NINKU Special Edition "Graveyard of Knives" Review: Ninja battles and a moving story

Detailed review and recommendation of NINKU - Ninkuu - <Special Edition> "Graveyard of Knives" - NINKUu Toku Betsuhen Knife No Hakaba -

■ Public Media

event

■ Original Media

comics

■ Release date

November 6, 1994 - January 1, 0000

■ How it first appeared

Shueisha

■Frequencies

43 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

・Original work: Mitsuji Kiriyama

■ Director

・Director: Noriyuki Abe

■ Production

Produced by Yomiko Advertising, Studio Pierrot

■Works

©1995 Mitsuji Kiriyama/Shueisha

■ Story

Four years into the Edo era, the scars of the end of the war are still visible in many places. Former Ninku members Fusuke, Ai, and Touji were traveling freely when the small plane they were on suddenly malfunctioned and made an emergency landing near a village. They stopped off in Tenhara Village due to this, only to find that the villagers were being held captive by pirates led by Rasenryu. In the village, Fusuke meets Makoto, the younger sister of his war comrade Eiji, and returns Eiji's knife to her. Just then, Makoto is kidnapped by pirates from the Rasenryu faction, and Fusuke and his friends go to enemy territory to rescue her.

■Explanation

This is a short animated film shown at the Shueisha-sponsored event "Jump Super Anime Tour '95," which began in October 1994. It is based on "NINKU - Ninkuu -," written by Kouji Kiriyama and published in Shueisha's "Weekly Shonen Jump." It is a rare piece of footage released before the TV anime began airing, and was also available for rental on VHS at the time. It was shown alongside "Captain Tsubasa: The Strongest Enemy! Dutch Youth."

■Cast

・Kazusuke/Rika Matsumoto
・Aitou/Mitsuaki Madono ・Taiji/Jurota Kosugi
・Makoto/Megumi Hayashibara ・Spiral Dragon/Setsu Taniguchi
・Sakichi/Akira Ishida・Daisuke/Ken Shiroyama・Nakaji/Toru Okawa・Komasa/Katsumi Suzuki・Akemi/Hajime Koseki

■ Main staff

・Original work: Mitsuji Kiriyama・Planning: Weekly Shonen Jump Editorial Department, Shueisha Media Mix Editorial Department, Shueisha Publicity Department・Music: Yusuke Homma・Script: Yuji Hashimoto・Storyboard: Noriyuki Abe・Direction: Kazunori Mizuno・Animation character design: Mari Kitayama, Tetsuya Nishio・Animation director: Tetsuya Nishio・Art director: Hitoshi Nagasaki・Director of photography: Toshiyuki Fukushima・Sound director: Kan Mizumoto・Producers: Minoru Ohno (Yomiuri Advertising), Kyotaro Kimura (Yomiuri Advertising), Ken Hagino (Studio Pierrot)
Director: Noriyuki Abe Produced by: Yomiuri Advertising, Studio Pierrot Produced and written by: Shueisha ED1
"But tomorrow will come"
Lyrics: Yume Suzuki Composition: Yume Suzuki Arrangement: Masao Kuzuba Singer: Yume Suzuki (Media Remoras)

■ Main Characters

・Kazusuke A small boy who is a former captain of the 1st Division of the Ninku Group and a young ninja, he is called "Kazusuke of the Wind". He is characterized by his cap that he always wears backwards and his acorn-shaped eyes. His tongue often sticks out of his mouth. He generally hates conflict and prefers peace, but when it comes to fighting, he will attack his enemies mercilessly.

・Indigo
Former captain of the 10th division of the Ninkuu Gumi, Tori Nin. Nicknamed "Sky Blue". He lost faith in people during the war, but after meeting Kazesuke and Touji, he joined the Ninkuu Gumi. He has a manly and rough personality. He also hates women. He was a former delinquent, and his sharp tongue and sharp tongue are second to none.

・A snake ninja from the 6th division of the Orange Dimension Ninja Sky Squad. He is also known as "Daichi no Touji." He is a gentle and easy-going young man who is well-liked by those around him. His trademark is a white loincloth, and for some reason, he always wears it when fighting. He stores the energy hidden in the earth in his fingertips and attacks. He is a huge womanizer.

・Makoto The heroine. The younger sister of Eiji, Kazesuke's comrade-in-arms. A girl who lives in Tenhara Village, she disguises herself as a man to avoid the eyes of the pirates led by Rasenryu. She has a competitive personality and is determined to defeat Rasenryu, despite being a woman.

・Rasenryu The leader of the pirates who are taking control of Tenhara Village. A former survivor of the 5th Division of the Ninku Group's Tatsunin. He takes Makoto hostage and kills the person who comes to rescue her. He is then easily defeated by Fusuke who is in earnest.

■ Theme songs and music

・ED1
"But tomorrow will come"
Lyrics: Yume Suzuki Composition: Yume Suzuki Arrangement: Masao Kuzuba Singer: Yume Suzuki (Media Remoras)

・IN1
・"Jasmin"
Lyrics: Keika; Composition: Nishiji; Arrangement: Katsunori Fukai; Singer: Nishiji (Mediaremoras)

Detailed evaluation

"NINKU -Ninku- <Special Edition> "Graveyard of Knives"" is a short anime released in 1994, based on the original NINKU by Kouji Kiriyama. This work was shown as part of Shueisha's "Jump Super Anime Tour '95", and was screened at an event, which was rare at the time. It was also available for rental on VHS video, making it a valuable video work for fans.

The story is set in the fourth year of the Edo calendar after the end of the war, and begins with former Ninku members Fusuke, Ai, and Touji making an emergency landing in Tenhara Village due to a malfunction in their small plane. Tenhara Village has been taken over by pirates led by Rasenryu, and Fusuke meets his war comrade's younger sister, Makoto. When Makoto is kidnapped by the pirates, Fusuke and his friends embark on an adventure into enemy territory to rescue her. The story depicts friendship, justice, and post-war chaos, faithfully recreating the worldview of the original work.

The portrayal of the characters is also excellent, and Kazesuke's character in particular has been animated with the charm of the original work intact. Kazesuke is a small boy with a strong will, and although he dislikes conflict, he is impressive in the way he mercilessly defeats his enemies when necessary. In addition, the individuality of each character is well portrayed, such as the process of Ai recovering from his distrust of people, and Touji's gentle personality and the loincloth he wears during battle. Makoto's competitive personality and Rasenryu's ruthlessness are also important elements that add excitement to the story.

The cast is also impressive, with the voice actors Rika Matsumoto as Kazesuke, Mitsuaki Madono as Ai, Jurota Kosugi as Touji, and Megumi Hayashibara as Makoto bringing out the charm of the characters. In particular, Megumi Hayashibara's voice for Makoto perfectly expresses her strength and fragility, capturing the hearts of viewers.

The production team is also made up of experienced members, including director Abe Noriyuki, scriptwriter Hashimoto Yuji, and music composer Homma Yusuke. Abe Noriyuki's direction has elevated the atmosphere of the original work without compromising it, and the power of the battle scenes is particularly impressive. Homma Yusuke's music also plays an important role in enhancing the tension and emotion of the story.

The theme song "Soredemo Ashita wa Yattekuru" (Soredemo Ashita wa Yattekuru) is sung by Suzuki Yume, symbolizing the theme of the story and resonating deeply with viewers. The inserted song "Jasmin" also features Nishiji's singing voice, which helps to liven up the atmosphere of the story.

Recommendation

"NINKU -Ninku- <Special Edition> "Graveyard of Knives"" is a work that can be recommended not only to fans of the original work, but also to those who like action and adventure. In particular, those who like stories with themes of friendship and justice will be touched by the adventures of Kazesuke and his friends. Another appeal is that the characters' personalities are well-drawn, making it easy to empathize with them.

To enjoy this work, you will be able to understand it better if you read the original NINKU. The original describes the past of Kazesuke and his friends and the Ninku group in detail, and by knowing the background of the anime, you can feel the depth of the story. Also, if you watch Captain Tsubasa: The Strongest Enemy! Dutch Youth, which was also screened at Shueisha's Jump Super Anime Tour '95, you will be able to experience the atmosphere of the event at that time.

Furthermore, this work can pique your interest in other ninja-themed anime and manga. For example, there are many works depicting ninjas and battles, such as "NARUTO" and "BLEACH," and each has its own unique appeal. If you are a fan of "NINKU," you will also enjoy these works.

Finally, this work was available for rental on VHS video, but it is now difficult to obtain. However, you may still be able to find it on fan sites or the second-hand market. If you do find it, please give it a watch. "NINKU -Ninku- <Special Edition> "Graveyard of the Knives"" is a short but dense story and filled with fascinating characters, making it a work not to be missed.