Basilisk
(Vol.1)
(dr.
Fumitomo Kizaki
- 2005)
published in Empire No.67, Sydney, 2007
Anime has long mined the richly braided myths of ancient Japanese ninja lore. Basilisk continues the tradition with an epic 17th C action-tragedy centred upon the warring Kouga and Iga clans battling to erase each other's existence in order to secure power within the new Shogunate. Doomed lovers Gennosuke and Oboro come from opposite sides and altruistically resolve to bind their clans in peace. In Volume 1, an endless series of dark forces from both sides conspire to never let their love be. Shakespearean in its fatalistic plot arcs, Grecian in its parade of chilling mythical fighters, yet entirely Japanese in its characterization and visualisation.
