[Fish Sandwich]

Ninnin Rewatch! 33 + 34

I was expecting episode 33 to just be another simple and wacky "break" episode after 32, and it is, but it's also really good. The whole premise is that the MotW has a crush on Aoninger, and the way it plays out is hilarious. A lot of the humor comes from playing many of the scenes for unironic melodrama, which is itself ironically funny. And since this is Ninninger it's also solidly character-building, with the show making it a point to write Takaharu out pretty much right away, followed shortly by Kasumi and Kinji too, leaving Yakumo to actually pull a lot of the weight for the first time since the early episodes, where he tended to act as the leader a lot more often.

Episode 34 is another nostalgia trip that's totally lost on me, but as an episode it's great. Toei seems to like shilling Metal Heroes ever since Gokaiger vs. Gavan, but it's hard to complain when it results in such a fun episode. In what is perhaps the height of Ninninger's ninja world-building, we get to see a group of bureaucrat ninja try and enforce a whole bunch of regulations on the team for the sake of good PR. This is completely amazing. Like, do I even need to say anymore? Okay, fine. Jiraiya turns out to be the president of this group, but he's shirking any and all responsibility. The actual plot is a simple but very well done story about him interacting with the Ninningers and coming to accept his place looking out for the new generations of ninja instead of fighting on the frontlines. That sort of master/student drama is a big recurring theme throughout the series, and it's cool how naturally this crossover feels worked into the show. This is a really great episode that I would even recommend just by itself.

Also, was Jiraiya this much of a lovable goofball in his actual show? Because I can kind of see myself getting into that~