English Dub Review: Ninja vs. Gokudo “Part 1 The Blood-Scented Flare of Akasaka”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Kaiza Akiba of the Eight Imperial Ninja’s arrival cuts the gokudo’s meeting to plan the ninja’s annihilation short.  Kaiza’s Blade of Darkness instantly decapitates numerous gokudo, bathing the room in crimson.  However, Kiwami maintains his calm demeanor, which riles up the remaining gokudo.  As these two formidable warriors go in for the kill, their thoughts are somewhere else…with Shinoha.

Our Take:

It won’t be long before the two seemingly “good pals” discover their true identities.  Though given their shared love for anime, it’s difficult to say when their intentions will be shown before their eyes.  The concept alone has already piqued my interest in knowing what will happen next, particularly the irony of the characters’ conversations about anime featuring best friends-turned-enemies.  However, regarding the direction given to its somewhat inconsistent English dub cast and action sequences, the series also has some areas for improvement to deliver another serviceable addition to the action genre.  While the action is fine in terms of stylization, the English dub performances undoubtedly struggled to match the characters’ emotional range, coming across as trite and melodramatic rather than authentic.

Unfortunately, the second episode didn’t fare any better in terms of the cast’s vocal performances.  Most cases show that a project’s emotional depth comes not only from the writing and themes, but also from the actors’ convincing performances, voiceover or otherwise.  The English version of Ninja vs. Gokudo is not one of them.  Considering that the episode featured the “shocking” death of Shinoha’s grandfather, Kaiza, the dub should have had a more compelling portrayal of the event through its voice direction.  Instead, it just comes off as bland and uninteresting, primarily when referring to the dub’s forced line delivery.  Luckily, I was able to tolerate everything else regarding the gokudo’s plan to use enhanced drugs to eliminate the ninja and the reveal of the Eight Imperial Ninjas.  For the latter, we could see Nodoka Matsumoto showcase his potential as an Imperial Ninja as he seeks revenge for Kaiza’s death.  However, the real question we should be asking is when Shinoha will uncover the truth behind his grandfather’s demise.