Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi

Whenever he is not getting pummeled in the karate club after school, high schooler Kenichi Shirahama can be found with his head buried in one of the many self-help books he carries with him every day. One day, on the way to school, Kenichi accidentally frightens the new student in his class, leading her to throw him down onto the ground. After apologizing for her violent reflexes, she introduces herself as Miu Furinji and asks Kenichi to be her friend.

Later that day, after karate club practice, Kenichi is given an ultimatum by one of the other club members: they will fight next week and the loser has to quit the club permanently. While lamenting his imminent defeat in the upcoming fight, Kenichi witnesses Miu fend off three thugs easily. Fed up with being perpetually bullied by those more powerful than him, he asks Miu for tips on how to become a better fighter. She directs Kenichi to her grandfather's dojo, Ryouzanpaku, where several skilled—albeit strange—masters of extreme martial arts have gathered to hone their abilities. Miu promises that Kenichi will become significantly stronger, but only if he manages to stay alive.

With those ominous words looming in his mind and the appearance of a criminal martial arts gang known as "Ragnarok" threatening the safety of those around him, Kenichi takes the first step on his journey to become a world-class fighter and a defender of the defenseless.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Shirahama, Kenichi Main

Seki, Tomokazu Japanese

Fuurinji, Miu Main

Kawakami, Tomoko Japanese

Hopachai, Apachai Supporting

Ishimaru, Hiroya Japanese

Kousaka, Shigure Supporting

Noto, Mamiko Japanese

Koetsuji, Akisame Supporting

Kosugi, Juurouta Japanese

Niijima, Haruo Supporting

Yamazaki, Takumi Japanese

Tanimoto, Natsu Supporting

Horikawa, Ryo Japanese

Sakaki, Shio Supporting

Ishizuka, Unshou Japanese

Kugenin, Hibiki Supporting

Madono, Mitsuaki Japanese

Nanjou, Kisara Supporting

Takayama, Minami Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Harp, Clarine Producer

Kojima, Satoshi Producer

Kamegaki, Hajime Director

Reviews

Oct 3, 2007

VK11

Recommended

You are a person who loves fighting anime and is looking for something with epic battles and intense rivalries. Or you are someone who is looking for a good laugh and an entertaining anime that will last you for awhile. Or, you are somebody who is simply looking for an amazing anime that has all the right pieces that make it extraordinary. If any of those above scenarios fit you, simply put, Shijou Saikyou No Deshi Kenichi (History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi) is a must-watch anime for you to pick up on.

The story, although simple at heart, becomes more complex at the surface ... as the anime progresses through the episodes. Kenichi is your run-of-the mill weakling kid who is always getting picked on by everyone and has no confidence in his abilities whatsoever. But that doesn't stop him from doing the right thing and stepping into some pretty hairy situations despite his shortcomings. The story begins with Kenichi wanting to get stronger because of his will to protect his friends. As a result, he joins the Ryōzanpaku dojo and from there on out, every episode has meaning, and will have you wanting for more. The story ends with Kenichi in an final showdown verses the leader of the most intense gang in Japan - Ragnorak. Just from that, it gives you the sense that the plot development is spectacular in this show.

The art for Kenichi is well done. All of the characters are drawn very well and have distinguishing characteristics that cosplay members will love to create. Animation is also done very well, as you have great battles and very few repetition of frames.

Arguably, the sound is probably the weakest point of the anime, and its not even that weak. Opening/ending songs are pretty good and the scores used throughout the anime fit quite well with the current scene you are watching. However, it is the voices to each character that really brings all the characters alive, as you can feel the emotion from all of the characters.

The character design in HSD Kenichi is so original and great, that you'll wonder why nobody has ever came up with this before. Kenichi is trained by six masters, who all specialize in a different form of martial arts. All of their personalities are so different and unique, you'll also wonder how each of them get along in the first place. Hence, the many comedic moments and episodes that you'll inevitably witness as they all fight amongst themselves to be the one who trains Kenichi. Ah, and let's not forget the beautiful Miu Furinji, Kenichi's love interest, who, unlike other female protagonists of similar plots, is one hell of a fighter and the reason Kenichi joins the dojo. As the anime progresses deeper in the story, you'll be unveiled to a plethora of unique characters who have different fighting styles and unique personalities, which will all amaze and have you laughing at the same time. For the sake of keeping this section as short as possible, I'm simply going to say character development is flawless in this anime.

Even with all of this that I have written about, this anime would be nothing without its comedy, and that is what makes Kenichi so much fun and enjoyable to watch. You will be literally laughing out loud at some of the hellish training that Kenichi is forcibly put through and will wonder why he hasn't died yet. (Yes, the training is that hellish). Even with 50 episodes, the comedy of Kenichi never gets old and you'll find that to be the case right up to the very last episode. Hell, sometimes you'll wish that they had more comedy than serious fights, because its that good.

All in all, Kenichi is one of those rare anime shows out there that is able to blend in comedy with the overall serious plot extremely well. One of the few qualms that I did have with this show was that the ending occurred a little to quick and you'll also wish that they gave more information about the history of each of the masters, as they provide you with relatively very little on each one of them. In the end, once you watch the final episode of this anime, it will take you five seconds or so to wish that there would be a second season to it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Sep 17, 2017

PvMDream

Mixed Feelings

*May contain minor spoilers*


Story 6/10

Weak boy, who want to protect hes friends. Searches the help of ''masters in fighting'' and undergoes hellish training.
Unfortunate, the fights aren't as epic as i hope they would have been, a lot of the anime feels like fillers instead of anything actually happening.

Art 7/10

... The art is a bit older, nothing fancy.

Sound 6/10
Nothing special they could have done a better job Imo.

Characters 8/10

Nice development in the MC
Ultra strong masters who care about the mc

Enjoyment 5/10

Super slow paced imo, never to the point. The bad persons suddenly become all good persons once defeated, and horrible jokes.

Overall 6.5/10

Definitely not all that bad, but the slow paced and the ''this anime is for kids'' feeling I get with everyone suddenly becoming a good person made my watch of this anime less enjoyable as i would have hoped for.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Dec 6, 2008

noteDhero

Not Recommended

Animation - 5
The animation is lack luster. Rather than fluid animation displaying extension of limbs and alertness of characters. Kenichi relies more heavily on the quick flash of motion with speed lines indicating action, and sequences of pictures less worthy of being called animation. Character design is uninspired-ly shounen, with an overall presentation of something one would see in the early 90's.
Sound- 4
Bad voice acting. There really is no other way to say it. It was surprising to discover that the voice of the main character, Shirahama Kenichi, is acted by Seki Tomokazu one of my personal favorites. The music is equally bad and also ... quite forgettable. I had to go back to youtube just to remember them, and even then it was unfamiliar. Also laughable are the foley effects for fights which prove highly anachronistic given current technology and processes.
Characters - 4
Nothing to see here except a plethora of sterotypes as flat as the paper they were conceived on. We have your meek protagonist who cherishes what little companions he has. His busty, pure-hearted, yet equally shy friend. Kenichi's numerous martial arts masters are all ripoffs of characters from various fighting games and movies. We have the old man with a long beard and ripped muscles, the kung fu master, the kunoichi weapons expert, the thai boxer, badass karate guy, and disciplined but dangeruous Aikido master. On the opposing side we have baddies including a tsundere who likes kittens, a bitter enemy who misdirects rage, and the main bad guy who lusts for power at all costs.
Story - 5
This story plays out as all shounen fighting shows with a hint of romance do: Fight a person and find out that something more sinister awaits. Train. Conflict of conscience. Something bad happens. Train. Fight. Get former enemies to be your friend. Train. Recognition of weakness. Train. Discover you like girl. Date. Train. Remember past with girl and baddies. Train. Turn weakness into strength. Prevail.
Enjoyment - 4
The only thing I can honestly say that I enjoyed is the application of Norse mythology in the form of giving nick-names to the "bad guys." I wasted a lot of time during the show trying to find a higher meaning behind the monikers. But clearly the creator though: Norse names are cool sounding. end of thought.
Overall - 4
Kenichi is a laughably mediocre show. I once had this score at a six (I tend to give middle of the road shows the benifit of the doubt), and then a five; however, while writing this review I have come to the conclusion that this show is not the sum of its average parts. At no point in time does this show take the viewer by surprise. Everything from design to execution is bizarrely over-exaggerated and banally predictable. Even if one is a fan of the genre, I doubt that it stacks up to any of the heavy hitters, or even the more marginally popular fare.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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