Legend Of The Mystical Ninja 4 – Love Is A Powerful
Weapon
(Animé TV)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Episodes: C+
In an
interesting surprise, the Japanese Animé series Legend Of The Mystical Ninja turns out to be a
more-clever-than-expected send up of all the overly pretentious Animé shows
that are going for the marketing kill for children in all the major kids
markets in the U.S. and abroad. Ganbare Goemon (the title character in the
Japanese version) is a character that looks like a cross between a Super Mario
Brother and Sonic The Hedgehog, and is a spoof of them among others in the
Animé and video games field. The subtle
satire does not end there.
There is
a male robot that may or may not be gay, if that’s possible, as a spoof of all the
“tough, immortal” robot giants without being a stereotype, something that seems
too rare in Animé. Even the art and
music mocks the conventions of Animé that keeps bringing in the buck and is
beyond tired. Though still simple, it is
a good, funny show with some positive energy that most of children’s commercial
TV is badly lacking these days. The
animation is not bad, though could be a bit more colorful, but rarely has that
purposely faded look. That is usually
anti-energy for this kind of cartoon show, but this show manages to dodge that.
The full
frame image is also clean and not terrible, but it has its limits. It is also color consistent, so that is a
plus. The human, animal and robot
characters mesh well in style, which is usually not the case in Animé. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with Pro Logic
surrounds is offered in two good versions for a change. The English is amusing and clear, while the
Japanese is more naturalistic and has about equal fidelity. Extras include previews for other ADV DVD
Animé shows, an interview with the well-picked English voiceover cast for the
show and audio commentary with two of the actors and (for the first time) the
director of the series.
It should
be added that there really are no ninjas on the show, possibly another good
in-joke. You can begin in the later
shows and not be lost, but it does make one curious about earlier and later
shows. Legend Of The Mystical Ninja is easily one of the best Animé shows
for younger children and is rare in not listing an age restriction.
- Nicholas Sheffo
