Review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series

Director: Takashi Watanabe

Studio: Artland

Author: Takao Yoshioka

U.S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: July 29, 2014

Format and Length: DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack / 300 Minutes / 12 Episodes

Genre: Action, Drama, Ecchi, Shounen

Industry Age Rating: TV-MA

Overall Personal Rating: C+

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Samurai Bride, Battle Girls: Time Paradox, and Ikki Tousen

 Synopsis:

There was a time when there were amazing ninja serving the powerful, hired for intelligence missions, destruction, or assassination. While the times have changed, the need for ninja has not gone away. However, the type of ninja has changed through the ages. Asuka and her friends may look like any other girls at Hanzo Academy, but they’re secretly studying the ancient art of Ninjutsu! They push their bodies to the breaking point in pursuit of their perfect form while the other students at Hanzo Academy do their homework. Days are spent in sparring session after sparring session until a rival clan of evil ninjas ambushed the Hanzo ninjas and steals their sacred ninja scroll. These evil ninjas are their toughest enemies they have ever faced and Asuka and her friends will have to go further than ever to prove they have mastered the art of the ninja.

 Commentary:

Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series takes ninja anime series to new heights and lows at the same time. The story line was not the best; however it was enough to develop the plot and give a little bit of insight to the characters. The fights that occur between the good ninjas and the evil ninjas were pretty good and showed off both side’s rivalry with each other. Eventually, there seems to be a bigger evil force working behind the scenes among the evil ninjas. However, the premise of the plot was the age old good versus evil ploy and while it gets old eventually it was entertaining to say the least. To be honest, if Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series would have had less fan-service and perverted old men I may have liked it more.

The characters in Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series were your cliché ecchi characters including the pervert (Katsuragi), the timid and shy girl (Hibari), the cool genius (Yagyuu), the willful protagonist (Asuka), and the straight and narrow girl (Ikaruga). However, the girls look very similar and if you know these types of series then you will understand why and how they are similar. But their personalities are all very different. The characters listed above are the good ninjas. We are also given some background on the characters, which I was not expecting in an ecchi anime. Each characters background story is sad and depressing save for Hibari. If I had to choose a favorite character I would choose Hibari followed closely by Asuka. The Ninjutsu teacher is Kiriya and the owner/director of the Ninjutsu is Hanzou, Asuka’s grandfather. Both men are slightly perverted and enjoy watching the girls practice more than they should.

The art was good but they focused far too much on the sex appeal of the ninjas and did not put enough attention into anything else. The voice actors were spot on and brought the characters to life. I usually watch all anime in Japanese with the English subtitles but the English voice actors for this series were not bad. I found myself switching between languages after a few episodes. The opening and closing animations were well done and the music was okay. All in all, if you enjoy this type of anime series then you will enjoy Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series.

Extras:

Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series includes episode commentaries, promotional videos, clean opening and closing animations, Japanese commercials, U.S. trailer, and Funimation trailers as special features. Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series has both English and Japanese with English subtitle language options and both are great options.

 Overall Grade: C+

Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series is a decent anime and if you enjoy ecchi anime or loads of fan-service then I recommend that you check this series out.