#starninja

[miyukifuji]

Came back = depper voice + better fashion and hair

Came back = no cowboy accent + better fashion and hair

Came back = voice also different + better fashion and hair...

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN TOEI HEADQUARTERS

[miyukifuji]

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Lyrics:  TAWADA HIDEYA, Onishi Yohei

Composer / Arranger: Ito Tsubasa 

Singer: TAWADA HIDEYA/ TAKIGAWA KINJI/ STARNINJA

yeah folks... the helped with the lyrics....

[ponkotsukasa]

[diemtf]

Ninninger episode 11 and already I love it. Kinji trying to kill Taka before breakfast (and then making breakfast) is the best! I like that the Ninningers and Starninja seem to have a Dread Pirate Roberts relationship so far. Starninja’s parts in the opening, limited though they are, are fun too. And everyone demanding different things for breakfast (with Kinji seemingly trying to memorize it) except for Fuuka who’s the only one concerned about poison is hilarious. And on a different note as an ex-English Teacher in Japan hearing two unilingual Japanese speakers arguing about English vs. American pronunciation is amazingly cringe-worthy.

I was hoping that Kinji and “Cloud” would talk in English but I never thought they’d argue about English. Fantastic. Shinobimaru randomly sprinting in the other direction and then sitting in a crouched position is pretty hilarious too. I’m sure it’s due to the latest Youkai’s power but the idea of a Sentai Zord getting upset about being replaced by newer toys is both funny and quite meta. Especially since with the actual toys if you make Shurikenjin Paon or UFO you literally can set aside Shinobimaru. 

In more ridiculous terms I love how once again Ninjas are prejudiced against magic but fine with Jutsu. 

Nagi looks a little older in this episode. Is it just how his hair is? 

And Taka proves he’s not going to forget about Shinobimaru by...forgetting about Shinobimaru the second Gabi shows up. At least the scene in the playpark is great, giving lots of nice character notes. Nagi being jealous of Kinji, Fuuka being worried about being overshadowed by Taka, Kinji being baffled, Yakumo trying to be the reassuring type, and Kasumi being a big troll as usual. 

The mech battle, though short is thematically nice with Shinobimaru and Rodeomaru’s little team/rival fight, with Dragonmaru picking up the spare. Then cliffhanger!

Next time: Super mega ultra sexy combination sequence go!

[diemtf]

Ninninger episode 9! And open on a Japanese guy speaking really awkward English; he’s basically the anti-Ramirez. I couldn’t say what my favourite method of 6th Ranger introduction is but “mysteriously killing monsters offscreen” isn’t it. I do dig that the Ninningers are not only trying to balance being Ninja and going to school/university but are also balancing getting home in time for their favourite show. And with a helping of Kasumi-trolling and exposition too! Of course the exposition is hijacked slightly by a gimmick that can destroy the world for no reason that I can imagine and Taka having flashbacks to events I’m pretty sure he wasn’t around for. 

Minion upgrade, as early as episode 9 (but then also 6th Ranger as early as episode 8, so...), and I’m glad I’m not the only one who remembers that Yaku calls himself “Cloud”. We can tell that the Ninninger are just Ninjas-in-training since they use their own loudly shouted catchphrase as a secret password. Oh, and who wants to bet the Kasumi’s decoy End Shuriken turns out to be the real deal? 

Not sure if I like more the cute dresses on Kasumi and Fuuka or the fact that Kyuemon is just like “Fuck it, carpet monster”.  That said, A Whole New World here does seem pretty cheaply broken, to the point where you start to wonder if jutsu aren’t horrendously overpowered by actual magic. 

Although speaking of Jutsu, the fact that the show can fake out any event that happens by saying “It hit my decoy instead” is not a good sign. They’ve done it twice now. It’s nice that the ninja do use ninja tricks to win the day buuuuuuut...we’re getting into Naruto you-actually-stabbed-a-log territory. 

Goddamn it “Cloud”, you can’t use 4 syllable words around Taka. Taka pretending to a dragon for a second after changing back was pretty funny though. 

Wow yeah, magic is broken. Just straight up turn the giant mech into stone, huh? And it’s not like the Ninningers have two other zords at their disposal. But whatever excuse for Rodeomaru to show up, via the Mc Morpher with Cheese.

Not sure if my favourite part of Rodeomaru is the Bill-and-Ted moves, the dope-on-a-rope punches or the fact that the cockpit looks like a cheap Western-themed restaurant.  

Nice twist ending!

Next time: Starninja, friend, or enemy? Or frenemy?

A quick post-script. Kasumi fighting in a dress was great, and I hope we get more feminine-and-badass stuff from her. But the star (ahem) is of course Starninja. He’s gonna be a love-him-or-hate-him character and so far I LOVE HIM. He reminds me of Shinken Gold (or more accurately, Antonio) with his sheer over-the-topness and reliance on a gimmick theme (cowboys and sushi). Piloting a mech while it moonwalks, air-guitars and uses another robot as a ramp, all while playing a guitar? I have a new fan favourite.

The costume is great. I like that they went for mostly cowboy, rather than trying a hybrid, with the poncho, hat and holster, though he still has enough ninja elements that he won’t look out of place in a group shot. The burger-morpher and the starswordguntar are great, and as for the buffalo-ATV-shotgun-cowboy-robot I’m totally sold.

I wonder if he and “Cloud” will speak English to each other?