Spoiler Alert! This show is about a character named Jing, and he’s a bandit.
Story - 9/10
The show follows our titular character Jing, and surprise surprise, he’s the most feared and revered “King of Bandits”. While Jing does steal you’re normal thiefly delights, like gold and jewels, he tends to focus on items that have something a little deeper in them. Each episode, or grouping of episodes, has Jing and his companion Kir tracking down a legendary item that is often more than meets the eye.
Of those items Jing is after, about eight in total, they each have a message behind them. Be it a mother’s love, the greed of man, or how a life focused on revenge may not have the happy outcome you hoped for when you get it, it’s as if Jing finds life experiences and knowledge more important than the physical items he can get his hands on. Only in the end do we actually see him take off with the item he first set out for, but even then there could be a second meaning to what he was looking for. Along with those messages comes one other reoccurring aspect, a pretty girl for Kir to fawn over, who eventually has a strong connection to the object.
Each story plays out on it’s own and can be enjoyed without having any knowledge of the others. They are all comical and easy to follow, but end up having a lesson of some sort at the end. The part I enjoyed most about Jing is that despite being so lighthearted, many of the episodes had extremely tender and emotional moments without being overly gooey, they also were never shoe horned in, but actually play nicely within the story itself, if not also being central to it.
Animation - 8/10
The animation has a feel of combining traditional Japanese styles along with what we would have seen from older American cartoons. While Jing, and Kir too, look like what you’d receive if you asked someone to draw you typical anime hero, many of the other non-human inhabitants of the series appear as if they’re straight out of the mind of Tex Avery, or more recently the Spumco team of John Kricfalusi and Bob Camp. All those minor and background characters are what really make the show, adding a wacky aspect to the show.
The scenery is equally as interesting as the characters, as each city has a personality and look unique to itself, in both the world of Jing and pretty much throughout the entire anime universe. Each looks as if it came out of the mind of Dhali, from the towering spiraled Capital of Thieves, the possibly “Persistence of Memory” inspired Capital of Time or the brilliantly designed Techno Color Town. In an anime where each story isn’t very deep, the towns themselves give you a little bit of story on their own.
While new series have come along that have greater detail and clarity, available due to the newer and more powerful tools animators have on hand, I think the series holds up because you can have all the best computers and animators in the world, but if you don’t have the imagination to create those characters or environments, they are worthless, and Jing’s team had the imagination needed to make the series a visual hit.
Sound - 9/10
Like most aspects of this series, the music, and well the audio in general, is highly underrated. The opening song, Shout It Loud by Scudelia Electro, can be given one of the best compliments about an anime song, that it’s something you would actually listen to even if you heard it elsewhere. Musically it’s a great composition and the vocals sound like that of a really top quality band, it’s surprising that they haven’t transcended Japanese music like L’Arc-en-Ciel or the Pillows have. Not only is it an excellent song, but it’s put to good use throughout the series, capping off some amazing moments in the series. There is also a piano version of the song titled Crystal Note which again is used to perfection as the underlying tune to some very beautiful moments in the show, moments which also sometimes are accompanied by the song Jing Girl, which is equally as pretty a song.
Other songs vary from the whimsical Lady Killer and Dragon Paw, the serene Together We Fly, or the sometimes annoying Kir Royal, which plays every episode when Jing and Kir combine their skill. The many other songs we’re treated to, mostly instrumental pieces, play in perfectly with the shows light hearted and at times goofy feeling.
Looking at the voice over artist it’s strange to see that they don’t have extensive anime backgrounds. Jing’s human, Joey Hood, did an amazing job bringing out a character who’s voice can portray such a range of emotion with only the slightest of variances. While Kir is a bit more in line what you’d be use to hearing in anime, he’s equally as green and also as perfect. The cast of characters that interact with Jing and Kir fall into the same boat as our heroes. Each one has a unique voice that matches their quirky look and personality.
As a whole KoB:J could be the dark horse in any competition of best overall sounding audio in an anime series. Not once was I ever thrown off by an annoying voice or song, never bored by their lack of emotion or aggravated by thirty characters having the same V.O. artist who has no ability to vary their output. This was a show that would be a delight to listen to even as an audio CD.
Characters - 7/10
Jing, just as the title implies, is the greatest bandit alive. He’s wanted in every town in the land, but has managed to stay free in part to the fact he looks like a teenage boy as opposed to a seasoned and grizzled thief. When things get tough Jing never breaks a sweat, and often uses his intelligence and agility to best anyone, or any situation, that may befall him. While not exactly Robin Hood-esc, he often ends up using his skills for good, instead of just thievery.
Accompanying our hero is his sidekick and secret weapon, Kir, a sarcastic Albatross with a love of beautiful ladies. Kir often has a snarky comment in response to Jing, but he’s always there whenever Jing needs him to transform and unleash his powerful “Kir Royal” attack to save the day.
The only other reoccurring character in the series is a mail carrier known as Postino. He delivers mail to all over the planet, and thanks to this he often has tips for Jing about his latest target or the town where he’s planning his heist.
Most of the other characters fit the same niche for each episode. Often there’s a beautiful girl for Jing to help, and Kir to swoon over, and an evil King or greedy villain for him to defeat in a way that makes them look rather silly. None of them are very interesting or original, but they help move the story along and support our main characters.
While the none of the sub characters have a very deep backstory or captivating personalities, they are entertaining and fit the feeling of the show perfectly. The shinning jewel of the show is actually Jing himself, as the creators managed to make a character that is truly likable and who you can root for throughout the whole series. Unlike other shows where our hero tends to have few, if any, redeeming traits, Jing is almost nothing but them, a hero that is actually a good guy through and through.
Overall - 9/10
If you’re a cynical person, or someone who just focuses on anime for the violence or overplayed sexuality rather than storyline and character building, than Jing isn’t going to be for you. It’s a series where you need to be open to actually feeling emotion for a subject, even one as strange as a robot doomed to living forever.
Each episode is a great adventure story that has you rooting for a happy outcome for all those involved. No matter that outcome, we’re pretty much always left with a profound message or idea that it’s worth your time to ponder. The show has a high rewatch-ability factor, as well as a story that should resonate well with a wide audience. It’s disappointing that a series that is so good in all aspects, as well as being a somewhat family friendly, doesn’t get the recognition of others that are just episode factories with scripts written with boiler plate plots used over and over again.
Screenshots
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