Anime Fix

Ninja Nonsense: The Legend of Shinobu
T.V Series: 12 Episodes
Original run: July 7/04 – Sept 25/04
Genre: Comedy
Original Author: Royichi Koga
Anime Director: Hitoyuki Matsui

Plot:
In the world of ninjas, danger is imminent and lives are always on stake, but that’s not the case in this series, instead of focusing on the essence of a ninja, the show strays on a more comedic path. Despite this minor alteration, the series remains one of the best of its genre. The series focus on the world of Shinobu, which is done through comedic snippets revolving around the protagonist. Despite not having an actual plot, the series does well to please its viewers through facetious plot lines. In the world of Shinobu, mysteries events unfold and our heroin is faced with physically and morally questionable tasks that are concocted by her devious and lechers instructor, Onsokumaru. Absolutely absurd Assignments such as stealing underwear, abolishing taxes, pinching a marchman and making him cry, stum wrestling a bear, drying a river of tears, hitting a home run while holding the bat between your legs, to crossing the Pacific Ocean on a rubber raft. The comedic aspect of this show is incredible, and viewers are sure to get kick out of this series.

Characters:
Shinobu:
Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese), Emily Blau (English)

Shinobu is the focal star of the series. She is affectionate, and painstakingly devoted to her work. But her credulous behaviors sometimes conflict with her duty, making the simplest of tasks appear complicated. Despite these minor defects in her design, she is able to maintain an honest and caring relationship with Kaede through out the entire series, albeit sometimes their relationship escalates to a level that far exceeds the normalcy of companionship, which makes it insurmountable for the viewer to correctly assume the nature of their relationship. Shinobu’s state of simplicity is her strongest charm, which is wonderfully depicted through out the entire series.

Kaede Shiranui:
Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese), Zoe Martin (English)

Normally one would associate blonde with deaden, but Kaede is the opposite image of that notion. She’s intuitive, more self-aware (despite being the same age as our heroin), and the most rational character in the series. However, her lack of knowledge of the zany world of ninjas is the reason why she the most victimized in the series, but this certainly doesn’t diminish any of her established merits, as she remains astute through the series.

Onsokumaru:
Voiced by: Nario Wakamoto (Japanese), Sean Schemmel (English)

Onsokumaru’s an enigmatic figure, and a very distinguished character in the series. He’s portrayed as a yellow spherical creature with a face, which is capable of metamorphism, and can freely change the shape of his physical being. One of his most notable transfigures is the muscular human body he takes when he reaches the emotional precipice. Onsokumaru is pervert that transcends the normal level of perversion. He constantly fantasizes about sexual situations to satisfy his sexual urges. He’s also the leader of the Sasuke army. Despite these foul exterior traits, Onsokumaru does have a decent side to him.

Summation:
For the die hard fans of the comedic art, this series will definitely shed a new perspective on comedy as a whole. Ninja Nonsense immerses the viewer into the world of the ninjas and Shinobu, through a series of incredible sketches filled with witty humor. The standard of comedy depicted in this series is above precision, and the zany world of shinobu reinforces this point beautifully. With a dash of comedy, and perversion, this series is sure to appeal to the mass audience of the craft.

Theme:
Ninja Nonsense as a comedic anime and manga solely intended for mature audiences is filled with sarcasm used to blemish other anime works. The standpoint of the series focuses more on the sex-related aspects of the show. These range from Onsokumaru’s perversion, which is at times illustrated with incredible measures, to Shinobu’s innocent care for Kaede, which is often misinterpreted by Onsokumaru as something sinister and sexually appetizing. The use of the fourth wall is a crucial element in the show, as it’s used as a mean to keep the viewer’s appetite riveted. The series heavily relies on this to invoke laughter from its audience.

Media related:
The character design used in this series is more soft and playful, which is certainly favored in comedic animes. This is surely to appeal to the viewers, and is definitely and excellent way to present the atmospheric nature of the show. The Voice acting was superb, both the subbed and dubbed version were terrific. The audio quality and animation are wonderful and is an immense asset to the show.

This was brought to you by yours truly,
Lord Lizard King!