Ninja Bugei-chou Pilot Film

Synopsis

More than three decades after its creation, an animated pilot for Ninja Bugei-chou was made available to the public as an extra on the Ninpuu Kamui Gaiden DVD volume 7. Produced in 1969, the pilot was meant to lead to a television series directed by Nagisa Ooshima, who hoped to capitalize on the impact of his provocative 1967 film. Shirato, the creator of the comic that inspired the film, turned down the pilot, which caused a change in direction toward animating Ninpuu Kamui Gaiden—a spin-off from the Kamui Den manga, also created by Shirato. However, Ooshima did not take part in the production of Ninpuu Kamui Gaiden.