ANIME REVIEW | Retro Dark Humor with a Bright "Ninja and an Assassin"
Before it became the studio best known for Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Monogatari, SHAFT was the place for off-the-wall comedies. Series like Pani Poni Dash, Arakawa Under the Bridge, and Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei went wild and crazy with their premises, sometimes resulting in some questionable punchlines. Their latest series, A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof, feels like a return to SHAFT’s golden era of comedy. But would it fit in place with their classics of old, or does it belong somewhere else within SHAFT’s lustrous history?
Based on the manga by HundredBurger, A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof explains its premise by title alone. The ninja, Satoko (Haruna Mikawa), accidentally runs away from her village. Homeless, she comes across a Konoha (Kana Hanazawa), a seemingly normal high schooler. But that normalcy quickly vanishes when Konoha reveals her true profession: assassin. Seeing some use in Satoko, Konoha allows her to live with her in her apartment, in exchange for aiding her in her assassinations. And cooking. And cleaning. And shopping. And laundry. And…
It’s obvious at the get-go that Satoko gets the bum end of the partnership. Yes, she now has a roof over her head, but Konoha uses her for more than her ninja skills. Well…let’s be honest: she has one skill, which is turning dead bodies and inanimate objects into leaves. In fact, Satoko is so useless in the ninja field that she was even forced to do the most unskilled of work in her village.
Perhaps it’s a good thing Satoko left, but she’s now got a bigger problem now: the ninjas attempting to assassinate her. Ranging from poison users and weapons masters to transformation pros, all of the ninja assassins from Satoko’s former village want her dead for her betrayal. Thankfully, Konoha has her back, as she kills every ninja one by one. She’s so good that we actually haven’t even seen her make a kill.
This is one of the strongest jokes in all of A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof. SHAFT goes all in with the animation whenever a new ninja appears. Shurikens fly, bodies twirl, and everything is showcased with amazing detail whenever the enemy is under attack. But when Konoha makes her move, all we hear is a stabbing sound, followed by Satoko turning the body into leaves. Every time this happens, I can’t help but laugh out loud.
But while I do laugh whenever I watch this anime, it’s not as much as I did back when I viewed Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei, or even Negima!?. It has some great moments, such as Satoko failing at one part-time job after another or when Konoha gets turned into a baby for an entire episode. But for some reason, the gags kind of feel too mean-spirited, especially whenever Satoko is the butt of the joke. We get that Konoha is cold-hearted, and that makes her a unique character, but her treatment sometimes reminds me of why I hated Dropkick on My Devil!, where Jashin-chan often treats Medusa horribly.
Thankfully, there are other good characters that round up the cast. I can’t help but fall in love with the pairing of Kuro (Eri Kitamura) and her girlfriend Yuriko (Rumi Okubo), who sometimes lend a hand to Satoko and Konoha when they need it. However, mad scientist Marin (Yu Serizawa) is a pure joy to watch, be it whenever she’s attempting to kill our main leads or — later on — when she reluctantly becomes a third wheel after a huge accident. In fact, it’s because of Marin that we have what is the best episode of A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof thus far: the one with Roboko (Haruna Mikawa), with jokes and gags so good that I can’t bear to spoil them here.
Maybe it’s because of how well the voice cast plays their roles that even some of the weaker parts of the anime work. There’s a great level of chemistry between Mikawa and Hanazawa as our ninja and assassin, with the latter even sneaking in a bit of warmth into her cold performance. Serizawa brings a “so bratty, it’s funny” vibe to Marin, to the point where she is the standout character. However, so much love is deserved for Mikawa’s Roboko, who finds a way to bring a lot of heart into a literal robot.
Whether it’s a fast-paced action scene or a quiet night around town, A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof looks amazing. It sticks to a cute aesthetic, all the while giving off smooth animation and lovely scenery. The first two minutes of the first episode also mimic the 1980s look of TV anime so perfectly, you’d be forgiven if you thought they spliced in Satoko into a Ninja Scroll scene! However, this is a SHAFT anime, so you can also expect some fan-service shots and closeups for no reason. (It’s why I always like to say that SHAFT stands for “Showing Hot Anime Feet and Tushy”.)
There are times when Ryunosuke Kasai’s (Love After World Domination) soundtrack gives me goosebumps. While it delivers some exciting tracks during the action scenes, it’s the slow saxophone melodies during the quieter moments that bring to mind the 1970s Tom Waits who’ll make you cry without even uttering a single word. Hanazawa’s “Yarenno? Endless” is an opening theme that feels like a classic 1980s pop song, delivering a great beat and some sweet vocals. HoneyWorks and Hakoniwalily team up for the end theme “NinKoro Dance”, which is both fun to listen to and —as the title points out — contains its own special routine you can break out in the dancehall to.
A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof is funny, but it’s not the funniest thing you’ll watch this season. It has some good laughs, but it sometimes will go down a cruel path that’ll make you feel sympathetic rather than laugh callously at it. However, you cannot deny how amazing this anime looks and sounds, as it shows why SHAFT has evolved from its gag comedy era into a real visual and audible powerhouse. In short: A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof still finds ways to be both a comfy and entertaining watch, even if this season feels way, way too crowded.
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A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof can be viewed on Crunchyroll, and has been licensed by Crunchyroll. Episodes 1-10 were observed for review. Promotional consideration provided by Crunchyroll.
