In the glorious 90s, when Disney Afternoon and Cartoon Network were enjoying the peak of their existence, anime viewing was few and far between. However, when the newly launched AXN channel decided to put an hour block exclusively for anime, I couldn't help but take a peek. As a result, Ninku came into my life. I'd venture so far as to say that Ninku (along with DBZ) introduced me to the world of anime. The story was never the show's strong suit. It's your average Hero's journey story. The art and sound are fairly well done for their time. In particular the slightly western themedbattle music which I found to be pretty epic. The characters are mostly unidimensional, you have your headstrong brawler, the idiot kid who's actually the most powerful of the lot and the somewhat balanced and intelligent fighter who keeps the team together. Add an annoying woman with a heart of gold and a flatulent penguin with superhuman strength, and you've got yourself the team of Ninku.

The depiction of the fighting prowess of a Ninku fighter (especially the captains) is well executed. My only complaint would be that not all the Ninku captains are revealed. Even if they were killed, some background as to their whereabouts and their ultimate fate would have been appreciated. The side characters and villains are well balanced and keep the fighting and plot interesting (for the most part).

Given that this anime was shown in the mid-90s. It came at a time when shows like Flame of Recca and Yu Yu Hakusho dominated the fighting anime genre. But still the lovable characters and well-executed fight scenes helps this show hold its own against the heavyweights of it's time.