We see the generals lead the armies in both bird-eye and close-up views. The viewers are given seats in strategy meetings. We see the map, the route armies take and the obstacles they might face. We also see individual deaths and small victories here and there in front row seats.
None of the generals are invincible. They fall into traps, they make wrong tactical advances and they let their men die. They regret, they fear for the worst and they sometimes think negatively.
This time period wasn't chosen randomly out of a hat. The age sits between old Japan and the beginning of Westernisation. Should Japan learn about the rest of the world? Should Japan shield themselves from the West? Or should the generals set out to sea with a pirate flag and conquer shinsekai?
The premise alone sounds plenty interesting. What makes this series more different is majority of these generals are women and lolis. There are good fanservice but few excessive ones. The women fight like men. They lay their honour on the battlefield and they aren't afraid of death. The action is solid. Supernatural elements and magic, check, but they don't overpower the good old fashioned cavalry with swords, bow men or rifle men.
Our protagonist is from the future. He doesn't bring the internet with him nor anything fancy that would faze every other character in the show. No one is particularly impressed by his arrival and none feel threatened. He didn't make his impact through technology or his pair of trainers. He made his impact through people management and making good use of history lessons. He doesn't follow what was already written in the history books from his time, he allows discretion and take into consideration of people's feelings, what's the right thing to do at the right time. He doesn't dictate, nor throw solutions around in strategy meetings, and his predictions sometimes go wrong.
In terms of personality, he is a determined lad. He is also a pervert. This is a harem show, and this guy gets boners. He has fantasies of his colleagues he works with and he falls in love, unlike school based series where the protagonist has no clue what's going on or doesn't have a penis. Our MC has desires and attempts to fulfil them.
This series is nothing short of entertaining. The animation quality is Madhouse stunning. The women are sexual and the seiyuu super. It's one of the rare few anime that makes me guilty for awarding a low score. So guilty that I later changed it. Although, the setting and animation is fantastic, there are lots of typical moments in this series. Any said I would personally consider as spoilers. In addition, there are plot holes. First episode is confusing, one of the worst start to any series. But ignore it. To enjoy Oda Nobuna, you must not try to tick boxes or review it episode by episode. Do not emphasise on this time travelling, world transferring protagonist to overshadow the other characters and what the series is truly good at. The fact he is from a different time isn't the highlight of the series at all and the director made sure he isn't overpowered. It is sometimes best to forget he's from the future altogether.
Oda Nobuna isn't a mindless, shut down your brain and watch series. It has emotions and you can get lost in the many names of people, castles, territories that do not come with much references. Although most characters have appeared in many other anime personality-wise, to have them in this age period and not act like scared little brats needing samurai to protect them 24/7 is a breath of fresh air. To really enjoy this series, you should aim to marathon it in 2 days. Any slower with underscore its plot holes. Don't watch it to punish the director or yourself, watch it in a forgiving attitude and you'll have a whale of a time!
