Ninja Slay Me

Don’t know what the hell studio Trigger is trying to do with the Ninja Slayer anime. The trailer suggests that the studio is trying to adapt the novels as a bad retro action anime. The logo at 3 seconds in is reminiscent of anime like Microman and even Aku Daisakusen Srungle. The two halves of the mask that slide into frame at 12 seconds, the purple-haired gal at 29 seconds – her exceptionally angled face and uneven hair, even the 4:3 framing and the coloring all shout “80s anime.” It’s like deliberate throwback to anime like Tobikage and Ninja Ryukenden, but, for God knows why, the animation is stiffly mechanical and the color exaggerated in a way that suggests that Trigger is trying to create Shockwave Flash animation without actually using Flash. Perhaps the studio realizes that the novels are kind of trashy and are trying to evoke the same sort of ridiculous vibe with the animation.