Ninja Nonsense

Ninja Nonsense: The Legend of Shinobu is a shonen comedy anime series that is based off the manga series by Ryoichi Koga; in fact, Ryoichi Koga has also played an integral part in producing the anime. This absurdist comedy series is about Shinobu, a young girl who is training to become a ninja. However, the series focuses on Shinobu’s lifestyle and friends instead of on her ninja training. Each episode of the anime is split into two stories, and the stories are not related to each other. Twelve episodes of the anime were produced, and aired on Japanese television from July 7-September 25, 2004.

The anime lacks any kind of space-time continuity. The characters can appear at any time, at any place; in fact, a character can appear in two distinct places at the same time. The series also includes references to Japan’s television programming content laws (particularly in reference to nudity).

In the first episode of Ninja Nonsense: The Legend of Shinobu, Shinobu is attempting to pass her ninja exams. As part of her exam, she is ordered to break into the bedroom of a schoolgirl named Kaede and steal her panties. Shinobu believes she’s invisible and “sneaks” into Kaede’s room. Kaede can see her, and Shinobu’s mission doesn’t go as planned. Kaede takes pity on Shinobu, and the two girls become friends. It is hinted at during the series that Shinobu has a fondness for Kaede that crosses the line into obsession. Kaede is the most sensible character in the series.

The other main character in Ninja Nonsense: The Legend of Shinobu is Shinobu’s teacher, Onsokumaru. He is a shape-changing creature, who appears most often in the anime as a bouncing yellow orb with a face and arms. He has a deep voice, a loud temperament, is greedy and a cheat, and is an incredible pervert. When Onsokumaru becomes emotional, he tends to transform into an extremely muscular full human body. The other ninjas under Onsokumaru have a habit of breaking the “fourth wall” and providing commentary on what is going on in the episode, especially when it comes to the fan service that seems to follow Shinobu.

Ninja Nonsense: The Legend of Shinobu is definitely an anime that is not meant for children. Personally, I didn’t care for what I saw of this series. However, if you like anime with absurdist comedy and obnoxious, loud-mouthed characters, then you might enjoy Ninja Nonsense: The Legend of Shinobu.