I think the strongest point of the series for me is the fact that they reinforce that Fuusuke is still just a little boy looking for his mother, and that even though he's strong, fights well and performs countless incredible feats, he still needs to be helped by others. One of the things I like most about Ninku is how awesome the character design is, while Fuusuke and his friends wear normal and casual clothes (which something really cool), the villains are all stylish. The world building is also great, the 20th century Spanish setting mixed with a bit of feudal Japan is very good and original. The dictatorial post-war scenario is also very interesting and realistic, which leads to some very tragic moments. Much more happens throughout the anime and the best part is that we will not always have a happy ending at the end of each episode, which makes the experience even more immersive. When I watched Ninku for the first time I was really surprised that they covered these themes in an anime made for a younger audience. The interaction between the characters is very good, especially between our protagonists. Their conversation is something so natural that make it seem like we're in a circle of friends listening to some nonsenses.
The anime's plot is completely different from the manga, where only a few chapters were adapted with some minor changes. Both are very episodic, but the anime has a focus, different from the manga, which the author himself admitted that he didn't really know what to do with his characters, and because of this he decided to start the story over again in the middle of the serialization, thus creating "Ninku: Second Stage". Kouji Kiriyama liked the anime so much that he even made a special chapter based on the OVA "Knife no Bohyou", which is also very good. Btw, if you're undecided about whether or not you should give Ninku a chance, I recommend starting with this OVA. It's really cool and has a awesome animation which remains consistent until the last episode of the anime.
Despite having praised it so far, I need to talk about the series' flaws and negative points. The plot has some HUGE inconveniences, with miraculous solutions that appear out of nowhere in the most crucial moments. Like characters that could have been introduced before and that only appear to help at that specific moment and nothing more. There are also some repetitive jokes that sometimes work, but more because of the reaction of the characters who are also tired of it. And we have the main villains who could have been used more, but were all left aside. Mekira, for example, had enormous potential for being a foreigner, they could have explored her past and homeland more. At least they're all cool and unique, with Kouchin being the most generic among them.
Well, I'm sure that if this had been broadcast here in Brazil along with Yu Yu Hakusho and Dragon Ball it would also have been a hit among kids. If I had watched this during my childhood, I'd be playing as Fuusuke at school and my grandma's yard every day (the clothes I wore were exactly the same as his haha).
Then that's it, I really recommend Ninku. And since my ratings are based on how much fun I personally had watching or reading something, I'll easily give Ninku a 9/10! It's one of those animes that makes me want to be a kid again. If you like a good fighting shonen, then go for it and give this series a chance, I'm sure you'll be very well rewarded.
