Now I know what some of you may be thinking: “Tempestt, Shadow Skill was one of those movies that people already knew about.” While you may be partially right, there are two things to consider as well. 1.) Not everyone had “The Action Channel” when they were younger. Goodness knows I didn’t, and it might have made it to “Cinemax” once. 2.) Most of these younger ones wouldn’t have seen it, anyway. Heck, some of those my age may not have. As always, I strive for no spoilers.

Shadow Skill is an action anime that some may remember from the late 90s on movie channels. There were a total of 2 movies that were shown in North America, and you were fortunate if you caught both of them. What most -don’t- know is that Shadow Skill also got a 26 episode anime and a movie following that one as well. While the details regarding the original 2 “movies” are a bit typical of the early anime days in the US, we got what was Japan calls “OVAs” (Original Video Adaptation) in movie form.

This series follows the main character Elle Ragu who is the current Sevaar, or champion of the Kuruda Kingdom. She’s highly skilled, lazy, dependable, and kind of a lush. The other main character is her adopted brother Gau Ban, whom Elle is training. It’s what you can expect from your typical action anime, but with a strong female lead. During this time, you’ll be introduced to other female and male characters who are both rivals and allies. There are plenty of fights, a storyline, Kingdoms at war, and fun to be had. A somewhat unique way of fighting, the Kuruda style has a heavy emphasis on the feet, and a spoken word enhancer for skills. So unlike other series where you scream your attack for no reason, they albeit somewhat silly, give you one.

Tempestt’s rating: 7.5/10- While this is one that I personally enjoy, the bias cannot be there. It is, for what it’s worth, a somewhat generic action series. While it doesn’t have the over-the-top DBZ-esque fight scenes, the fights are definitely entertaining. Though, I’ll give the series the destruction level there or at least on the level of Yu Yu Hakusho. Seeing character development will draw you in to the show. It suffers from a few cliches, but all-in-all is a solid and enjoyable watch. Some of the tropes, such as the calling your attacks, actually make part of the experience even better. The English and the Japanese versions have a truly memorable speech that they give before unleashing a powerful attack. The series also has an amazing opening titled “Born Legend”, which I would recommend anyone to listen to.

So tell me what you think of Shadow Skill, either in the comments, or on . Don’t forget there’s a series, 4 OVA episodes (or 2 movies in the English Dub) and a movie to watch. I look forward to hearing from everyone. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for me as well.