Nobunaga no Shinobi

Nobunaga no Shinobi tells about the exploits of a shinobi called Chidori who works for Oda Nobunaga, a prominent (or rather, the most popular) warlord in Sengoku era (16th century). Basically it revolves around the things Chidori do as summoned by her lord.

The episodes are short yet sweet. Characters are in chibi style and as such, it is comedic in nature and viewers should not expect serious historical accuracy in the series. However, those who appreciate Sengoku era history will probably enjoy this series better because they are familiar with the names and the character traits.

The humor is lighthearted and it's rather manzai styled in ... my opinion, which I enjoy very much. The plot moves fast due to the length, but it doesn't deter the comprehension of the story at all and there is no time to get bored.

Overall I give it a solid 9. Definitely recommended for casual anime watching to relax.

P.S.: I absolutely love the opening song!

If you're looking for cute, relaxing comedy series with short episodes and a dose of history sprinkled in, you should add Nobunaga no Shinobi to your list.

The show revolves around Chidori, a shinobi, who's in service to Oda Nobunaga. Each episode is a skit done in the manzai style, often about a mission assigned to Chidori by Nobunaga. However, underneath lies a loose, exciting, fast-paced plot based on Nobunaga's battles in the Sengoku period (16th century). The historical references in the episodes, while not entirely accurate, were enough to make me revise my knowledge of the period.

The art of the show matches its comedic nature: ... the characters are done in a chibi style and the backgrounds don't have too much detail. I especially liked the exaggerated facial expressions and Nobunaga's missing mouth. The character and background designs match the period.

I'll proudly say I never skipped the opening for the show because it's beautiful and soothing. The music of the opening coupled with the little story bits make it irresistible. The background music often fit so well with the events, especially the action scenes. The sound and music of the show is one of my favourite aspects and I always look forward to hearing the exciting voices, especially Hideyoshi's.

Overall, the show has been enjoyable so far and I don't see that changing. I'll definitely recommend it for a relaxing anime viewing.

Overall: 8
Story: 7
Art: 8
Sound: 9
Character: 7
Enjoyment: 9

So what happens when a cute ninja helped with Oda Nobunaga's conquest?...

Hilarity Ensues.

Nobunaga no Shinobi is one of LA's favorite anime shorts of Fall 2016 and with a 26 episode run spanning 3 minutes each, LA enjoyed this little gem all the way through.

Nobunaga no Shinobi comedy core element is the use of "defying expectations" mainly in the case of punchlines. Be it from a cute girl who happens to be an excellent ninja who can kick ass, to Hideyoshi Kinoshita being a bumbling errand boy turned commander of an army for Oda Nobunaga, to the most unpredictable character of all, Kichou, Oda Nobunaga's wife ... voiced by Chiaki Takahashi thinking up nonsensical things. If there is anything Nobunaga no Shinobi does right in the comedy department is it's greatly timed punchlines (be it running gags or even in serious situations..you know...WAR, they even manage to make great quips in the heat of battle!).

In terms of animation by TMS Entertainment, the animation has this traditional Japanese scroll effect to it from it's character designs being somewhat chibi sure but the backgrounding makes it like your reading a scroll of Oda Nobunaga's exploits. The character designs albeit chibi, it makes their designs rather noticeable, like you'll never confuse Nene for Kichou and that's usually due to appearance and their accessories they usually wear and with a HUGE cast for an anime short, they did a good job even on that front.

In terms of voice acting, with such a greatly timed comedy anime, the majority of the voice cast did rather well. Special props to Inori Minase as Chidori (our main protagonist), Kappei Yamaguchi as Hideyoshi Kinoshita. Also nice voice cast of Rie Kugimiya as the tsundere Nene..because tsundere.

Nobunaga no Shinobi is a definitely LA's favourite anime short of Fall 2016, it's a perfect mix of comedic timing, historical and moe all in one and LA can't wait for it's second season!