English Dub Review: Ninja vs. Gokudo “Shinoha vs Kiwami”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Young Shinoha Tanaka, who has lost the ability to laugh, meets Kiwami Kimura, an office worker who shares his love of anime.  The two hit it off, but it turns out they are actually members of rival forces that have been killing each other since the Edo Period – ninja and gokudo!  “If you misbehave in the underworld, the ninja come a-calling.”  Ninja and gokudo – who will survive and who will perish?

Our Take:

I’m diving back into Amazon Prime once again with an anime adaptation that takes a centuries-old war into modern times.  This action-packed series centers on an ongoing struggle between two distinct groups: the ninja and the gokudo.  The gokudo are a group of yakuza gangsters who commit dangerous crimes, while the ninja aim to protect people, maintaining their presence in the shadows.  More than 300 years later, this struggle is about to rage on once more, though not in a way some have participated.

The first episode introduces two characters who meet by chance: Shinoha Tanaka and Kiwami Kimura.  These two individuals share a common love for anime, particularly “Flash Princess”, but they will soon butt heads with each other once they learn about their true identities.  Tanaka is an emotionless yet formidable ninja trained under his master, Grampa Kai, while Kiwami is the gokudo leader with a plan to annihilate the ninja for good, with his businessman persona being his cover-up.  Regarding its concept, the show appears to have taken the pages right out of similar content, such as “The Fox and the Hound”, where two individuals become best friends only to become enemies later on.  Though with their shared love for anime, we might get to the latter part towards the end of the season.

“Shinoha vs Kiwami” provided a tolerable introduction to its characters and concept through its never-ending war between the ninja and the gokudo, as well as the character interactions.  Additionally, the animation from Studio Deen was suitable in highlighting its stylized violence, mainly through Tanaka decapitating several gokudo heads during a rescue mission.  Unfortunately, the only element that may prevent my tolerance from growing was the English dub cast.  While some of the actors may be fitting for their respective characters, such as Tanaka with his blank expressions, the voice direction for their performances was surprisingly poor.  Granted, this is common for most of the English dub versions we got, but for Ninja vs. Gokudo, the line delivery is just way too hammy for my liking.  It’s a shame, too, since the concept does show potential of being another fun and violent show worth getting into.  Hopefully, the remaining episodes will have enough moments to excuse the subpar voice direction.