Ninja Mono

Synopsis:

Characters:

• Hayashi (Main) - Voice Actors: Ishizuka, Katashi, Lang, Lex
• Kaoru (Main) - Voice Actors: Suzumura, Kenichi
• Matsuri (Main) - Voice Actors: Sargent, Lia, Nakajima, Mami
• Pochi (Main) - Voice Actors: Miyata, Kouki, Marshall, Mona
• Sakura (Main) - Voice Actors: Konishi, Hiroko, Fox, Sandy
• Yume (Main) - Voice Actors: Miyajima, Hitomi, Ruff, Michelle
• Inaba (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Asada, Youko
• Jame (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kawamura, Maria, Wernick, Beth
• Matsuzaka (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Futamata, Issei, Lang, Lex
• Nikko (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Sugawara, Junichi, Prince, Derek Stephen

Staff:

• Suganuma, Eiji (Director, Original Creator, Character Design, Animation Director, Screenplay)
• Kishida, Takahiro (Script, Key Animation)
• Miyajima, Hitomi (Theme Song Performance)
• Fujita, Junji (Planning)
• Kanai, Jirou (Key Animation)
• Kitajima, Nobuyuki (Animation Director)
• Kitazume, Hiroyuki (Animation Director)
• Kizaki, Fuminori (Animation Director, Key Animation)
• Matsuura, Noriyoshi (Sound Effects)
• Nakazawa, Kazuto (Key Animation)
• Okada, Terumitsu (Editing)
• Sue, Nobuhito (Art Director)
• Suzuki, Hirofumi (Key Animation)

Reviews:

• User jyagan0 (Score: 6/10):
  A rather bizarre combination of bloody violence and cutesy teenage girl ninjas that just doesn't quite work. One character in this anime has no problem hunting down and killing an apparently innocent bear for sport, but turns out to be deathly afraid of . . . frogs. It's too violent for little kids but also too annoyingly cute for adults. Might work for 12 year old's. Includes a PG-13 hot springs scene. I thought it was a good experience to say the least. But the fact that the series isn't continued really is a downer on a good thing. It seems that the man whoproduced/directed(I don't really know) also produced/directed the first Tenchi Muyo. Well, he's dead. He died after making the 3rd episode of this and the 13(?) episode of Tenchi Muyo. This is why there isn't an end to either Ninja cadets nor the first Tenchi Muyo. If the series had at least been continued it would have been better. But these 3 episodes leave you wanting more, which there isn't.
• User Arboria (Score: 7/10):
  So there's some ninjas and about half of them are girls and most of those girls are cute. There's some slashing and some gags and a few cool fight scenes. This is one of those things, pretty common with OVAs where it's like if you're looking for something entertaining to occupy an hour of your life this will do the job. There's nothing that particularly stands out about this one, which is fine because that means there's nothing that really makes it bad. I think the final fight in the second episode is pretty cool and was definitely more than I was expecting, you probablywon't be disappointed.nnI've said it before and I'll say it again. When it comes to 80s/90s action OVAs, it's like, just watch it. Worst case scenario you waste an hour of your life which I'm sure you already do plenty. I think this one's mildly above average so give it a go. Yume is pure wife material by the way.
• User SgtSalamander (Score: 7/10):
  Ninja Cadets is an obscure, passionate, action-packed 90s OVA that I believe punches far above its weight. Beginning with the story, it's a pretty simple setup, with a group of young aspiring ninja students looking to infiltrate the castle which was once the base of operations for their clan, and retrieve magic scrolls from its possession, all while they are pursued by a band of evildoers. The story has strong bones, and provides the perfect structure within which all the action can unfold. It does a great job of investing you in the world and its characters, and therefore thestory, pretty much right away. nn The strongest aspect of Ninja Cadets, however, is the art. Not only is it a perfect example of 90s anime, it is a perfect example of 90s anime that's done really well. The backgrounds are colorful and provide a sense of depth, the character designs are visually intriguing and aesthetic, the animation is fluid and dovetails nicely with the fight choreography, which is itself downright badass. I love the way everything looks in this art style, but especially the fights, specifically when there's a monster involved. The monster designs are otherworldly, and capture this mystic sense of being, either through a sense of scale or unfamiliarity. They're not just reskins of common monster tropes, but rather unique imaginings, to the point where when you see one for the first time it's not instantly clear what exactly you're looking at until it dawns on you, which makes their reveal all the more enthralling. Ninja Cadets has some of the best monster designs I've seen in anime, to be honest, and that really is an unexpected strength. nn The sound is a close second, with an awesome OST consisting of high-energy 90s electronic music that somehow doesn't feel out of place in this anime. It slowly builds tension with the gradual addition of new elements throughout a given scene, and before you know it, the scene is backed by a complex and riveting musical accompaniment, elevating the action to the next level. Furthermore, the sounds of life are rich and abundant, be it the quiet sloshing of water, the creaking of floorboards, or the metallic clashing of blade against blade. nn The characters are also quite good, being themselves quite engaging despite the severely limited time the viewer has to get to know them. They interact in ways which feel realistic, despite their powers or skills, with distinct personalities that contrast against each other very well. Of them, my favorites are Matsuri and Pochi, Matsuri for the persistent comedy she adds to various scenes through her stubborn, competitive nature, while still being a competent and valuable member of the group, and Pochi, for his honest, heroic nature, interesting character design, and especially his actions in episode two, which are extremely cool, and thoroughly badass, though impossible to expand on without spoiling it. An honorable mention goes to Jame, the tall, spindly, evil witch with wild hair who…
• ... and 1 more reviews

Forum Topics:

• Ninja Mono Episode 2 Discussion
• Ninja Mono Episode 1 Discussion

External Links:

• Official Site
• AniDB
• ANN
• Wikipedia

Related Anime/Manga:

• Ninja Mono (manga - Adaptation)