One of the latest Anime DVD collections to be released by Funimation is “Nabari: The Complete Series Part One.” The series is based on the original manga written and illustrated by Yuhki Kamatani in 2004.
The story of Nabari revolves around an apathetic child named Miharu. When a group of ninja enters our world from Nabari, the ninja world, Miharu’s inner Shinra Banshou is awoken. This Shinra Banshou just happens to be the power of creation, and every ninja tries to steal the Shinra Banshou for their personal gain. In this fashion, Miharu almost feels like the story of Aladdin and his magical genie gone horribly wrong. What would happen if instead of rubbing a lamp to ask for a wish, you could cut the power right out of the heart of the genie? That’s the level darkness involved in Nabari.
Miharu is joined by his friends: Kouichi, Kumohira and Raimei. But, you’ll soon realize that their relationship is more complex than your standard Anime group of tagalongs. Miharu’s power is a curse. Despite his is apathetic and emotionless exterior, he really wants to have friends. However, he can never be certain if his “friends” are actually trying to help him or use him for the Shinra Banshou.
The first few episodes are filled with a heavy dose of passé melodrama. These episodes may quickly push you away. You’ll even wonder if this is really a “ninja” show. However, once the mysterious Yoite is introduced, the story takes an entirely new direction. Yoite can kill a man with his chi; each time Yoite uses his power he comes one step closer to death. Miharu and Yoite form an unlikely partnership. Yoite agrees to help Miharu master his mysterious power as long as Miharu uses the Shinra Banshou to make it as though Yoite never existed. The fight scenes immediately get a quick and much needed adrenaline boost from Yoite.
Although the fighting does pick up, and there’s a nice dose of action and subplot, the story’s exposition is too long. The story takes a long time to build up and will quickly lose you if you’re not paying close attention. Occasionally, there are a few effeminate jokes against Miharu, where he uses his innocence to get his way. These moments were intended to be comedic, but they always fall flat.
The series animation uses a very shadowed color palette of greys set against the brighter palette of the outside world. I think they could have pushed the violence farther and used sharper, more poignant, imagery.
Nabari, The Complete Series Part One is a good series to check out. But, it hardly ranks at the top of Anime series you need to watch. My advice would be to skip the ninjas, and go for “Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid.” If you need some ninja action, “Naruto Shippuden” and “Bleach” have the Nabari series beat.
