maynard51 - 2015-07-14 09:34:29

I'm afraid my first thoughts on this anime was quite accurate, meaning you probably already know this review is gonna be bad, you're just reading it to see which particularly words I used.
The story is about a group of people (of course tenagers) who obtained superpowers through the genes of famous historical figures and now they fight "evolutionary alien invaders". The show tries to imitate some of the glory of other popular titles like Gurren Lagann through mindless action, but it rather reminds me of the Power Rangers which just kept doing the same over and over again without any story development nor do the characters actually. And when the show just begins to get some tiny story development, it ends, leaving many unanswered questions like: Who is this giant robo rabbit thats helping them and why does "IT" have so much power in the world government , who is the old woman,who is her butler and how can he outlive the millenia, why doesn't normal guns work with the monsters, and how the hell do the heroes get those big guns and all the tech they get cuz that stuff doesn't come from genes. I have genes and I can't grow a gun from my ass any time I'd like to have one. The animation is average and nothing out of the box sticks out, the opening music is pretty kick-ass though. Favorite character : Jack the Ripper, and yeah, you probably haven't heard that phrase before. 
P.S I believe this is one of the few shows out there where Jack the Ripper is one of the good guys.

domenico.ullrich - 2014-05-20 18:49:01

Nobunagun? A girl with the soul of Nobunaga, an old warrior who united Japan, fighting aliens with a gun. Other "soldiers" (teenies) helping her fighting with the soul of Jack the Ripper, Ghandi and etc.

The story is typical for animes, the maincharacter overcoming with the help of her new friends the strong enemy. But the idea of the old souls used as weapons is well staged. The story is intresting and the fights are exciting.

The opening and the battle music is nice, unfortunately the animation is kind of clumsy. That is the reason the anime appears childlike. Also the perspective of the main charcter being very naive is making the anime immature.

People who like deep and fascinating stories should watch other animes. This anime is just some random action well produced, with a fresh idea and a childish form.

SPOIL(just a little): The ending is open, so there will be another series following. I will watch it and hope it to be at least as entertaining as it was till now.

By the way this anime contains tentacle-rape :D

fadel.cindy - 2014-04-11 16:27:47

An average action series that could've been more, Nobunagun had a great premise it did little with.

That really says it all but let's take a bit of a closer look, shall we?

So the story is about a group of people who can use superpowers themed after famous historical figures to fight against an alien invasion happening one evolutionary step at a time. That's the most succinct way I can put it. Right out of the gate, I love the idea, despite its inherent silliness. I mean, if I was an alien race, this seems like an effective invasion method. Send a bunch of embryos and wait for them to evolve naturally and conquer the world while you sit back and sip kool-aid or whatever.

Unfortunately, being based on the first few dozen chapters of an on-going manga, it's doomed to end without a proper conclusion. And while the ride is mostly enjoyable, it's ultimately just an average action show in the end. Its characters are mostly simple and undeveloped, its scenarios never appear to have bigger impact than their self-contained arcs allow, and they pretty much end not far from where they began.

I feel like I've witnessed the first steps of a journey but not quite the thousand miles. I could go on a long tangent about the rampant use of unfinished or partial adaptations in the anime industry but I'll save that for a show I end up being even more disappointed by.

The animation isn't amazing, but it is consistent and carries an ominous mood throughout. The random color-shifts may seem annoying to many viewers but I personally found it kind of engaging. It was done by Studio Bridge, who have done virtually nothing else significant as far I recall. The music is pretty kick-ass though, especially when the battles heat up. But in the end, the only song that stuck with me was its rocktactular main theme, "RESPECT TO THE DEADMAN". Which served the two-fold purpose of both getting my blood pumping... and reminding me that there will never been a second season of Deadman Wonderland....*sob* *sob*...

If you're in the mood for a decent enough time, Nobunagun might fill the void, but it does little more than that. It's a partial adaptation that ends before it ever really begins, so it isn't exactly a must-see for anyone in particular. A base average score it is then.

Rewatch Value: No (Based on a Yes/Maybe/No scale)

dschroeder - 2014-01-15 08:29:06

The story doesn't seem attracting but at least it's somehow awesome. Some of the characters are not really fitting into the story but it still flows well. Animation is quite awesome.

~It's cool and okay but I will be looking forward for the rest of the episodes.

desiree99 - 2014-01-10 07:46:23

The concept behind Nobunagun is simple, and incredibly stupid. Various historical figures has become weapons or tools to be used by human beings fighting monsters that threaten the world, with our main character wielding the power of Oda Nobunaga as a giant gun on her arm as she fight.

It’s probably one of the dumbest premises in recent memory and something as stupid as this can only be good or absolutely terrible. Thankfully this is not terrible …not terrible at all.

We follow Shio who is on a trip too Taiwan with her classmates. Shio is somewhat of an outcast who weirds out the people around her by being a complete fangirl when it comes to military warfare. We’re also introduced to Asao who is another girl in Shio’s class. While she isn’t given too much depth in this first episode, she becomes quite important to the events that Shio go through in it.

What makes Nobunagun work is its presentation. It realizes how incredibly silly the actual premise is and runs with it all the way past the finish line and back around the race track once more for good measure. Just minor things like the show pointing out visual things going on with small notes popping up at times to playing around with how the characters move or behave makes it all feel incredibly vivid and alive. It’s a beautiful show to look at despite not having the most impressive animation as a result.

The soundtrack is also worth mentioning as it’s absolutely fantastic and probably the most memorable soundtrack of any anime this year so far, which says a lot given that we also have Noragami this season. If the soundtrack stays even half as good, it’ll be something truly special.

The voice acting from Shiori Mutou as Shio is superb as well, especially considering that she’s never acted in any show prior to this. I hope she get to do future roles as well, she’s awesome.

It’s too early to tell exactly where Nobunagun will go from here, whether it’ll go down a mahou shoujo-esque route with Shio or if it’ll do something completely different. Either way, I’m pumped to find out. Shio is one of the most entertaining leads this season and Nobunagun is one of the funniest, and stupidest, first episodes this season.

[Edited]

Yeah, so what if I told you this show decided to keep up all of its insanity and then become depressing and serious in its presentation in regards to the main characters responsibilities and how their lives will change? Yeah, that’s episode two.

The second episode of Nobunagun follows up where the first episode ended, the awakening of Oda Nobunaga within Shio as Dogoo is fighting the alien force that was attacking Thailand. About half of the episode is devoted to finishing up this fight, showing off various abilities that Nobunagun posses. It’s a great fight sequence and the stylized look of the show really lends itself well to over-the-top action like this.

Then there’s the second half of the episode. The second half of the episode is entirely devoted to Dogoo coming out publicly as the people fighting the alien menace. Dogoo explains that there are people known as E-Gene Holders that are the only people able to fight the threat, Shio being one of them. But Shio needs to decide herself if she’s willing to give up her normal life in order to go through with it.

It’s a slow-paced series of events that seems very out of place in theory, but manages to work really well with the its presentation. It manages to tell us more about Shio as a person and just how big of a burden being a E-Gene Holder might be.

While I don’t think this downbeat tone will work if it’s used often in the show, seeing it in contrast to the fast-paced action of the first half of the episode made the show feel smarter than it probably is. Which is no small feat given its prior insanity.

I think Nobunagun probably have the most interesting presentation this season in terms of visuals. The way the show deals with its palette and shading is not just unique, but really damn pretty. Mix that with some great character designs and beautifully animated sequence and you have a winner.

To me, the second episode of Nobunagun was the best episode of any anime I’ve seen so far this season. It did action and drama brilliantly and I can’t wait to see where the show goes from here. Though the episode preview has me worried.

[Edited]

(will update frequently)