Well it certainly didn't take long to
break my vow of two episodes for every Ninninger entry. No this isn't
some fear of commitment. The advent of Windows 10 required this old
laptop to restart from square one and I've yet to get everything back
up and running. Didn't even have VLC installed until this afternoon.
It's actually kind of nice as the whole process has made for some
quick file clean up. Believe me, there was a lot of loose baggage to
clean out of this thing. In a way it's all rather fitting as this
installment of Ninninger had a very similar goal.
If you recall, our last visit left the
kids in a conundrum as they'd found the flying ninja ally who was
rather reluctant to offer his aid. Being of the stubborn variety they
continue to try and win him over. First they get a little backstory
on Saika the monk. He's the son of the guy who built all the ninja
allies & fancy tools and he aims to continue the family
tradition. First on his checklist is teaching Takaharu what he needs
to tame the flying ally who's been the kids guardian ever since pops
died.
 |
| Somewhat debatable. |
As you might guess, most of the team
is sidelined to action duty this week while Taka tries to figure
things out. It's not a bad trade though as the action is pretty good
with the actors doing some out of costume stuff for a change.
Meanwhile, Saika teaches Takaharu by
stealing his ninja sword for a grand game of keep away. It's
established early on that Taka is in fact kind of an idiot. Like the
show just straight up admits it now. While attempting to retrieve his
weapon, dumb dumb must consider what he can truly offer to his
friends. Reflecting on the old dude's insults from last week he
realizes that the team is comprised of two smart and calculating
types, two fast & clever kids, and a strong man who doesn't know
how to work in a team setting. What he offers is his wild uninhabited
idiocy that helps everyone be they're best. It took 20 episodes but
the show finally came up with a proper reason for why he gets to be
the leader other than wearing red tights. For a series predominantly
aimed at kids it's also a surprisingly sweet message. If you're a
dumb kid, use your energy to help others succeed. It's like the
origin story of Tony Robbins.
The old man finally sees a ninja he
can “run wild” with and offers his aid. That means it's power-up
time with a new super armor and giant robot named Lion Ha-Oh.
Normally I'd be concerned that only Taka would be able to use the new
gear but from what I've seen of following episodes, he has to share
the new toys every so often.
Having gained an ally and defeated
that Chimera from last week the kids return home. We're treated to a
brief conversation where Saika jumps up right next to Fuuka as the
show's best character simply because he has the balls to criticize
gramps. Speaking of the old bastard; since the team finally surpassed
him in one small way, he finally relents and allows Kinji to become
his student. Everything isn't quite so happy elsewhere as Kyuuemon
seems to be reviving yet another evil general.
All in all I'm pretty satisfied with
this tale. It introduced some good potentially recurring characters,
flat out admitted that Taka's a moron, albeit one with leadership
skills, and even had someone bash on grampa for once. Combine that
with some decent action and shiny new tools & the next batch of
stories are sounding pretty good.
I'm planing on at least two more
entries for August, including the start of Halloween goodies (already
bought some yesterday). Also want to try and improve the site a
little as well. Not to mention I've got a job interview on Monday
morning. Yes indeed, this blogger/contractor/handyman may add
recycling center goon to his list of titles. Wish me luck.
No comments:
Post a Comment