By Shanel Kamara

I loved this! The plot, characters, and simple yet effective animation style drew me in immediately. Due to the plots setting, and the fact that several anime shows have already dealt with the topic of the warring states period in East Asia, Nobunaga's reign, samurai's and ninjas, I thought that this show might be the same as the others; but I was wrong. This show has the potential to be truly exquisite; the balance between humour and seriousness is apparent. I realised by the end of this episode that, although at times Chidori seemed a bit naive and a bit of a joke, she was in fact a competent, brave, and formidable ninja girl.

I love how Nobunaga does not have a mouth in this anime; I think it not only distinguishes him from the rest of characters, but also sets him apart from other representations of 'Nobunaga' in other anime shows. Episode 0 introduces the two main characters of the show, and shows us how the two met. Nobunaga saves Chidori from drowning in a river, Chidori then inadvertently reveals to him that she is a shinobi, which leads him to accuse her of being a spy of Owari. However, she explains to him that she is from Iga, which diffuses the tension. She soon discovers that her saviour is not merely a wandering samurai but Nobunaga himself.

Somehow, the two come to an understanding and Chidori protects Nobunaga from a group of assassins.

Score: 5/5

Nobunaga no Shinobi E.00
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