Manga Sarutobi Sasuke

This review is partially written for my father as well as because there aren't any other reviews. Finding full episodes of Manga Sarutobi Sasuke was hard, the only episodes I could find were dubs, so I proceeded to watch the first three episodes of Manga Sarutobi Sasuke in Arabic, together with my father.

Story:
Even though I couldn't understand anything but a few words I could follow the story well, with sometimes a little bit help from my father. The story is episodic, but to understand Sasuke and where he comes from it's better to watch from the first episode, as it tells a part of Sasuke's ... backstory shortly.

Of course this anime is mostly aimed towards children, but people of any age can enjoy this anime. Because there are scenes with deeper meaning, death and history, of which adults will understand more clearly. The story is simple, but not too boring. Furthermore, the story isn't an original one, though I don't know for sure whether that applies for the time this anime was airing.

The story itself is serious, but throughout the anime there are a lot of comedic scenes.

Art:
The artstyle and animation are simple, the character designs are unique and therefore memorable. The artstyle fits the anime.

Character:
The different characters and personalities make this anime very enjoyable, they all have their flaws and strengths. Some characters have deep backgrounds and depth, while other characters don't have any background information.

Enjoyment:
If your parents have watched this anime, be sure to watch it with them as it is nostalgia and you may drag them into watching anime. Mostly children will enjoy this anime. I don't think non-anime fans will enjoy this old piece of anime.

I hope there will be more episodes available to watch in more languages, that way more people can enjoy this anime.

Manga Sarutobi Sasuke (1979), also known as 'Ninja, The Wonder Boy' in America, is the third iteration of the Sarutobi Sasuke character in anime, following 'Magic Boy' (1959) and 'Sasuke' (1968). While 'Magic Boy' adopts a whimsical fairy tale style and 'Sasuke' delves into a serious grim political feud, this anime attempts to blend both by being political yet goofy.

Despite its initial promise of political intrigue, the anime merely uses internal politics as a backdrop for conflicts. The plot centres around the samurai and warlord Sanada Yukimura in the Sengoku period, who fights in the name of peace. Sasuke, who shares those ideals, pledges allegiance ... to Lord Sanada and undertakes various daily missions, such as espionage, sabotaging enemy arsenals, and thwarting their evil schemes. The core conflict involves Sasuke's clashes with a rival ninja clan serving the enemy. This clan frequently dispatches its top elite ninjas to eliminate Sasuke, assassinate Sanada, aid the enemy's schemes, or simply act as bodyguards.

The series quickly falls into a repetitive pattern. It adopts a 'monster of the week' formula, or rather, 'ninja of the week', with each episode featuring a new enemy ninja. The promised cool ninja action and battles fail to deliver excitement, as the fights become monotonous, especially during climactic showdowns where Sasuke and his opponents often transform into huge kaiju monsters. Furthermore, the overuse of ninja tricks, such as substituting themselves with logs or other objects, diminishes the tension, as both sides can employ deus ex machina ninja magic to escape danger.

Visually, the anime stands out with its pretty bright colours and catchy visual effects. Alas, the limitations of the series' budget become apparent, evident in the frequent reuse of animation sequences after just a few episodes.

Although the series may evoke nostalgia for certain viewers, especially those who watched it dubbed during their youth, it's not recommended for those seeking immersive experience.