nearby forest, and Magatsu shows how his sword has three sections. Manji is defeated after being stabbed multiple times, and Magatsu departs. | ||
| 6 | "Cry of the Worm" "Mushi no Uta" (蟲の唄) | September 22, 2008 |
| An Ittō-ryū member finds Hyakurin, dressed as a geisha, being harassed by Shinriji, posing as her husband, in the streets. He saves her from her husband and walks away to an okiya. Hyakurin is there as his geisha, offering hospitality to him, although this was a successful attempt to poison him with food and drink, as she shoots him in the head with her crossbow. Elsewhere, Giichi has another Ittō-ryū member by the throat with a chained double blade, asking him the number of members within the clan before slicing his head off. Manji and Rin stop at a restaurant as a rest area. Manji encounters Eiku Shizuma, who has heard word from Magatsu about Manji's swordsmanship and immortality. Shizuma wants to team up with Manji to take down Anotsu together, but the latter disagrees. Shizuma suddenly pierces Manji in the chest, and Manji reacts by stabbing him in the back. It is revealed that Shizuma has sacred bloodworms implanted in his body, recognizing his immortality equal to Manji. However, Manji realizes that his sacred bloodworms did not adhere to his wound after Shizuma leaves. Manji later cries out in pain when his blood spews from his body after figuring out that Shizuma poisoned the tip of his dagger. | ||
| 7 | "Three Ways" "Sanzu" (三途) | October 6, 2008 |
| Rin gives Manji some pills that may help wean off the poison in his body, though he rejects the idea at first. While Rin tries to find a doctor late at night, a lady disguised as Yaobikuni appears to aid her, but this is a scheme set by Shizuma to kidnap Rin. The lady is given back her grandchild as ransom in a hut, but she is soon killed by Shizuma himself, which angers Rin. Shizuma tells her that he served under a commanding officer two hundred years ago during the Sengoku period. His family, his unit, and his lord all died in battle. Shizuma slits the palm of his hand and tells Rin to drink his blood, which would transmit the sacred bloodworms into her body. Manji arrives to interrupt this, and he frees her from bondage. He settles the score with Shizuma, as they both fight mercilessly. After Manji disagrees a second time for Shizuma's offer to work with him to overthrow Anotsu, Manji comments about how one values their life when they sees the death of another. Shizuma poisons his sword once again, forcing Manji to defend himself rather than to counterattack. Rin makes a distraction, catching Shizuma off guard. Manji attacks from behind, slicing him to pieces. Shizuma informs of Anotsu's whereabouts before he passes away. She mentions her intention of being immortal would allow her to achieve getting revenge much easier. | ||
| 8 | "Nail Bomb" "Tsumabiki" (爪弾) | October 20, 2008 |
| Manji and Rin wander in the city of Fukagawa in search of Anotsu. Manji encounters Makie Otono-Tachibana, who suggestively strikes his appeal. However, it is not soon after that Manji finds a sword hidden in her cloak before seducing her. He spares her life after assuming she is an amateur, though she reveals herself as a member of the Ittō-ryū. He leave her since she appears to be too weak to pose a threat. At a okiya, a man recognizes Makie from another district after hearing her sing and play music. Rin is seemingly jealous when she finds out that Manji was with a geisha, as she tries to look more attractive for him. Nonetheless, Manji laughs at her attempt, but Rin hits him with a bottle as a consequence. Makie talks with Anotsu, saying that her mother compares the life of a samurai with that of a geisha. Though Anotsu confess his love for her, she knows that he wants her to use her talents in battle in his honor. | ||
| 9 | "Dream Bomb" "Yumebiki" (夢弾) | November 3, 2008 |
| When Anotsu was a child, Saburō tied Makie onto a tree after being disappointed to see her save Anotsu's life from a wild dog. When Anotsu is older, he tells Kuroi that he will create a new fighting style superior to every other fighting style. Meanwhile, Manji pursues Makie in fierce battle, while Rin meets Hyakurin and Shinriji at a bar. Manji comes out with a supposed sneak attack, but Makie bypasses this, slashing off his arm. Makie is frightened by what she has done, but Manji convinces her to keep fighting until the match is decided despite his condition. Rin comes after Manji is defeated. Makie questions her on how many people have and will shed their blood on behalf of her revenge. Rin responds by saying that bloodshed is more humane than trickery. Manji is embarrassed to admit that Rin had saved him from Makie, in which he has learned his lesson. Realizing her past life as a geisha and her present life as a samurai, Makie leaves the Ittō-ryū and bids her last farewell to Anotsu. | ||
| 10 | "Changing Face" "Kawarimen" (變面) | November 17, 2008 |
| At a festival, Rin wanders to a tokoroten vendor, as she recalls to what Makie had said to her before. When she goes to a mochi food stand, she tolerates a adolescent male named Renzo Kawakami, who cuts in front of her to order. Meanwhile, Manji encounters Araya Kawakami at a mask shop, and Manji lend his sword to Kawakami, who paints a mask with his own blood to give to a young boy as a gift. Kawakami attempts to kill Manji with his own sword, however he falls back when Renzo sees him. Rin recognizes him as a member of the Ittō-ryū. After the festival, A man blames Renzo for breaking one of his sandals. Rin bails Renzo out by mentioning the Asano dojo, but this causes the man to mock the family name. The man forces Rin to fix his sandal, allowing him the opportunity to sneak his foot into her kimono, but she manages to fix it before he has the chance to do so. She later accepts Renzo's invitation to his house to have some tea, though she really goes unarmed as she is one step closer to Kawakami. Rin is thanked by him for helping Renzo get out of trouble. She hints to him that she is the girl who was traumatized by the torment of her parents two years ago. | ||
| 11 | "Feathers" "Hane" (羽根) | December 1, 2008 |
| Kawakami sends Renzo off to fetch more tea. Rin confronts Kawakami emotionally, reminding him of her father being murdered and her mother being violated. She asks for an apology, but he ignores her request. Kawakami then assaults her, with Rin stabbing him in the arm. Nailed to the ground, Rin is defenseless as Kawakami uses his own blood and paints on her body. Manji arrives to her rescue, seeing what Kawakami has done to her. The two swordsmen have a duel in the room, and Kawakami is able to disarm most of Manji's weapons. Kawakami attacks Rin when she is conscious, but Manji intercepts and ultimately pierces his heart. Renzo returns and injures Manji after seeing his father dead. Rin foils Renzo into pursuing a life of revenge for his father, after she seemingly buried Manji's hand in the ground. She later attaches his hand back onto his arm. | ||
| 12 | "Nemesis of Rin" "Sharin" (斜凜) | December 15, 2008 |
| Anotsu visits Magatsu to check up on him, though Magatsu suspects something more than just that. Manji and Rin travel all the way back to his house, where he lived with Machi before her death. While training Rin, Manji scold her for being weak in her skills. During a break, Rin tells Manji that she was taught swordsmanship by the students of the Asano dojo with wooden swords. However, Manji negatively remarks of her training in such a low level status. Rin later encounters Anotsu training in a nearby forest. After her futile assassination attempt, she panics when she uses up all her weapons. He hangs her from a post with a sword. Rin cries for not being able to kill the man that stands before her. He demonstrates the capabilities of his ax, compared to that of the traditional sword. He then discloses to Rin the reasons for the animosity between her father and him. Anotsu mentions two foreign sword techniques, in which many would comment on its cowardice. It is ironic that though many wars have died down, the dojos have continued to increase in establishment. Anotsu releases Rin and returns her weapons back to her. He lets her go free because he believes she is a coldblooded assassin rather than a warmhearted samurai. When Anotsu leaves, Rin cries in confusion. | ||
| 13 | "Wind" "Kaze" (風) | December 29, 2008 |
| It is apparent that Shira, Hyakurin and Shinriji's accomplice, has murdered O-ren after Magatsu leaves for a while. Rin talks to Manji about what Anotsu had said to her. He later examines that those of the Ittō-ryū who actually took part for the suffering of Rin's parents are all technically dead now. Magatsu comes back and sees O-ren's lifeless body, finally realizing how much she had loved him. Yaobikuni shows Rin how much Manji cares for Machi when she was alive, as well as why he took a vow to avenge his sister's death. Yaobikuni then compares Manji's doubt with Rin's confusion in the matter of revenge. It is foreshadowed that the Mugai-ryū is tactically preparing to battle against the Ittō-ryū, as Habaki has been in surveillance of the latter. Rin abolishes her hesitations and trains with utter devotion. The paths taken by all the surviving characters are shown throughout the episode. | ||
References
- General
- "Mugen no Jūnin Kōshiki Site Bangumi Jōhō" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
- Specific
- ↑ "Mugen no Jūnin Kōshiki Site Shōnin Staff-Cast" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
- ↑ "Mugen no Jūnin Kōshiki Site Shōnin Jōhō (CD)" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
- ↑ "Mugen no Jūnin Kōshiki Site Shōnin Jōhō (DVD)" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2012-06-14.
External links
- Official website (Japanese)
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