Ninja Girls
Encyclopedia
, is a manga
by Tanaka Hosana. The manga sets during the civil war in Japan and revolves around a boy named Raizou Katana who is loathed for having a short horn on his forehead. He saves a female ninja
, who then tells him that she's his servant and he is an emperor, and she introduces him to her clan of female ninjas who are devoted to restoring his family name.
), he discovers that he is the illegitimate heir to the fallen Katana clan and must revive his household to its original state. They planned to revive it by marrying a princess of another household and borrowing their power. Throughout the series, Raizo eventually wins over the princess but runs away due to a misunderstanding. A group called Kabuki Seigan also attempt to control other households but fail when Raizou intervenes, which causes more anger towards Raizo.
A Kunoichi devoted to the restoration of the Katana household. She can use the special technique Shintaigo, which makes her body as strong and tough as steel. She seems to hold great feelings for her master. Her house revival plan is to build a castle and flag to attract people without masters or wards to rally under them.
Kisarabi is the second kunoichi working for Raizou to rebuild the Katana household. She is a very serious woman who has excellent sniping skills. Her special technique is Rasengan, which increases her sniping skill a good deal. Her house revival plan is to have Raizou marry a princess of a powerful house, and to use that house's power to destroy their enemies.
Himemaru is the third kunoichi. At first glance he is a very attractive woman, but he is actually a very feminine male crossdresser. He uses a shibari technique called Higyaku no Shibari, which wraps ropes around the target in a way that makes it painful to move. He also dabbles in medicine (to be precise poisons). Although at first he merely wanted to marry Raizou to gain wealth and fame, he soon was charmed by him. His house revival plan was to seduce other lords in order to make them submit to the Katana household.
Raizo's deceased mother communicates with her son through her mortuary tablet
, often showing disapproval by falling on him, or satisfaction through a gleam.
magazine. It was collected into nine volumes
by Kodansha
, and has been licensed in English by Del Rey
translated by Andria Cheng, and in Traditional Chinese by Sharp Point Press. Kodansha Comics USA will keep publishing the series in 2011.
manga bestseller list for the week of August 23–29, 2009. The following week, Ninja Girls volume 1 slipped to eighth position. Joseph Luster, writing for Otaku USA
, felt that the manga was in an awkward position: "too fan-servicey for some, and not enough for others".
Comicbookbin.com's Leroy Douresseaux compares the tone of the manga to Strawberry 100%, and feels that the manga is full of "comic violence that is brutal and bloody or innuendo defined by female ninja (kunoichi) in some state of undress." Activeanime.com's Davey C. Jones enjoyed the "voluptuous" character designs of the girls. Matthew Alexander found the character of the spirit tablet
imbued with the protagonist's mother's spirit to be very funny, and found the protagonist to be a "likeable character" who "cares more about the feelings of those around him than he does about his own wellbeing". Dan Polley felt the first volume had "potential", and that the secondary characters were intriguing.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
by Tanaka Hosana. The manga sets during the civil war in Japan and revolves around a boy named Raizou Katana who is loathed for having a short horn on his forehead. He saves a female ninja
Kunoichi
is the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...
, who then tells him that she's his servant and he is an emperor, and she introduces him to her clan of female ninjas who are devoted to restoring his family name.
Plot
The story revolves around a boy named Raizou Katana. He was living in a village where the villagers despised him for having a horn on his head. When he meets Kagari and Kisarabi (a group of kunoichiKunoichi
is the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...
), he discovers that he is the illegitimate heir to the fallen Katana clan and must revive his household to its original state. They planned to revive it by marrying a princess of another household and borrowing their power. Throughout the series, Raizo eventually wins over the princess but runs away due to a misunderstanding. A group called Kabuki Seigan also attempt to control other households but fail when Raizou intervenes, which causes more anger towards Raizo.
Characters
Raizou is a young boy who has a small horn on his head, which identifies him as the heir of the Katana household. Due to his horn, he has been a leper for most of his life.A Kunoichi devoted to the restoration of the Katana household. She can use the special technique Shintaigo, which makes her body as strong and tough as steel. She seems to hold great feelings for her master. Her house revival plan is to build a castle and flag to attract people without masters or wards to rally under them.
Kisarabi is the second kunoichi working for Raizou to rebuild the Katana household. She is a very serious woman who has excellent sniping skills. Her special technique is Rasengan, which increases her sniping skill a good deal. Her house revival plan is to have Raizou marry a princess of a powerful house, and to use that house's power to destroy their enemies.
Himemaru is the third kunoichi. At first glance he is a very attractive woman, but he is actually a very feminine male crossdresser. He uses a shibari technique called Higyaku no Shibari, which wraps ropes around the target in a way that makes it painful to move. He also dabbles in medicine (to be precise poisons). Although at first he merely wanted to marry Raizou to gain wealth and fame, he soon was charmed by him. His house revival plan was to seduce other lords in order to make them submit to the Katana household.
Raizo's deceased mother communicates with her son through her mortuary tablet
Spirit tablet
A spirit tablet or ancestral tablet is a placard used to designate the seat of a deity or past ancestor as well as to enclose it. With origins in traditional Chinese culture, the spirit tablet is a common sight in many East Asian countries where any form of ancestor veneration is practiced...
, often showing disapproval by falling on him, or satisfaction through a gleam.
Publication
Ninja Girls was serialized in Monthly Shōnen SiriusMonthly Shōnen Sirius
is a Japanese monthly shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha, and first issued in May 2005. It is issued in perfect-bound B5 format and retails for 580 yen. Like all monthly shonen manga magazines, Monthly Shonen Sirius is aimed at late teens and people in their early 20s from ages 16 to...
magazine. It was collected into nine volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
by Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
, and has been licensed in English by Del Rey
Del Rey Manga
was the manga-publishing imprint of Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, which in turn is part of Random House, the publishing division of Bertelsmann. It was formed as part of a cross-publishing relationship with Japanese publisher Kodansha. Some of the Del Rey titles, such as Tsubasa...
translated by Andria Cheng, and in Traditional Chinese by Sharp Point Press. Kodansha Comics USA will keep publishing the series in 2011.
Volume list
Reception
Ninja Girls volume 1 debuted sixth on The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
manga bestseller list for the week of August 23–29, 2009. The following week, Ninja Girls volume 1 slipped to eighth position. Joseph Luster, writing for Otaku USA
Otaku USA
Otaku USA is a bimonthly magazine, published by Sovereign Media, which covers various elements of the "otaku" lifestyle from an American perspective...
, felt that the manga was in an awkward position: "too fan-servicey for some, and not enough for others".
Comicbookbin.com's Leroy Douresseaux compares the tone of the manga to Strawberry 100%, and feels that the manga is full of "comic violence that is brutal and bloody or innuendo defined by female ninja (kunoichi) in some state of undress." Activeanime.com's Davey C. Jones enjoyed the "voluptuous" character designs of the girls. Matthew Alexander found the character of the spirit tablet
Spirit tablet
A spirit tablet or ancestral tablet is a placard used to designate the seat of a deity or past ancestor as well as to enclose it. With origins in traditional Chinese culture, the spirit tablet is a common sight in many East Asian countries where any form of ancestor veneration is practiced...
imbued with the protagonist's mother's spirit to be very funny, and found the protagonist to be a "likeable character" who "cares more about the feelings of those around him than he does about his own wellbeing". Dan Polley felt the first volume had "potential", and that the secondary characters were intriguing.