Blade of the Immortal (ONA)

The 2019 ONA adaptation of Blade of the Immortal was produced by LIDENFILMS to mark the 25th anniversary of Hiroaki Samura’s seminal manga series. While the original 1999 anime adaptation was noted for its brevity and divergence from the source material, this iteration sought to capture the exhaustive scope of the epic, aiming to adapt the entire narrative arc from start to finish. The project prioritized fidelity to Samura’s distinctive, gritty artistic style, utilizing a stark black-and-white visual aesthetic in its promotional materials to mirror the ink-heavy look of the manga panels.

The production was helmed by director Hiroshi Hamasaki, known for his ability to handle complex atmospheric storytelling. The design team focused on maintaining the series' signature visceral combat choreography while navigating the constraints of a modern streaming-first distribution model. Upon release, the series was received as a more faithful, albeit darker and more uncompromising, representation of Manji and Rin’s journey than its predecessor, finding favor among audiences who valued a complete narrative conclusion over the truncated adaptations common to the medium.