English Dub Review: Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls “Utsutsu Dreams of Hell”

Utsutsu has a tragic backstory! Who knew?

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Our series of intermittent flashback episodes continue this time with an emphasis on Utsutsu, the young ninja who can create hallucinations of hell in the minds of her unwitting victims. While Rui and Schichigen had their own fight last episode, getting saved by Hachirou from certain doom, Utsutsu and Saizou are off on their own mission. The two take on some members of The Rain, giving Utsutsu a chance to show offer her powerful hallucinogenic abilities. To increase their effectiveness, Saizou comes up with a keen strategy: by reflecting Utsutsu hallucinations off of Saizou’s floating eyes, he can spread them across the area of the remaining smoke (From an errant smoke bomb) in the area. It’s a bold plan, and though Utsutsu is hesitant to use her powers in such a dangerous way, she goes through with it. The plan is a brilliant success, and soon the remaining Rain members are completely decimated. Unfortunately, that victory comes at a high price, Saizou’s exposure to the hallucinations leaves him passed out cold.

Utsutsu revives Saizou with some kind of special drink, and the two are back on their feet. Saizou explains that a downside to his power is that he sees too much, which disorients him, a problem which Utsutsu has the inverse of. She recounts her childhood where she was trapped in a warehouse forced to stare at a horrifying portrait of hell. This appears to be some kind of training for her to develop her powers, and to that end, she memorizes the poem she always recites to use her powers. As a mere child, she was faced with an ultimatum, to master her hallucinogenic abilities by the time the cherry blossoms bloom or die. She tries her best but finds that her efforts come up short. Facing her father, instead of Utsutsu being executed, her father lights himself on fire in a self-sacrifice to make Utsutsu be the murderer of her father. By doing so, the horrifying image of watching her father burn alive gives her the full strength of the “dreaming reality” power.

Back in the present, Hachirou is by himself, running through the woods around Murakumo, when he is ambushed by the smiling monk who got Hachirou’s friends involved in this. All the while, Saizou and Utsutsu start launching cannonballs at Murakumo; all according to their plan, except that they can’t manage to hit Murakumo’s cannons.. They meet up with the other ninjas and use Hachisu’s long-range firepower skills to aim the cannonballs into Murakumo’s cannons. With Hachisu’s prowess, their shot aims true, except that at the last moment, another ninja arrives. It’s none other than Tsuibamu, one of the ninjas who defeated the Five Treasures of Kouga. With his time reversal magic, he reverses the time of the cannonball to remove it from the cannon, making the other ninjas realize what trouble they’re in.

Hachirou now faces the monk one on one and questions his motives for coming here. He learns about Joujin’s kidnapping of Tadanaga, and realizes that Tadanaga would make an excellent puppet for Joujin because of his noble lineage. The monk is here to rescue Tadanaga and figure out what’s going on. Just as the monk finishes explaining himself to Hachirou, they’re interrupted by Joujin, who has his own piece to speak to the young ninja, but that will have to wait until next week.

Our Take:

Utsutsu’s backstory is revealed far too late in this story to really matter and isn’t nearly as developed as the other two from prior episodes or connected to the themes of the episode to be meaningful. While this episode was certainly paced better than some of the episodes of this show have been, it still leaves a lot to be desired to be considered “good” by my standards.