| 2x2=Shinobuden: The Nonsense Kunoichi Fiction (Episode 1) |
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| Thursday, 26 August 2004 | |
 I have a new favourite current show, and here it is: the adventures of ninja girl Shinobu in 2x2=Shinobuden.1-1 - Shinobu, the Ninja Apprentice, Appears Shinobu doesn't seem to be the smartest apprentice ninja on the block - she's no good at concealment, for a start, doesn't carry shiruken as they're too sharp, and doesn't twig on that something's not quite right when her mid-term exam is to collect high-school girls' underwear for her sensei. A meeting with Kaeda (prospective victim of some underwear theft) soon brightens her day, though... 1-2 - The Master Appears Shinobu invites Kaede for a visit to the ninja village - Kaede would quite like to decline, but doesn't really get the chance to... She does eventually arive in one piece, although that's not thanks to Shinobu's travelling techniques. Once their, Onsokumaru seems determined to cause as much trouble for Shinobu & Kaede as possible - but while Shinobu's naive to his tricks, Kaede's not so easily fooled - until it's mentioned to her that outsiders can't leave the training village alive... 2x2=Shinobuden is the new series from UFOTable, the studio responsible for Dokkoida!?,and like its predecessor, this is a parody show - this time on ninja shows rather than robot shows. Unlike its predecessor it's based on a manga (one that seems almost unheard of in the west), but like Dokkoida!? it manages to pull so many comedy strings that you can't help but enjoy it. "Azumanga Daioh with a ninja" is one description I've seen, but I have to say that's not entirely accurate - AzuDai was never this ecchi, for a start. As well as the decidedly hentai antics of Onsokumaru (admittedly a love/hate character), there are some decidedly yuri undertones between Shinobu & Kaede - so this is not really a kids show. As with all parody shows, a knowledge of what they're parodying would certainly help - I'll admit to being lacking in that department - but the comedy in general is funny enough that it's not necessary to know what they're poking fun at. I'll be watching more of this show, and soon. I had been having a pretty poor weekend before I watched this, but it brightened my day considerably. Highly recommended, unless you really can't handle ecchi comedy. Even then, I'd say it's worth trying. |
