Blade of the Immortal

Aired: 2008

Animated by Bee Train, this adaptation of Hiroaki Samura's manga serialized in Kodansha's Afternoon magazine follows Manji, an Edo-period swordsman cursed with immortality through mysterious parasitic worms called "kessen-chu." When a young girl named Rin, whose parents were murdered by the Ittou-ryu sword school, asks him to be her bodyguard, Manji joins her on a brutal quest for vengeance. A tale of revenge and atonement rendered with meticulous swordfight choreography. This 2008 series adapted the early portions of the manga in 13 episodes. (C)Hiroaki Samura/Kodansha, "Blade of the Immortal" Production Committee