Ninja and gokudo (yakuza) have been warring over Japan’s underworld since the Great Fire of 1657 wiped out two-thirds of Edo. Three centuries later, two strangers are brought together on the streets of Tokyo’s central business district over a shared passion for the anime Flash Princess, when one saves the other’s phone—clad in a limited edition character cover—from a fatal encounter with the sidewalk. Kiwami Kimura, whose first name uses the kanji for gokudo, is a tall, suave businessman and the owner of the phone. Its rescuer is Shinoha (using the kanji for ninja) Tanaka, a blond, shock-headed, Pinocchio-nosed short king often mistaken for a boy, though he’s old enough to have committed 17 seasons worth of Princess to memory. And to have superseded his ninja Master in developing the speed of his hand strikes, which routinely break the sound barrier. They are so fast that the heads of gokudo continue monologuing even after having been separated from their bodies by Shinoha’s hits. But I digress; back to the budding friendship born of shared Princess otakudom. The two meet again at a limited-time merchandise sale and continue to hit it off, going for a meal after snagging their merch. Shinoha even tries to smile, using his hands to lift the corners of his mouth in a frightening grimace. Poor boy, er, man can’t smile or laugh due to childhood trauma. Also, he’s never needed to before, having been focused solely on training to eradicate the gokudo from Japan. But now, perhaps he has his first friend? Cut to Kiwami changing his shirt: Are those yakuza tats painting every inch of his torso?! Who will win? Ninja, gokudo, or the power of friendship and Princess anime fandom?
This was wild! Not at all what I was expecting, on any level. First off, the art style is quite unusual, with long pointy noses a la Tokyo Revengers but more so, thick contour lines like a classic comic book, and a desaturated color design, such that it almost feels at times like there’s a layer of fine cloud over the frame. Can’t say I’m a fan of it, to be honest, but at least it is distinctive. Second, although there are a few action sequences—well, as much as one can call decapitated talking heads flying through the air, action—the emphasis is more on the slice-of-life side of the story: The meet cute and growing friendship; Shinoha’s relationship with his ninja Master, who works as a waiter who carries out his duties with bullet-like precision and speed; and the backstory behind the younger ninja’s inability to smile. The “forced smile” gag gets a little old, being the mainstay of the humor here, but there are a few other gimmicks too, such as the fowl- foul-mouthed crow who delivers Shinoha’s orders, and Kiwami’s universal affability. I’ll admit, I’m on the fence with this one, as just as many pull factors as push factors are at play here, warring over whether or not I’ll be adding this to the watch list. I’ll give it another episode or two with lunch and see how it goes!
Ninja vs Gokudo is streaming on Amazon Prime.
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