History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi - Reviews

I really did enjoy a lot this anime. The story was very well put togheter. At the end it does give you a kind of feeling that the story could keep on going.But it could end there, which it did in the anime. I liked how the characters life connected with the other characters. The animation made the anime very funny and fun to watch. I really enjoyed watching how the battels carried out.The sound effects mached quite nice with what was going on. I absolutely loved the music they played specially the one that they played in the last battel. The characters where all very funny and had there soft spot. Some characters sadlly you did not find out a lot about. Over all I really do love this anime it was very funny and hear warming.

HSDK has the dubious distinction of being my #1 anime of all time. It's the only anime series I've watched more than 10 times now and continue to do so as time goes on. It never fails to bring a smile to my eyes, yes eyes, a task infinitely harder to do than just making me smile with my mouth alone. It's an anime who's sum does not equal it's parts since the only thing I rated at a perfect ten here was it's characters.

Story:

Truth be told there's not a huge amount of story here. Boy meets girl, boy gets beaten up by girl, boy falls in love and tries to become a martial artist to protect a girl that really needs absolutely no protection at all. Eventually it devolves into fighting increasingly harder opponents as it progresses, not something most people haven't seen already in an action show.

Animation:

As things go, this wasn't really much better than your average show of it's time or since. It also didn't really get any worse other than a single episode that always bothered me but ultimately ignored as a fluke (guess the backup crew was called in that day or something).

Sounds:

Nothing to write home about, it was pretty standard fair, didn't annoy me or ruin the flow so it got my standard rating of seven. Just not a category I pay much attention to since ultimately it's anime, not audiome...

Characters:

Now we come to the part of the show that frequently and totally wowed me. The characters, some typical some not, were a joy to watch and root for. Even the enemies weren't entirely beyond this scope. The best part is that the sheer amount of them and yet they were all mostly lovable.

Overall:

I think where the show faltered in it's popularity is that it was billed as a Slice of Life/Martial Arts series when it really should have tacked on a bit of Supernatural or Super Powers on the end of it. Really, most of the things these people can do are beyond the scope of reality or at least the documented capabilities of humans in general. But honestly, how often does one go to anime for realism? The one down side of the anime is that the story continues on in manga but the show just kind of ends after the first arc.

While I'd love to recommend this show to just about anyone, being that I'm overly biased about it I tend to shy away from doing so. It's a decent fight series, with a lot of great and diverse characters mixed in with a light sprinkling of romance (and I do mean light). Watch it, enjoy it, hate it, tell me what ya think.

I dropped this anime because of the main character...he always get's beaten and then his senseis teach him 2 or 3 attacks or deffences and he wins. So my point is that the story is almost always the same and you will actually loose your time watching this anime...

"History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi" is an action-packed martial arts anime that combines humor, intense battles, and character growth. Here's my review, with ratings for different aspects:

Story (7/10): The story follows Kenichi Shirahama, a timid high school student who decides to transform himself into a martial arts expert after meeting a skilled and beautiful transfer student, Miu Furinji. The plot centers around Kenichi's training with various martial arts masters, his encounters with rival dojos, and his journey to become stronger. While the premise may sound straightforward, the anime excels in character development, humor, and showcasing various martial arts styles. It strikes a good balance between action and comedy.

Animation (7/10): The animation quality is solid, especially during the fight scenes. The martial arts choreography is well-executed, and the character designs are distinctive, capturing the essence of each character's fighting style. While it may not have the flashiest animation, it effectively conveys the intensity of the battles.

Sound (6/10): The soundtrack and voice acting in "History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi" are decent. The music complements the action sequences and emotional moments, but it's not particularly memorable. The voice actors do a commendable job of portraying the characters' personalities, adding depth to their development.

Characters (8/10): The characters are a strong point of the series. Kenichi's journey from a weakling to a formidable martial artist is compelling. The diverse cast of martial arts masters, each with their unique quirks and teaching methods, adds depth and entertainment. The interactions and rivalries between characters contribute to the show's charm.

Overall (7/10): "History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi" offers a fun and engaging martial arts experience with a blend of humor and action. It successfully explores the growth of its protagonist, Kenichi, and introduces viewers to various martial arts styles. While it may not be groundbreaking, it's a solid addition to the martial arts anime genre. I'd rate it 7/10 overall, as it strikes a balance between character-driven storytelling and exciting battles. If you enjoy martial arts anime with character development and humor, this one is worth checking out.

STORY:

 

Shirahama Kenichi is a typical 16 year old boy in high school, in fact he's far from typical he's below average in everything, he's also one of those kids who gets bullied a lot, whether verbally (weak legs) or physically he gets abuse from everywhere. One fateful day he witnesses a girl his age being harassed by some bullies. Kenichi reluctantly charges towards her aggressors and hits one of them in the face...to no effect. Just as he thinks he's doomed the girl gracefully beats up the bullies leaving Kenichi agape.

This inspires Kenichi to become a martial artist;(a threat to a fight with an upperclassman in a week's time is also part of the "inspiration")the girl who we later know as Miu takes him to Ryouzampaku; a dojo which is the home of masters of 6 different martial arts. Kenichi goes through hellish training and to defeat his next opponent, the problem is as soon as one is defeated; others come forth to challenge him. Soon Kenichi becomes infamous with a martial arts gang called Ragnarock, which gives the masters at Ryouzanpaku more of an initiative to train their disciple harder and push him to his limits since he allegedly has 'no talent'; in his venture to beat Ragnarock Kenichi becomes a hero and makes allies who would follow him and recognize him as history's strongest disciple.

This is an unique shounen and I think one of the most underrated. At first I was repelled by the simplicity of it. But afterwards it grows on you, sure it has a lot of cliches like the pervert master and the hero who won't back down no matter what but apart from all that its very different from other shounens.

Kenichi for example doesn't have any secret powers up his sleeve and he is a pretty cowardly and spineless character. He generally avoids battle and he's not so proud that he wouldn't run away from a battle (or stage a strategic retreat as he puts it). Also its rare for an anime to have a woman who is so superior in battle than the male protagonist.

Also it is original that Kenichi has several masters training him at once, normally the typical hero would train under different masters at different times. And although I don't know much about martial arts I think I wouldn't be an idiot when I say that the moves that Kenichi learns although exaggerated do exist in real life. The one thing that kept bugging me is that Kenichi rarely ever loses, for someone who has 'no talent' he surely can think on his feet and he's also typical in that like so many others of this genre his speciality is his endurance. All in all its a great show though and I seriously recommend it.

 

ANIMATION: 6

The animation was too generic for me to give it props and there were some flaws in it as well. For example Izumi and Miu have the same face. Also sometimes certain devices are used to dramatize the show, devices that the show would do better without. I'm thinking mainly of the second fight between Hermit and Kenichi where lighting is used to express power.

 

SOUND : 8

Both opening themes are addictive, in fact I'm singing them right now. The soundtrack although not exceptionally brilliant do a pretty good job at depicting the scene, especially in parts where it gets really melancholic. Voice-acting was also marvelous, Each voice matched the personality of its character. From the hard deep voice of Sakaki to the comically innocent Apachai (Apa!). Even the Elder has that annoying laugh that relates to him.

 

CHARACTERS: 6.5

The heroes are awesome characters, especially Nijima who plays the role of the anti-villian (?). Hermit was also a deep meaningful character despite being a bit too similar to Takeda. The problem with the villains though was that there are hardly any left by the end! And the main villain is one of the poorest i've ever seen. He's a disgrace to the show, clearly the writer was trying to make it so that he was connected to Kenichi's past but I think he did a very poor job of it. Also Kenichi's family were so annoying I kept cringing every time they appeared, the mother appears to be wise but in reality she seems to be apathetic. It is an attempt at humor which I did not appreciate unfortunately. However for every generic character (Berserker) there was also a truly unique counterpart (Siegfried) and so I can't say that the characters deserve anything less than a 6.5.

 

OVERALL: 7.5

History's strongest disciple Kenichi is one of the most addictive animes I've ever seen. I hope they make more episodes once the manga is finished because it is truly an entertaining watch. Had this show been continued with multiple fillers I think it would have been ruined so I won't complain too much as long as they continue it after the manga has ended.