Out Like a Ninja Part 3: Ninku The Movie

History can be a lot of fun, whether it be in the subject of world events or popular culture.  By watching older anime you can see how they influenced the current generation of animators and manga artists.  If you've seen much of the current and popular ninja series "Naruto" some bits of this older title may seem very familiar.  

 Background:
Released By: Anime Works
Length: 26 minutes
Year of Production: 1996
Language: Sub and Dub both included, Dub reviewed
Available on Netflix: Yes

Ninku was a ninja manga that ran in Shonen Jump from 1993 to 1995 and had a sequel that ran from 1994 to 1995, ended, and then was restarted 10 years later in an Seinen (Adult Men's) Magazine.  In other words, a ninja comic that ran in the same magazine that would eventually run Naruto 2 years later.  There are some similarities between the two lead characters as well and I'll get into those later.

The Ninja
The Ninku are an elite platoon of ninja warriors capable of wiping out entire armies.  During the time line of the series most of the Ninku have been wiped out.  Our protagonists are 3 captains of the 12 Ninku squads, a flatulent penguin, and token female character. 

Go Ninja, Go Ninja Go!

Our leading man, or rather boy, is Fuusuke the Wind.  He looks like he was dropped on his head as a child and travels everywhere with his faithful companion Hiroyuki the Penguin.  Fuusuke was the leader of the Rat Ninku and master of wind techniques.  He has a technique identical to Naruto's Rasengan and is also capable of throwing Shuriken made of wind, something Naruto also learns.

Brain function typically remains near "zero"

Aicho the Sky is the former captain of the Rooster Ninku.  He has incredibly strong legs which allow him to bound effortlessly through the air and excel in aerial combat.  Aicho also hates women.  The last of our three captains is Toji the Ground, who uses snake-themed earth attacks and wears traditional Japanese loincloth style underwear.  He transports the Ninku around in his plane, the Hindenburg.  Rihoko, the token female, is Toji's sister.

Toji, Fuusuke, and Aicho

The Impostor Ninja
Trying to profit from the fame of the Ninku, a group of scam artists pretend to be the legendary warriors.  They are after food and money for reasons that will be revealed later.

From left to right; Mayor, and the fake Aicho, Rihoko, Fuusuke, Toji with Hiroyuki on his head

Story:
The story opens with the Ninku crew flying on the Hindenburg while playing a game of Shiritori .  For those of you unfamiliar with the game, it involves taking the last syllable of a word and giving a new word starting with that syllable.  This doesn't translate well into English so they changed it into a rhyming game instead.  In the middle of their game the Hindenburg crashes.  In dire need of food, plane parts, gas, and money, the Ninku decide to to look for part time work.  Fate blows an ad their way soliciting town guardians.

How convenient!

The ninjas arrive in town only to find that the job has been taken by the legendary Ninku warrior impostors.  Desperate for work, our heroes agree to act as servants to their fake counterparts.  The have the unflattering tasks of delivering food, drink, napkins, etc. Fuusuke and Toji take this all remarkably well and really get into playing the part of servants.

Fun Fact: Loincloths can take the place of napkins in a pinch

As the feast celebrating the "Heroes" reaches its climax, an arrow shatters the window of the dining hall.  The projectile carries an ultimatum from a group of bandits known as the Heaven and Earth Brothers.  They demand all of the town's money and food be delivered the next morning "or else."  The mayor is elated, and assigns his new bodyguards to the task.  Fake Fuusuke retires to his room where he tries to relax with a back-rub from the real McCoy. 

Not as creepy as it looks, I swear

Desperate to get rid of Fuusuke so he can make a speedy getaway, the leader of the fakes throws a pineapple out of the window, demanding Fuusuke fetch it.  The impostors take this opportunity to flee with their accumulated wealth of food and money.  Before they can get far the fakes are stopped by Rihoko and Toji.  They get past them using the classic, "Look a naked woman!" trick to make Toji turn around, followed by a "Look a naked man!" to get Rihoko distracted.  They attempt to continue their escape, but run into Aicho.  There is a wonderful, Scooby-Doo style hallway door chase scene at this point.

Jinkies!

While all of this chasing is going on, Fuusuke is stuck down an empty well with the wayward pineapple and a flatulent penguin. They are trapped with no way out until a giraffe pokes its head down and picks them up.  A delightfully surreal scene.

What's that girl?  Fuusuke fell down the well?

The fakes finally make it to the front door only to be ambushed by the mayor and the rest of the adoring townsfolk.  Their fan club escorts them to their battlefield and then quickly flees to avoid the crossfire.  The impostors attempt to bluff their way out of the fight but the Heaven and Earth Brothers are very eager to fight the legendary Ninku.

Not the most intimidating bunch.

The real Ninku show up and square off against the three brothers.  Our heroes make quick work of their enemies using their specialties.  Fuusuke finishes off the tornado wielding leader with his signature Air Stinger.  Toji defeats his effeminate foe with a giant  white snake.  Aicho wins with a massive kick to knock out his fire-breathing foe.

Finish him!

  As the dust settles, the fakes attempt to escape but are quickly stopped.  Before the rest of his team can pummel the cowardly impostors, Fuusuke explains what he learned from following the giraffe.  The fake Ninku are actually circus performers who desperately needed money and food to keep their circus running and cure their sick animals.

Who can hate a circus?  Well other than PETA

The Ninku agree to let the impostors keep the food and reward money and take off again on the Hindenburg, playing another game of Shiritori.  Also, just to bring us back full circle, the plane stalls out and they begin to crash as the credits roll.

Here we go again!

Why watch?
1. Unknown Jump - Many of Shonen Jump's titles have been released in the US, or are at least well known among fansub groups.  I saw one epsidoe of the TV series fansubbed years ago, but this is the only portion that was legally released in English. 

2. Comedy - There are some decent bits of comedy in this piece.  I was very pleased and surprised by the Scooby Doo  gags, face faults, and the portrayal of Fuusuke.  The actress who plays him does an excellent job, especially with my favorite line explaining his tardiness -  “I was down a well with a giraffe and a pineapple, I’ll tell you later”

Stretching nonchalantly

The simple beauty of a fart joke

Lots of great face faults from our friend Fuusuke

Why not to watch?
1. Filler - For any long running series the movies and OVA's tend to be the weakest parts of the story.  There is a need to make up a story with no real character or plot development.  The villains must seem strong at first but also be able to be defeated in a short time-frame.  The final battle is bit lackluster on account of this.

Temporarily unbeatable enemies

2. Assumed Familiarity - This point is similar to the previous one.  For a movie spin-off of a long running series there is the assumption the audience knows the characters.  Some of the in-jokes and running gags have less appeal than intended.  A Wikipedia search can help with some of this.

Should you be watching?
Another maybe.  This is a really fun little title, but being just a small portion of a larger series makes it a bit difficult to get into.  The short length can be a pro or con.  It doesn't require a large time commitment but there isn't a lot of room for more than a basic story.  That simple story has some good humor and a lot of fun packed in.  I haves hope that the entire 55 episode series will eventually get released stateside.  With companies like Senatai Filmworks and Nozomi stating to release older titles, it seems more likely now than ever before.  Until they do this is all we have of the Ninku Franchise.