Ninja Scroll

It is in the visual that Kawajiri’s film should really be celebrated. Its gushing reds and deep plumes of blue and black, coupled with angular framing of character expressions, and editing that quite often utilises the jump-cut to emphasise a sense of disorientation that jars the viewer, establishing further chaos, Ninja Scroll is a champion of anime and belongs in the upper echelons of its history.

It's a whipcrack-quick race from one hallucinogenic foe to the next that glances across Japanese politics (the eight hope to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate by reintroducing guns to 17th-century Japan) but never lets reality get in the way of a hearty bout of blood-lettting.

This bloodthirsty samurai romp, originally released in 1993, was one of the first Japanese animations to find a British audience. Its baroque sadism and sexism hasn’t aged well, but it still packs a visceral kick.