アニメ – Anime QandA

Clash Of The Tit-ans – ‘Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master’ Episode 12 (Finale) Review

Clash Of The Tit-ans – An Anime QandA Review of Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 12

What’s the show? Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 12 (Finale).

So how’s this episode? I’ll cut to the chase, it’s kind of disappointing.

No nipples, huh? No nipples…

Wh- I was joking! That’s not seriously the reason why you’re disappointed by the finale is it? Put simply I watch this show for 3 reasons, the fan service, the characters and the concept. If it’s ever lacking in any of those departments in any given episode, naturally I’m going to be disappointed. Certainly this episode delivered in the character department, and even the action–which isn’t even something I watch this show for–was probably at it’s best here. But without adequate fan service, is it really Senran Kagura?

That seems dramatic. Okay, fair call. That was overly dramatic of me, this isn’t like a betrayal, the core episode was great, there were emotional moments and funny moments and their was a satisfying conclusion to Fubuki’s story–though it still leaves room for more stories (hopefully!) But I feel like for a season finale of a show that was so riotously celebratory with its nudity early on that not having any nudity (except for the end-credits, which doesn’t count) just seems like a wasted opportunity!

I may not understand you but I at least see your point. So you say there’s a satisfying conclusion to Fubuki’s story? Wasn’t she hell bent on destroying all the shinovi? Yes but the rage that fuelled her journey of revenge has been tempered by many things since the start of her journey, by the warmth of friendship, by the memories of her childhood with Yumi, by the promise of a new life not ruled by rage. Arguably its an easy won ending, not physically though, Yumi almost dies for her trouble but Fubuki recognised she was on the losing side, especially after Rasetsu–her Youma buddy got sealed away. Fubuki knew that she couldn’t win any more so she admitted defeat, she probably would have been happy to have died but neither Yumi or the others would have taken things that far. This was about saving Fubuki from her revenge not defeating her.

Fair enough. Anything else you wanted to add? The episode ends on Christmas Day, the series began on the weeks leading up to Christmas, meaning this is officially a Christmas anime! What does this mean? Well you can add this to ‘We Without Wings’ as shows to binge watch over the Christmas season that are completely un-family friendly and inappropriate!

This is about as much fan service as the episode provides. Thank you Ryona for your continued support to the ecchi cause!

You’re weird. Overall thoughts on the final episode? With regard to story and character I’m happy with what we got, fan service on the other hand not so much, but in the grand scheme of things and with regard to binge-watching that will matter a lot less. As it stands this was a satisfying conclusion to a great show that I enjoyed a great deal. Here’s hoping we get another season sooner than later!

Previous Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master Reviews:

Naughty or Nice? – Episode 1 Review
Naked When Wet – Episode 2 Review
The Hottest Hot Springs – Episode 3 Review
Fan Disservice – Episode 4 Review
Battle Of The Boobs – Episode 5 Review
Putting The Flash In Flashback – Episode 6 Review
Mistakes Of The Past – Episode 7 Review
Grope Expectations – Episode 8 Review
The Naked Truth – Episode 9 Review
Soaking In The Secrets – Episode 10 Review
Stark Vengeance – Episode 11 Review

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Stark Vengeance – ‘Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master’ Episode 11 Review

Stark Vengeance – An Anime QandA Review of Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 11

Warning: This post contains some NSFW imagery/nudity.

What’s the show? Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 11.

So how’s this episode? I’m not sure I’ll have much to say in this review, while a lot happens it’s the kind of thing that can be summed up really quickly so it doesn’t exactly make for the most compelling of review material.

Starting off promising I see, you really know how to reel them readers in, huh? I’m just being honest…

Well what happens in it? The youma invade through the portal, there’s a lot of them, way too many for Asuka to seal individually. So Katsuragi comes up with an amusing plan by using 4 of the girls as bait to lure all the youma to a central location so Asuka can seal them all at once. The plan works and so it’s just Fubuki and the talking youma to deal with. As expected Yumi decides to take on Fubuki and we’re treated to a genuinely heartfelt series of flashbacks interspersed between their fight.

What are the flashbacks about? Well first of all there’s a lengthy and emotional one showing a young Fubuki witnessing her youma mother being “sealed away” by her shinobi father and for a scene that involves two people we’ve literally just met it carries a dramatic weight and power that even brought a tear to my eye. Then throughout we see the early days of Fubuki living with Yumi and Grandfather Kurokage and while their short and simple snippets its the way their intercut with the present-day fight and the accompanying music that really makes this scene shine!

I know I probably make this comment a lot but, spin-off potential?

And what else happens? Um, that’s kind of it. I did say that while a lot happens it can be summed up quickly. And it’s hard to fault the episode either, its paced very well is (for the most part) well animated and is entertaining throughout. The one long-standing complaint is that some of these action heavy episodes don’t have enough fan-service and while that’s technically true of this episode too I didn’t miss it as much as some other episodes because everything else was so good.

I didn’t even mention Asuka’s deteriorating health due to sealing so many Youma!

So overall thoughts then? The best thing that this episode does is cement two sides of a fight where I don’t want either side losing. Not rare for an anime but this show does it exceptionally well by feeding us more and more back story with each subsequent episode rather than one of my most hated tropes of “oh your about to defeat the villain, here’s there life story at the last minute so you suddenly feel bad.” No, we here we understand Fubuki’s extremist motivations more and more each week to the point that she’s no longer a villain but just a sad, lonely, frustrated and angry little girl who lived in these feelings for over a decade until she can’t do anything other than lash out. From that perspective this episode is great and it’s with a mix of excitement and trepidation that I look forward to next weeks episode!

She’s just going through an emo phase… that threatens all of humanity.

Previous Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master Reviews:

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Soaking In The Secrets – ‘Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master’ Episode 10 Review

Soaking In The Secrets – An Anime QandA Review of Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 10

Warning: This post contains some NSFW imagery/nudity.

What’s the show? Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 10.

So how’s this episode? I thought for sure, knowing from last week’s preview that this was going to be a hot springs episode, that the show was just going to ~put aside~ it’s main story and indulge in some bath time shenanigans. But to this show’s credit and restraint, not only did they deliver an episode with considerable character development, emotional flashbacks and strong action scenes but they also had time for some fan service too! Who says you can’t have everything?!

How do they manage to pull off both? Aren’t they in the midst of some great battle between shinovi and youma? To an extent, but basically Fubuki (the one intent on taking down the shinovi for their crimes against the youma) and the rest of the shinovi have all gathered in a quaint hot springs village to await the opening of the portal from which all the youma are supposed to come through. The thing is neither Fubuki’s side or “our” side knows the exact location that the portal’s going to appear so they’re kind of ~stuck~ waiting until it does. So what better place to be stuck then a picturesque hot springs?!

Uh-huh… sounds very convenient. Oh of course it is, I’m not going to debate that, but aside from an early ping pong match the episode retains a tense, pre-battle vibe that was really appreciated considering the complicated stakes going forward. And while I would have been fine with full-blown shenanigans, the fact that things are a bit more subdued works really well narratively. There’s a scene between Fubuki and Yumi in a ‘Pot Tub’ and its serious and subdued but also a bit peaceful and intimate, the music in the scene too is pitch perfect.

One of the best scenes of the whole series imo.

And what’s this about some “strong action scenes” too? Afterward Kagura and Fubuki square off by a lake and it’s a seriously cool fight (no pun intended) as Fubuki runs along the service, freezing the water behind her. And while it’s cool to see Kagura become her adult form, I think it’d be more impressive her to fight in the little loli form, but I guess that’s not the point of her character. The outcome of the battle is a little bit disappointing, if only because things stop before a true victor can be crowned as Kagura is distracted by Yumi’s oncoming presence and Fubuki stops short of killing her in classic ‘villain’ style. Though that’s something interesting about this series so far…

Fubuki is pretty bad ass. Love her half Youma form the most out of all her forms.

What’s that? That these last two episodes have made me hasten to outright label her as a ‘villain’ or their side as ‘the bad guys’, because it’s obvious that they’re not and it’s that kind of ambiguity and duality that makes this series a lot more interesting.

And I’m almost afraid to ask but I know if I don’t mention it you’ll do so anyway, the fan service? It’s contextual–which for this show is surprising to say as it usually would take any opportunity no matter how flimsy the excuse to get the girls nude. But here’s it’s just a few of them and it’s in scenes where they are either bathing or changing. The only non-bathing related fan service scene is when adult Kagura gets ‘knocked out’ and she becomes fully naked–which just felt like “hey this is probably the last time we’ll see adult Kagura in this series, better get her naked!” Which I mean, good a reason as any really.

We see loli form of Kagura nude too but it’s okay because she’s *actually* an immortal being who reincarnates every 100 years to battle evil!

Right… So overall thoughts on the episode? It’s close to one of my favourite episodes of the season, top 3 at least! They got the balance of all this show’s elements perfect and it was interesting and emotional too! Here’s hoping they can carry through this balance (and the better looking action scenes) throughout to the remainder of the episodes!

Previous Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master Reviews:

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The Naked Truth – ‘Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master’ Episode 9 Review

The Naked Truth – An Anime QandA Review of Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 9

Warning: This post contains some NSFW imagery/nudity.

What’s the show? Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 9.

So how’s this episode? This Senran Kagura anime is good at a few things; character banter, fan service, balancing a tone between silly and serious, fan service, managing to have as many characters as they have and not being too confusing oh and did I mention the fan service?

Many times, but I take it you’re trying to make a point? What it’s seemingly less good at is action, which up to this point has been adequate but here mostly felt like a mess. With the stage set for an epic city battle with multiple heroes versing multiple villains it’s clear they were trying to do a Marvel-esque sequence but with the budget this show has it was only ever going to come off as mediocre–at best.

Oh dear, that doesn’t sound good. It’s at least enlivened by the aforementioned character banter which was on full display which did at least give it that Marvel movie ~feeling~ even if it couldn’t keep up with it on a technical level, oh and the fact that every character is in their underwear was a terrific bonus!

Wait, what?! Why is everyone in their underwear? Kagura puts up a “super” kind of Kekkai barrier to both limit the destruction to the surrounding areas and give the girls a necessary boost in power called ‘Frantic’ mode to fight the invading Youma, but as a result it strips them down to their underwear. Because, well, because fan service… it’s probably something that happened in the video game too but hey, I’m not complaining!

For some reason Ikaruga’s the only one to get made fully nude by the barrier’s effects. Any Senran Kagura fans know if there was a specific reason for this, or was it just for the lols?

Of course. So do they win? Well as this is Episode 9 there is no “winning” here, all the small Youma coalesce into a giant one, which Ryona suggests they tie up in Japanese style bondage because of course, the girls agree to it and it only bloody works! They’re about to deliver the killing blow to the downed beast but Asuka arrives in the nick of time and protests, saying she’ll handle it. She unleashes her newly learned secret ninja art to seal it away, rather than killing it. A merciful move that raises a few eyebrows from her fellow ninjas who have all been taught that Youma are “pure evil”.

But they’re not, are they? Later on Asuka and Yumi are having tea and Yumi desperately wants to know why Asuka’s acting so strange, she breaks out the ultimate ultimatum, tell me or I’ll stop being your friend! It might sound lame but it was actually adorable and it works, or rather, Fubuki–the “evil” woman who’s started this whole war against shinovi shows up and says that she’ll happily tell Yumi the “truth” of the situation.

Which is? Well we don’t get the whole story as I’m sure there’s some grisly details they’ll want to save for future episodes (at least if a particular shot in the opening credits is anything to go by) but it turns out that Fubuki is the child of a Youma and Human, which is a big deal. Basically it means Shinovi have been out there slaughtering Youma just because of how they look and that they are (probably) not that much different to regular humans. At least that’s the impression I get.

So we go from underwear related shenanigans to accusations of ethnic cleansing. Huh. I don’t know, in any other anime I might complain about tonal whiplash but I don’t feel it here, maybe I’m oversimplifying but I think this show even gets its change of tone better than even Goblin Slayer… but I probably shouldn’t go down that rabbit hole.

Yes, let’s not. So overall thoughts on this episode? If the first half of the episode with the battle felt lacking (at least visually, if nothing else) then the promise of what’s to come more than made up for any deficiencies. And not only was it a fun episode it also had considerable dramatic weight too, all-in-all a great episode.

Ryona’s alterations to the Crimson squad’s Xmas clothes were appreciated by this viewer.

Previous Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master Reviews:

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Grope Expectations – ‘Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master’ Episode 8 Review

Grope Expectations – An Anime QandA Review of Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 8

Warning: This post contains some NSFW imagery/nudity.

What’s the show? Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 8.

So how’s this episode? I never realised how much of an impact the girls of Hanzo academy had on my overall enjoyment of this show… I mean yes, i’ve still been enjoying the show and all the other characters in it but having the Hanzo girls rescued and put more-or-less in the forefront of the episode felt like slipping into a favourite set of pyjamas. It felt right and familiar and comfortable. I missed these girls…

So does that mean its your favourite episode? Not really, actually. It’s more like one of those setting up for a big showdown kind of episodes, still a good one, but yeah it was lacking in a certain urgency or any real threat until the final minutes of the episode. Which I mean fair enough, we just got finished with a big battle episode, makes sense to have a breather before the next one. Plus with Katsuragi in full boob grope mode for the whole episode it was a lot of dumb fun to watch… and she gropes a lot–making up for lost time I suppose!

Ugh, so anything else of note happen in the episode? Predictably Senkou and Gekkou are “good” now, but not before Yumi talked them down from a literal cliff side where they were about to commit suicide after being betrayed by Fubuki. Their turn is a ~little~ quick if I’m honest, but then again I’ve heard plenty of real life stories about how simple acts of kindness from other people have prevented others from suicide so maybe it’s not so far-fetched.

From “boob grope” to talking people out of committing suicide, sounds a bit tonally inconsistent. I think it plays it well enough, it’s never tonal whiplash if that’s what you’re suggesting.

Friends that grope together, cope together.

And what about these “final minutes” you mentioned? Well everyone’s waiting for Fubuki to act on her whole “eliminating all ninjas both good and evil” plan and she begins said plan by opening portals over Tokyo and summoning out Youma. Which is a big deal as Youma are powerful creatures who are viewed as “evil” beings by most ninjas on both sides. But Fubuki seems to suggest that they aren’t just the mindless monsters that the shinovi leaders seem to endlessly proclaim. A thought backed up by the fact that Asuka intends to defeat all the Youma not by killing them but “sealing them away” despite the fact that doing so could mean her losing her own life in exchange for using this ‘secret ninja art’.

Well sounds like a lot more happened in this episode than you may have given it credit for? Why were you seemingly a bit lukewarm on it when I asked if it’s your favourite episode? Because there’s only one nude scene and it’s ever so fleeting! I need more nipples!

*sigh* I’m sorry I even asked! It’s a legitimate concern!

Yeah for a legitimate pervert… I never said I was otherwise!

Previous Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master Reviews:

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Mistakes Of The Past – ‘Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master’ Episode 7 Review

Mistakes Of The Past – An Anime QandA Review of Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 7

Warning: This post contains some NSFW imagery/nudity.

What’s the show? Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 7.

So how’s this episode? It’s more of the same as the previous episode only exponentially better–seriously the flashbacks to Kurokage and Hanzo’s younger years is amazingly rich with emotion and gravitas. Not only do we get the source of the feud that’s fuelled this multi-generational ongoing battle between “good” and “evil” ninjas, not to mention Kurokage’s regrets as he has to witness the funeral of his son and daughter-in-law but the promise of a new life with his granddaughter, Yumi. And it’s all beautifully tied in with a surprisingly tight and consistent fight between Yumi and Fubuki that results in not one but two unexpected transformations!

Bet you didn’t expect a picture of a dude in one of my Senran Kagura reviews!

Okay, slow down there champ. We don’t want to put the whole review in one paragraph. You’re right! Have to spread this out ‘til at least four so I’ve got more room for those sweet lewds~!

Ugh, that’s not what I meant, but whatever… as if I could stop you anyway. So this fight between Yumi and Fubuki–she’s meant to be the big boss shinovi that this whole ‘Masters’ thing was leading up to yeah? Does she live up to the promise? Is the fight compelling and not just a bunch of still shots with speed lines like it has fallen into in previous weeks? Surprisingly yes, I mean it’s still not the most elegantly animated thing around but the action was clear but impactful. We also get Yumi’s transformation into ‘Ice Queen’ which was probably very exciting for people who’ve played the game but even for non-game players like me was really cool (pun intended) to see! But I think it was Fubuki who stole the show with her captivating transformation going from being wrapped in literal plain white bandages to a gorgeous gothic outfit and hair to match!

Fubuki’s “transformation” though I’ve seen people refer to this as her “true self”. So not really an upgraded form like Yumi.

That’s all well and good, but who wins the fight?! Surprisingly(?) Yumi doesn’t win–which sits a little better with me considering how powerful Fubuki is supposed to be (and proves to be). Of course this doesn’t bode well for the Hanzo students who are still being kept prisoner by a powerful Youma and at the end of the episode everybody is brought top-side, including the Hanzo students and the other ninja girls who were attempting to rescue them. It’s there where Fubuki announces her ~true~ intentions–which I might remind you are being broadcasted to ninja schools all over the world–to wage war on all ninjas and eradicate them all “good” and “evil” alike!

That’s a youma behind her, they are scary AF.

Well that’s certainly a bold move. Indeed and it makes for a great cliffhanger too, also I got the sense that Senkou and Gekkou aren’t exactly cool with this plan so hopefully they join forces with the other ninja girls. Either way it’s shaping up to be a pretty epic fight some way along the line!

Yumi’s transformation into “Ice Queen Yumi”.

Overall thoughts on the episode? It strikes the balance perfectly between story and flashbacks, character development and ~feels~ not to mention action and fan service. Although I could have done with a little more of the latter, though I do appreciate the show livening up a breast feeding scene in one of the flashbacks by actually showing some nipple–what’s with that look?! I’ll take what I can get! But yeah, not nearly as fun as Episode 2 or 3 but it more than makes up for weaker episodes like Episode 4 and shows that the series is capable of producing an episode with depth, heart and narrative balance.

This whole scene was unbelievably sweet.

Previous Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master Reviews:

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Putting The Flash In Flashback – ‘Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master’ Episode 6 Review

Putting The Flash In Flashback – An Anime QandA Review of Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 6

Warning: This post contains some NSFW imagery/nudity.

What’s the show? Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 6.

So how’s this episode? It’s become abundantly clear that this show doesn’t have enough narrative material to properly fill its 12 episodes. Which wouldn’t be a problem if the show relied on its strengths; obviously the fan service, but also its humour and character interactions. This episode has a bit of good fan service, a few good character moments and even some meaningful development and it even managed to make me laugh a couple of times. But and this is a big but the episode consisted of both a flashback fight sequence as well as a present day fight sequence and the dialogue that comprised a lot of it was among the most repetitive I’ve heard.

I liked how ~artsy~ and ~moody~ the flashback fight felt.

Can you give an example? Basically in the past Asuka and Yami had a fight over which shinobi way of life is better with Yumi siding with her grandfather’s extremist teaching that only ‘good ninjas’ should be allowed to live with all ‘evil ninjas’ being eradicated in order to create a world of only ‘good’ people. Whereas Asuka has friends who are ‘evil ninjas’ and sees the need for “all kinds of people” in the world–the whole yin/yang, ‘can’t be light without darkness’ way of thinking. Now, in the present Yumi shares Asuka’s worldview whereas Senkou and Gekkou–the twins responsible for the shinovi masters tournament carry on the extremist teachings of only ‘good ninjas’ surviving.

And what’s wrong with that? Nothing at all. It’s a legitimate and compelling argument, but they have the argument over and over without little variations to their respective spiels for nearly 20 minutes. Basically it’s a case of padding out what should have been a 3 minute flashback and a 5 minute fight scene into double that so they had enough material to fill out a whole episode.

So it’s no good? I didn’t say that, it’s at least better than Episode 4 which was kinda boring and with the added insult of zero nude fan service. And there were some actual compelling scenes here like the aforementioned flashback, as well as Senkou and Gekkou’s flashback of finding Kurokage’s battle journal which helped make their whole world view a lot more understandable (though no less extreme). I just think they could have cut about 5 minutes of the talking back and forth about which side is better, and put it to better use. That’s my major complaint.

Homura’s crimson squad falls in on another team after the vent they were sneaking through collapses.

Fair enough. So where does that leave your overall thoughts? So I’ve started doing something different while writing these reviews, I watch the episode for a second time on half of my computer screen while writing the review on the other half. It helps refresh my memory and isn’t nearly as distracting as I thought it might be. So in watching this episode again, I actually enjoyed it a lot more than the first time through–the little character moments and brief comic relief stood out a lot more and the repetitive nature was less glaringly obnoxious. My comments still stand but overall I really enjoyed this episode. I think this could be a show that benefits from binge-watching once its finished.

Previous Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master Reviews:

Naughty or Nice? – Episode 1 Review
Naked When Wet – Episode 2 Review
The Hottest Hot Springs – Episode 3 Review
Fan Disservice – Episode 4 Review
Battle Of The Boobs – Episode 5 Review

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

Battle Of The Boobs – ‘Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master’ Episode 5 Review

Battle Of The Boobs – An Anime QandA Review of Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 5

Warning: This post contains some NSFW imagery/nudity.

What’s the show? Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 5.

So how’s this episode? *relaxed sigh* things are finally back to normal now!

What’s that supposed to mean? Didn’t you take notice of my last review, it should be obvious what I mean.

To be honest whenever you’re talking about this or any other show like it I kind of just block you out–saves my sanity that way… Tch! Well if you had been listening you’d remember that last episode had almost ~zero~ fanservice, which after Episode 2 and 3 having had monumental amounts was a bit of a shock to the system. And it didn’t help matters that the non-breast related plot of Episode 4 was considerably lacking.

Ah, so by back to normal you mean– Sweet anime boobs, as far as the eye can see!

They’re not even moving and yet the jiggles! What is this sorcery?!

Well I’m glad you’re happy… I mean not really, but at least it beats listening to you complain. So what (if anything) happens in this episode? The Shinovi Masters begins! And the rules are it’s basically a tournament style competition where each ninja team will compete against another and if their leader is knocked out then the whole team is out. They keep competing team vs team until only one remains. But it’s not just your basic fighting, each round has a unique feature to it. With Round 1 being a ‘Naked Dodgeball Fight’, Round 2 ‘Naked Cavalry Battle’ and Round 3 ‘Naked Pole Topple’.

Um, excuse me?! “Naked”! Calm down, they don’t compete naked (unfortunately) rather the consequence for being knocked out by an opponent is that you become naked. Achieved through means of ~dubious credibility~. In the first round if the dodgeball hits you your clothes disintegrate, in the second round, well nobody gets naked except for the losing team captain after her clothes are blown off by the opponent and the third world takes place on an obstacle structure surrounded by water that makes clothes invisible upon contact.

Kagura acting like a loli torpedo was ridiculously funny.

Seems legit… actually no, seems really dumb. But whatever, man… I don’t deny this show is dumb but it’s also incredibly fun. And even occasionally sexy, but I just like seeing the ridiculous jiggles and anime nipples, I’m a simple man of simple pleasures.

Emphasis on the “simple”, so who wins? Does it even matter? Yumi’s team wins. Except that doesn’t make them the ‘Shinovi Masters’ just yet. As it turns out this was all just a qualifier for the ~true~ test, they now have to go up against Senkou, Gekkou and the ridiculously overpowered Fubuki–only then will they release the girls from Hanzo Academy. Then Asuka appears from the stands, intent on fighting Senkou, Gekkou and Fubuki herself only to be ~sort of~ convinced by Yumi to let her help too. Asuka is still being all emo about the situation, which for the record I’m still totally fine with, it at least makes her a bit more interesting than she was in the first season! And that’s more or less where the episode ends, teasing an epic battle for next week’s episode!

Okay Asuka, you get your anger problems out!

‘Kay, so overall thoughts on the episode? Not only was this a much needed return to fan-service, it also was legitimately entertaining and contained a bunch of fun character moments–and there’s a lot of characters to pick from! If I’m to complain about something it’s that some of the fighting animations were very mediocre with very little attention to detail or fluidity and sometimes very little movement at all. But if anyone’s seriously here ~just~ for the action as opposed to the fan service than they’re probably watching the wrong show.

Previous Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master Reviews:

Naughty or Nice? – Episode 1 Review
Naked When Wet – Episode 2 Review
The Hottest Hot Springs – Episode 3 Review
Fan Disservice – Episode 4 Review

If you liked my post and want to support my content, please consider supporting my Patreon page, or donating by buying me a coffee on Ko-fi!

Fan Disservice – ‘Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master’ Episode 4 Review

Fan Disservice – An Anime QandA Review of Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 4

Warning: This post contains some NSFW imagery/nudity.

What’s the show? Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master, Episode 4.

So how’s this episode? How do I convey my thoughts without it sounding like I have a one track mind… um… this episode has next to zero fan service… an uh, that’s… not… a good… thing.

Uh-huh, and why exactly is that not a good thing? Listen, I’m not going to say that the fan service was the only reason I am watching this show but the fan service is the only reason I’m watching this show.

*sigh* well at least your honest about it, I suppose. So where does this leave you regarding your opinion of the episode? It was still good, I mean it was fine, uh… to be honest I’m having trouble remembering much of anything about the episode.

Oh boy. You can’t just go from having two episodes with some of the most ludicrously over-the-top and consistent fan service to almost none–it’s jarring! My tiny monkey brain can’t handle such an aggressive difference!

Well how about you go watch it again and come back with a professional verdict on the show and not just whatever’s running around in that hamster wheel you call a “brain”. Fine.

This scene was interesting, but it lasted all of a minute.

*23 and a half minutes later* So better than you recall? Eh.

Oh boy, so the honeymoon’s over on the show you were proclaiming “anime of the season” last episode? It’s just necessary set-up for the Shinovi Masters tournament–albeit unnecessarily tame necessary set-up. Some of it’s fun–like Yumi and her team infiltrating the middle school of Senkou and Gekkou to get more information on them is ~mildly~ entertaining… and WHAT THE HECK SENKOU AND GEKKOU ARE MIDDLE-SCHOOLERS!

Picture from episode 1 because I couldn’t find a decent one of both of them from this episode.

Is this surprising information? Um, yeah, just a bit! The two girls who managed to kick the asses of all the Hanzo Academy ninja girls are middle schoolers–also, hot middle schoolers with massive racks. Now there’s a sentence that’s going to put me on a watch-list for sure…

So the fan service goes away and you don’t have much to say, huh? I mean I would if anything else was worth talking about but it feels like padding for time, just scraping together enough material ‘til they can end on a ‘cliffhanger’ for the start of the Shinovi Masters next episode. Which I’m sure will (probably) be better–at the very least it should provide more chances for fan service, what with clothing damage being switched to ‘on’. Until then, I’ll just lie in bed with episode’s 2 and 3 being projected onto my ceiling on repeat ‘til next week.

Yumi and the girls dress up as teachers for like 30 seconds before giving up on that idea, so that was fun… I guess?

That’s a joke, right? Right?! I mean, obviously. I don’t own a projector… yet.

Previous Senran Kagura: Shinovi Master Reviews:

Naughty or Nice? – Episode 1 Review
Naked When Wet – Episode 2 Review
The Hottest Hot Springs – Episode 3 Review

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