Ninja Kamui’s final episode aired earlier this month. Now, reactions online show that Ninja Kamui’s reception is mixed after its promising start.
When the series began, it got a lot of attention for its bloody action scenes featuring director Sunghoo Park’s signature dynamic martial arts fights.
Sadly, the show wasn’t able to keep its momentum given its shift to CG action. Still, it would be unfair to call it a trainwreck as there are still plenty of redeeming qualities in this Adult Swim anime.
Spoiler Warning: This article includes spoilers for Ninja Kamui, so proceed with caution.
Ninja Kamui Review: A Promising Intro Marred by a Sudden CG Turn
Sunghoo Park is the popular director behind Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 and The God of High School. Thus, his move to establish the new studio E&H Production was exciting.
The studio’s first work is the Monsters: 103 OVA which got a lot of praise. This was followed up with Ninja Kamui which opened with a bang.
Its first episode delighted many with its over-the-top martial arts scenes that show Park’s mastery of anime fight sequences.
After its premiere, the next couple of episodes continued to feature dazzling scenes that show off the protagonist Higan’s ninja moves. While the story at this point is fairly engaging, the plot slows down noticeably at the mid-point.
On its own, the slower middle part still featured enough intriguing developments involving the ninja and side characters to give it a good sense of momentum, at least for viewers interested in the show’s world.
It was the shift towards CG mech action that ultimately deflated the excitement for Ninja Kamui.
Even though its story is serviceable at worst, the anime’s initial fight scenes were spectacular enough to carry it. This makes sense considering how director Park is an expert in this given his previous works.
Soon though, mech suits are introduced as part of the ninjas’ arsenal. These mechs fit the world that was built both in looks and the story. Their execution leaves a lot to be desired though.
In still images, the mechs look cool, but in action, the CG fights look clunky, especially compared with the earlier fights when Higan didn’t have a mech suit on.
It didn’t help that the series’ climactic fight was a CG mech battle. Sure, the personal stakes between Higan, Yamaji, and Zai are still strong, but the visuals are disappointing.
In all fairness, the mech fights aren’t the worst use of CG as there are plenty of other anime with more awkward animation. It’s just that the quality drop-off is noticeable given how good the initial fight scenes are.
Overall though, the good parts of the show still outweigh its shortfalls, especially as the promising earlier episodes combined with the compelling character dynamics still make it an entertaining watch.
On the flip side, many fans online seem to have a more mixed to negative reaction to the show.
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Ninja Kamui’s Fan Reception is Mixed to Say the Least
After the final Ninja Kamui episode aired, fans took to social media to express their thoughts on the new Adult Swim series.
Looking at reactions on X (formerly Twitter), many expressed their disappointment with the CG action scenes, although some thought that the series is still great and worth watching overall.
Recently, there was a Reddit thread where fans discussed the series after its finale. Similar to the reception on X, most of the fans in the thread talked about aspects of the show that they were disappointed with.
Interestingly, the discussion wasn’t purely about the CG action as there were also complaints about the story. There were even comparisons with other shows that 'fell off' such as Wonder Egg Priority and The Promised Neverland.
Of course, you’ll want to take these reactions with a grain of salt. While there are plenty of disappointed viewers, these reactions likely don’t give us the full picture.
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What are the Chances That Ninja Kamui Gets a Season 2?
With Higan riding off into the countryside at the end of the series, Ninja Kamui already has a definitive and satisfying conclusion.
That’s not to say that a second season won’t happen, though there’s no word yet on plans for a follow-up.
Given how Higan and the ninjas’ story was wrapped up, it’s possible that if a new season does get greenlight, it will follow a new character.
There’s also a chance that a prequel will be made instead given how much worldbuilding was done throughout the show.
What did you think of Ninja Kamui? Did you like it, or do you agree with the more negative reception from viewers? Let us know in the comments section below.
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