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REVIEW: Ninja Nonsense DVD 1


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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
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Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Wed Aug 02, 2006 11:57 pm Reply with quote
I would rate Ninja Nonsense as the #2 comedy so far this year (behind the great Animation Runner Kuromi 2), but otherwise I completely agree with Zac's assessment.
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Joe Mello



Joined: 31 May 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:32 am Reply with quote
Anime hyper

I absolutely adore this series, and is much more enjoyable than a certain other show that involves ninjas. Wink I do agree that moderation is key to the enjoyment of this series. Considering each episode has 2 stories in it, one at a time is plenty.

It will be interesting to see how TRSI has done with this. I bought the Di Gi Charat box from them and I was stunned how close the English voices were to the Japanese ones. I doubt Sean Schemmel resembles Wakamoto-san, but it will be interesting nonetheless.
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DragonsRevenge



Joined: 15 Nov 2004
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:33 am Reply with quote
I agree with the Review. It's a very brilliant stupid-comedy, and Onsakamaru is the scene stealer. "perverted yellow ball" is exactly what I call him. But yeah, it's good only in small doses. It gets obnoxious fast. Just like Excel Saga. I thought "Ninja Nonsense" was a stupid thing to call it, but how exactly do you read 2X2 Shinobuden? But it covers the show pretty well. It's nonsense, plain and simple.
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Kilgamayan



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PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:41 am Reply with quote
"Cowabunga!"

I'll probably get it anyway just to support the industry (plus I'm sure it will still be insanely funny), but...ugh.
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PantsGoblin
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 2:23 am Reply with quote
Joe Mello wrote:
It will be interesting to see how TRSI has done with this. I bought the Di Gi Charat box from them and I was stunned how close the English voices were to the Japanese ones.


You mean you bought it from their website? Synch-Point released Di Gi Charat (and ADV did Panyo Panyo).

Meh, I don't know what it was about it but I didn't love this anime. Maybe it was because I've seen too many anime similar to it before, maybe because I watched all episodes without stopping, or maybe because I only saw it subbed, but I just didn't love it. I'm not saying that I didn't like it, because I did. I just didn't think it was that great.

My main problem with it was that Onsakamaru was pretty much the only character driving the comedy through 80% of the show. Now, not to say he wasn't funny, he was very funny at first, but after twelve episodes of his predictable antics, it just got annoying. The ninjas got some time in some episodes but it was still basically overshadowed by Onsakamaru.

I would definately not consider it to be one of the best comedies of the year. That would belong to Hare+Guu. And maybe if ADV comes out with Pani Poni Dash! this year (which I doubt they will, most likely next year). I haven't seen Animation Runner Kuromi 2 yet, but I saw the first one and if it is just as good or better, then I would also consider it to be a contender.
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Zalis116
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 4:33 am Reply with quote
I've been curious about this one ever since TRSI started playing it up big time, and believe it or not, I haven't seen the fansubs Laughing. Still, I've got maybe a few too many series on the "buy it as it comes out list" at the moment, so I may be waiting on some sort of premium collection for it, as long as the liner notes are included. The lack of a box hurts its initial appeal as well. Still, this one would probably play pretty well at my local anime club, a club that generally enjoyed Ghost Stories, and will probably enjoy Ninja Nonsense in either sub or dub format.

However, I sixteenth-heartedly disagree that this is the best comedy series of 2006--I mean, how can you beat "Oh no, it looks like Koyomi's stuck between a rock and my hard place" and all the other great lines of Girls Bravo Second Season?
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biliano



Joined: 24 Jan 2005
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 8:11 am Reply with quote
I'm another user that also agrees with Zac's review of Ninja Nonsense Vol. #1, althought personally I found the Japanese track slightly funnier than the English version. However, both tracks are very funny and enjoyable to listen to. In relation to the English track, I loved the chemistry and comedic timing that Emily Blau (Shinobu) and Zoe Martin (Kaede) displayed thoroughout this volume, and Sean Schemmel's Onsokumaru gets my vote as one of the best performances of the year. His presentation helps amplify the comedic timing of Emily's and Zoe's performances, and all this is happening before Veronica Taylor shows up as Shinobu's sister Miyabi in Episode 2b. Her appearance made an already solid English dub cast even more impressive.

And I agree with PantsGoblin about Hare+Guu being one of the best comedies of 2006. The same with Girls Bravo. GB might have some of the best one-liners of any anime series I've seen.
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Joe Mello



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PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:28 am Reply with quote
I get Synch-Point and TRSI confused. ><

DragonsRevenge wrote:
I thought "Ninja Nonsense" was a stupid thing to call it, but how exactly do you read 2X2=Shinobuden?


Ninnin ga Shinobuden. It's a math-based pun (two twos are four). A Japanese math-based pun. Hence, why it doesn't work.
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Key
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 11:03 am Reply with quote
While Hare+Guu is one of the funnier titles this year, through the first three volumes I thought it had more "flat" points than either Ninja Nonsense's first volume or AR Kuromi 2. (And biliano, PantsGoblin: see that one and your opinion will probably change.) But it remains to be seen if NN can stand up for its remaining 3(?) volumes.

And I agree about Sean Schemmel's performance as Onsakumaru. It's my current front-runner for Best Male English Dub Performance this year. (The female front-runner? Probably Laura Bailey for Sana in Kodocha.)
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jsevakis
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 11:30 am Reply with quote
DragonsRevenge wrote:
I thought "Ninja Nonsense" was a stupid thing to call it, but how exactly do you read 2X2 Shinobuden?


It's 2x2=Shinobuden, read "Nin-nin ga Shinobuden", with Nin-nin being the little kid word for ninja, a la "Nin-Nin! Ninja Hattori-kun." Yet another joke/reference that didn't translate at all and had to be adapted.

To make things even more complicated, every episode titles ends with "no maki" which indicates that it's a scroll. How do you translate that in a title??

That said, I love the dub of this show.
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mrgazpacho



Joined: 14 Jan 2002
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:14 pm Reply with quote
jsevakis wrote:

To make things even more complicated, every episode titles ends with "no maki" which indicates that it's a scroll. How do you translate that in a title??


"The Tale Of..."
or, to be funky,
"The One In Which..." Razz

OK, you do lose the anachronistic link to the outdated physical medium, but I think seeing that first set of words in modern English conveys a slightly similar tone.
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Ranma824



Joined: 17 Feb 2005
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 3:02 am Reply with quote
More positive buzz for funniest "Ninja" show ever!

Time to be nitpicky: Cool


Quote:
The English language track for this series could have been a totally unfunny train wreck, but thanks to stellar performances by Emily Blau and especially Sean Schemmel as Onsokumaru, it’s actually a bit better than the Japanese track.


I was very happy that the Dub kept the "spirit" of the show intact. Jokes were shuffled with, but the show still keeps the same type of comedy in-place. Having said that, I'm totally a "purist" when it comes to this show. I probably watched the show 10 times thru before it was even licensed.

I definitley tip my hat to the Eng performers. They pretty much captured what each character should act and sound like....just not as well as the JP seiyuu. Emily's Shinobu sounded cute and nieve, just usually not at the same time. Whereas Nana Mizuki's Shinobu could put every facet of the character every time she spoke. Blau also falters a little from some of the translation (not her problem though). Replacing "Nin-Nin" with "Cowabunga" doesn't sit right with me. Some of the Random, cute, out-of-script noises Nana made were dropped. Also saying "clap, clap" in English doesn't have the same "feel" as it does in Japanese. (Nana also says that line cuter Wink )

Sean Schemmel is a pretty good "Mach-speed Boy". But seeing as that Norio Wakamoto is basically a seiyuu god to me, we're just going to have to agree to disagree Smile

Quote:
The show is undeniably funnier in English, however, and the folks at NYAV Post should be applauded.


If the text above is any indication, I must deny your undeniability Razz But major props definitley to NYAV Post for making a good Dub for the Eng. Audience.
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Twage



Joined: 29 Jul 2003
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 11:27 am Reply with quote
Kilgamayan wrote:
"Cowabunga!"

I'll probably get it anyway just to support the industry (plus I'm sure it will still be insanely funny), but...ugh.


Oh, come on! That was hilariously unexpected, and so well-delivered!

I have trouble taking seriously people who tell me with a straight face than a linguistic pun in a language they don't know is funnier than "Cowabunga."
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Kilgamayan



Joined: 25 Jul 2006
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 12:31 pm Reply with quote
Twage wrote:
Kilgamayan wrote:
"Cowabunga!"

I'll probably get it anyway just to support the industry (plus I'm sure it will still be insanely funny), but...ugh.


Oh, come on! That was hilariously unexpected, and so well-delivered!


No. No, it was not.

I would like to think I have a tolerance for dubs. There are some, in fact, that I appreciate. Galaxy Angel, for example, was of very high quality and did the original cast and crew justice. Richard Kopsa singing the Grand Cross insert song was immensely awesome, and time and time again that the girls proved they knew their stuff. There's plenty of other dubs I've seen that I liked, such as Outlaw Star.

I can even watch One Piece in English without batting an eye. This includes Sanji.

When I heard "Cowabunga!", for the first time in my life, I cringed at a dub. It was, indeed, that bad.

Twage wrote:
I have trouble taking seriously people who tell me with a straight face than a linguistic pun in a language they don't know is funnier than "Cowabunga."


I understood the gag, so I found it relatively amusing. It was certainly a lot better than a word that went out of style in the 80s.
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Sabakyuu



Joined: 11 Nov 2004
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Location: Canada
PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 5:57 pm Reply with quote
Can get annoying after more than one episode; plots feel disjointed at times.

I can't agree anymore with this. I stopped after the first few episodes, but I still found them hilarious. I think I'll definately buy this once the boxset is released as I can't really make a full opinion on it until I've seen the full series.
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