FreakyTy
04-14-2013, 06:48 PM
Ninja Nonsense (NN for future reference) is a short 12 episode long show about you guessed it, a ninja. Her name is Shinobu (The word roughly means stealth, at least in this case.), and she is a ninja trainee who is mentored by Onsokamaru, who looks strangely enough like Pac-man. The series follows her as she works towards becoming a fully fledged ninja. Along the way she is involved in many comedic situations.
75678
Ninja Nonsense was something of a surprise to me. Most of the synopsis I read talk about the first episode as if this were going to be an ecchi type series but it really is not. There’s much to be had in this series, but apparent from episode one it might not be for everybody.
Story: 6
Shinobu is a ninja in training so to speak (Although that is questionable), and the series opens with her on a mission to steal the panties of a high school girl for her sensei, Onsokumaru who is a pervert in every respect of the word. This encounter brings her to the bedroom of Kaede where she attempts to steal them unnoticed. Inevitable she is spotted by Kaede, which leads them into an unexpected friendship.
Over the course of the show they get into many hilarious situations together, and the only actual story development doesn’t even occur until the last episode. The rest I guess can be considered as “training”, but it felt like there was a large portion missing from the show in this respect. Even the climax of the last episode is very short and otherwise forgettable.
Where NN really shines though is the comedy. Most of which to me is on a comparable level to Baka to Test. The show takes itself lightly and because of this it is open to the craziness that creates some hilarious moments (Like a talking ninja alligator for instance.) that will leave a lasting impression in your hearts.
Character: 6
There is close to no character development in NN, but that is not bad considering it is a comedy. The small amount that there is does not even appear until the very later parts of the show, and unless you love the characters to death will give little in the way of satisfaction. However like I said since this is a comedy firstly the characters I find are pretty well done for the situations they provide.
As Kaede grows closer to Shinobu she gets more involved in the world of ninjas, and is often there when Shinobu gets into strange situations. During most of these encounters are the group of faceless ninjas under the beck and call of Onsokumaru, one of which is known as Sasuke. Like the others though you never see his face, and it’s unknown if Sasuke is actually one ninja using some sort of Naruto inspired ability like Shadow Clone or is in fact an individual amongst all of them.
Onsokumaru has to be one of the most memorable characters in any show I’ve seen. He is the definition of a pervert who constantly puts the moves on Shinobu, all while looking like Pac-man. He tends to grow or maybe transform a body at certain times (A very muscular one) and flaunts around calling himself the “Master of Ninjas”. Many times he has “Soft-core” fantasies of Shinobu and Kaede that he uses to coerce the band of faceless ninjas into his pervy schemes. As far as odd characters go, I’d say he would be at the top of my list.
There’s one more character I’d like to mention which is Shinobu’s younger sister, Miyabi. She is rather absent from the show, but she has her moments. Unlike her sister she follows a path of “Magical Summoning” instead of traditional ninjitsu, and is actually more skilled than Onsokumaru. She openly dislikes Onsokumaru in most cases. I feel that she should have had more screen time, because she was a good character and added balance to Onsokumaru’s perverted antics.
Art: 8
This is one of the better aspects of the show. I really appreciate the art style and feel it has a very pleasing look to it. All the characters have unique looks to them and their designs remain consistent throughout all the episodes. The backgrounds are simple, yet unique. The whole show has very soft feel to it as well. Simply put especially considering when this show was aired it looks good, and is fun to watch.
Sound: 7
The sound in this show is nothing truly special, but what I do like is the dub. None of the characters have annoying voices, and I think the cast is pretty much perfect. The OP and ED are both very well chosen too. Each has a different feel in tone; however they both reflect the attitude of Ninja Nonsense very accurately. The OP is a more upbeat and catchy song and shows the cast in the same respect. Then the ED is a more mellow song with Onsokumaru being mischievous as that tends to be the center of the shows plot.
Enjoyment: 9
In terms of enjoyment it’s hard for someone like me to not like it. There are tons of moments that are plain funny, others that have some fanservice, and all the while being completely unserious. This show reminds me much of Disgaea, and FLCL in the terms of feel, and that is something I enjoy very much. Most shows fail to keep me interested to the point I literally watch the entire show in one sitting, but NN does this while keeping a high re-watch value.
Overall: 7
In the end Ninja Nonsense is much like any comedy. High re-watch value coupled with a cast of entertaining characters that are both loveable and hate-able (Onsokumaru mainly for me). It looks really good for its time of release with a nice atmosphere and fluid animation. Even better yet this is one of the few a far in between series that delivers a good English dub, that allows those who wish; to get even more involved with the characters. Unfortunately it has its pitfalls too. Mainly due to it being short with almost no character development, and a weak; virtually non-existent story. That said Ninja Nonsense has much to offer to those who are fans of comedy, and it is hard to find out if you will like it otherwise. Your best bet is to just try it out and watch an episode.
Please keep in mind that in my reviews, the Enjoyment section is merely in input of how I liked it when I watched it. In other words a personal opinion that may or may not have a bias. For this reason I do not include it as part of the overall score.
75678
Ninja Nonsense was something of a surprise to me. Most of the synopsis I read talk about the first episode as if this were going to be an ecchi type series but it really is not. There’s much to be had in this series, but apparent from episode one it might not be for everybody.
Story: 6
Shinobu is a ninja in training so to speak (Although that is questionable), and the series opens with her on a mission to steal the panties of a high school girl for her sensei, Onsokumaru who is a pervert in every respect of the word. This encounter brings her to the bedroom of Kaede where she attempts to steal them unnoticed. Inevitable she is spotted by Kaede, which leads them into an unexpected friendship.
Over the course of the show they get into many hilarious situations together, and the only actual story development doesn’t even occur until the last episode. The rest I guess can be considered as “training”, but it felt like there was a large portion missing from the show in this respect. Even the climax of the last episode is very short and otherwise forgettable.
Where NN really shines though is the comedy. Most of which to me is on a comparable level to Baka to Test. The show takes itself lightly and because of this it is open to the craziness that creates some hilarious moments (Like a talking ninja alligator for instance.) that will leave a lasting impression in your hearts.
Character: 6
There is close to no character development in NN, but that is not bad considering it is a comedy. The small amount that there is does not even appear until the very later parts of the show, and unless you love the characters to death will give little in the way of satisfaction. However like I said since this is a comedy firstly the characters I find are pretty well done for the situations they provide.
As Kaede grows closer to Shinobu she gets more involved in the world of ninjas, and is often there when Shinobu gets into strange situations. During most of these encounters are the group of faceless ninjas under the beck and call of Onsokumaru, one of which is known as Sasuke. Like the others though you never see his face, and it’s unknown if Sasuke is actually one ninja using some sort of Naruto inspired ability like Shadow Clone or is in fact an individual amongst all of them.
Onsokumaru has to be one of the most memorable characters in any show I’ve seen. He is the definition of a pervert who constantly puts the moves on Shinobu, all while looking like Pac-man. He tends to grow or maybe transform a body at certain times (A very muscular one) and flaunts around calling himself the “Master of Ninjas”. Many times he has “Soft-core” fantasies of Shinobu and Kaede that he uses to coerce the band of faceless ninjas into his pervy schemes. As far as odd characters go, I’d say he would be at the top of my list.
There’s one more character I’d like to mention which is Shinobu’s younger sister, Miyabi. She is rather absent from the show, but she has her moments. Unlike her sister she follows a path of “Magical Summoning” instead of traditional ninjitsu, and is actually more skilled than Onsokumaru. She openly dislikes Onsokumaru in most cases. I feel that she should have had more screen time, because she was a good character and added balance to Onsokumaru’s perverted antics.
Art: 8
This is one of the better aspects of the show. I really appreciate the art style and feel it has a very pleasing look to it. All the characters have unique looks to them and their designs remain consistent throughout all the episodes. The backgrounds are simple, yet unique. The whole show has very soft feel to it as well. Simply put especially considering when this show was aired it looks good, and is fun to watch.
Sound: 7
The sound in this show is nothing truly special, but what I do like is the dub. None of the characters have annoying voices, and I think the cast is pretty much perfect. The OP and ED are both very well chosen too. Each has a different feel in tone; however they both reflect the attitude of Ninja Nonsense very accurately. The OP is a more upbeat and catchy song and shows the cast in the same respect. Then the ED is a more mellow song with Onsokumaru being mischievous as that tends to be the center of the shows plot.
Enjoyment: 9
In terms of enjoyment it’s hard for someone like me to not like it. There are tons of moments that are plain funny, others that have some fanservice, and all the while being completely unserious. This show reminds me much of Disgaea, and FLCL in the terms of feel, and that is something I enjoy very much. Most shows fail to keep me interested to the point I literally watch the entire show in one sitting, but NN does this while keeping a high re-watch value.
Overall: 7
In the end Ninja Nonsense is much like any comedy. High re-watch value coupled with a cast of entertaining characters that are both loveable and hate-able (Onsokumaru mainly for me). It looks really good for its time of release with a nice atmosphere and fluid animation. Even better yet this is one of the few a far in between series that delivers a good English dub, that allows those who wish; to get even more involved with the characters. Unfortunately it has its pitfalls too. Mainly due to it being short with almost no character development, and a weak; virtually non-existent story. That said Ninja Nonsense has much to offer to those who are fans of comedy, and it is hard to find out if you will like it otherwise. Your best bet is to just try it out and watch an episode.
Please keep in mind that in my reviews, the Enjoyment section is merely in input of how I liked it when I watched it. In other words a personal opinion that may or may not have a bias. For this reason I do not include it as part of the overall score.