Ninja Kamui

This had a really strong start but unfortunately it swayed away from what I originally thought this series would be.

When I watched the first 4 or 5 episodes I was super excited thinking that I finally ended up finding a Ninja themed anime series that takes place in a modern time. Unfortunately the series ends up with a big focus on Mecha armor which is used heavily by both antagonists and protagonists. I suppose some folks might not be bothered by this but once the sci-fi armor action began it really started feeling like I was watching action scenes from a completely different series. I personally enjoyed the action a whole lot more when it was folks battling each other without fancy Iron Man-esque suits. I'd also like to mention that these suits are CGI drawn which, in my opinion, doesn't look or move as great as the hand drawn animation in this series.

The only other nitpick that kept coming to my mind is that after the first 2 or 3 episodes we only seem to see the supporting cast speak about what to do next or what they should do against an opponent. They barely gave any attention to the main character when it comes to suggesting a plan or even share his thoughts about the situations. Thankfully we do get to see a lot more from him in the flashbacks we see throughout. Though I will admit a lot of the other characters we see are super charismatic and felt very unique.

While I found the story a bit entertaining I must admit that it wasn't exactly anything out of this world. It starts off as a normal revenge story but unfortunately the longer it went the more it seemed like the creators were trying to cram way too many different concepts into 1 package. I actually found myself enjoying the flashbacks more than what was occurring in the present.

If you wish to see 'turn-off your mind' action I'd say give it a chance, the action in the first half of the series is great in my opinion. If you're expecting regular ninjas without Iron Man suits then you may end up disappointed once the Sci-Fi kicks in. I honestly would've rated this higher if it didn't shift from 'Modern day Ninjas' to 'Mecha-Ninjas'.

First, I am not a manga or cartoon watcher. I saw this on HBO and it appealed to me.

I started watching and it had a good start with action and the normal good story telling. There was like 2-3 minutes in the middle part that I wondered if it was gonna be slow from there on out.

But it did not let me down and it continued to deliver content and some great slash scenes.

I like this type of story telling, for "normal" shows when they set a boundary for what is possible they have to explain all "out of the ordinary" things as to not break the boundaries.

Here, it does not matter, there are no boundaries, we know how this works, the producers know it and the delivered a great EP1, it felt like my fantasy world when reading a really good shogun manga, will be back for more.

Ep3 update: Ep2 was OK, it contained some valuable storyline items. But after ep3 I am not so sure, it sure had storyline, but I dunno, something lacked, can't put my finger on it. Rating went from 9 to 7, I am not looking forward to the next episode as much as I looked forward to ep2.

Ep5+6 update: My hopes for the series died in the previous two episodes, but apparently it went for charging, the 5ep and 6ep was fantastic episodes, now I look forward to the next one!

"Ninja Kamui" definitely won me over with the trailer a few months ago.

You could already see that the animation and choreography of the fights would be fantastic - I could only guess how much more would come in the course of the anime and was almost certain that this anime would be relatively high up at the top of the animes from 2024.

The anime starts off very promisingly, as promised by the trailer - the fights in the first episodes are choreographed fantastically and are breathtakingly well animated.

The story and the characters are rather simple and not particularly innovative, but that hardly bothered me - as long as the implementation of this simple story maintained this level, I would have been happy.

But unfortunately it didn't...

Before I could admire the dark style and simple character design of the main character, who was initially only wearing a black hoodie, enough, he slips into a bright mecha suit with all sorts of bells and whistles on it. I personally found that a shame because I think the anime would have worked much better if they had stuck to traditional fighting techniques and weapons.

All the sci-fi stuff just takes away all the charm of the previously simple aesthetic...

If they really wanted to include mechas, I would have thought it was a better decision not to give the main character a suit and thus contrast ultra-modern fighting machines with old-fashioned ninja techniques.

It's a shame that they decided to go in this direction...

The anime is very promising and it's interesting that HBO is producing it but the story falls very flat and the plot is nothing new: vengeance and lots of action. Basically a John Wick anime ripoff. This is not entirely a bad thing if well executed but so far it does not impress: the animation is top notch but the voice acting is ATROCIOUS. It definitely breaks the immersion. Also, the characters are kinda flat, we are 5-6 episodes in and I simply do not care for any of them, the vendetta motive of the main character is just not enough to make me excited. Hopefully this series will improve with the next episodes.

This anime series commences with an impressively rapid pace, immediately captivating viewers with its stunningly executed opening sequences. The blend of dynamic action and strategically placed quieter moments skillfully outlines the foundational premise of the story. As someone relatively inexperienced with the anime genre, I found the quality of the animation to be exceptionally high, showcasing the meticulous attention to detail and artistic expertise inherent in this medium.

However, I did observe that the narrative setup seemed somewhat rushed. As a newcomer to anime, I would have preferred a more gradual introduction to the storyline, allowing for a deeper immersion into the world and its characters. Despite this, the swift pacing did not significantly detract from the overall objective and allure of the episode.

Moreover, the power system introduced, while only glimpsed at first glance, appears to hold substantial promise. It suggests a depth and complexity that I anticipate will unfold as the series progresses. This aspect, along with the intriguing narrative and visual excellence, contributed to an overall enjoyable viewing experience. I am eagerly looking forward to exploring the subsequent episode and further understanding this anime's unique universe.

(Disclaimer: This review was assisted by ChatGPT, an AI language model.)