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]
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Comentários
VK11
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 surfaceas 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.
Master10K
History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi is a Shounen, Action, Comedy about a typical high school boy (Kenichi) who’s always being bullied, until one day, he learns of a special dojo that teaches many forms of martial arts. From the start, this anime has a very typical story and plot. Having a high school setting, the story is about Kenichi’s quest to become stronger. The story itself is incredibly basic that any idiot can grasp its concept. The way in which the story flows makes it feel like a game; Kenichi gains some experience points => clears a stage => levels up => makes it to the nextstage. This makes it really enjoyable to watch him develop but its overall simplicity is also its downfall, due to the lack of depth to the story. This doesn’t matter too much, to the average viewer because of than the awesome fights and there’s plenty of comedy that will make it hard to take the show seriously.
This anime is full of so many interesting characters and it’s not only the 2 main ones (Kenichi & Miu). Some of the supporting characters are also great, as their little quirks make the series more enjoyable. With Kenichi being the main titular character, he proves to be quite an amazing well developed one. It just makes it so interesting to watch a "loser-kun" character with no natural talent become such a great fighter.
The quality of the animation is very peculiar because most of the time it looks really simple and crude. The action on the other hand can be pretty intense but the character’s thoughts tend to slow down the pace. The music has to be the weakest aspect of the show, as there is nothing particularly special about it. Not only that but the background sounds (birds & cicadas) don’t sound good but the SFX during fights help add to the intensity.
Overall History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi proved to be a really enjoyable and addicting Shounen Action anime to watch, as it didn’t rely on typical “power ups” and “special techniques” but just traditional fighting styles and clichés. Of course this anime would have been so much better if it was produced by a different studio but even then the story would still be very linear. If you’ve seen and enjoyed shounen action animes like “Tenjou Tenge” & "Naruto" then you’ll definitely enjoy this one.
^_^
noteDhero
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 alsoquite 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.
gels31
History's Greatest Disciple Kenichi starts off as somewhat slow and mediocre. I myself was forced to watch the first few episodes because I had already gotten a few and it seemed like a waste if I didn't even watch what I got. As the story progresses you are left with an endearment to Kenichi himself and maybe one (or all) of his masters. Simply put Kenichi's character is unlike anything I have ever seen. He's like a mixture of Ueki from Law of Ueki and take any lead character of a romantic comedy. Why? Basically, he has the comedic attributes that Ueki has. Unfortunately, hedoesn't have that natural ability to be skillful when fighting. He has that "my friends are important" feature though. The comedy really doesn't come from him but from the situation he's in and how he reacts to it. Add, in that little mix from a romantic comedy and you've got yourself a Kenichi Shirahama.
I gave a 10 for the Characters not only because of this but because of the supporting characters namely his masters and Niijima, his love/hate friend. Its because that there is something to love about every one of them and you can just choose your favorite. I personally love Apachai Hopachai, his Muay Thai master.
The story is basically nothing from the ordinary. You've probably seen some like it, but what sets this story apart is how it is executed. Some things are obvious at the start and some things aren't There are a few surprises as the story progresses though. It's one of those "I'll protect the world stories" but with a comedic twist. I would say that the closest anime to Kenichi would be Law of Ueki. If you liked that, then I'm sure you'll love Kenichi.
Art and Sound are fair and at par with most anime. Although upon further reading, the cast is composed of familiar voices and new voices.
History's Greatest Disciple Kenichi is one anime that you will surely enjoy.
I give it a 9 out of 10
jmoriarty84
This anime has its pros and cons that really do stand out in a certain way, but overall enjoyable and entertaining. I’ll talk about the major flaws and issues I had with this anime when I come to the conclusion so in the mean time, I’ll talk about what I like about this anime and the minor flaws. First off, it has a great cast of characters where everybody gets to shine and they all have their own contribution to the overall progression of the story and development of the main characters. It has great character development and I feel that there will be somecharacter(s) you can make some connection to because most of them get an in-depth back-story to offer those opportunities to relate to them. It also has a good amount of comedy. But in the beginning, specifically the first portion will be a bit slow and will focus more on the comedy, but then it becomes more focused on the development and the fights.
Well, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the character design is basic and simple. Some people may see past this, some probably won’t. But I feel that the diversity of the character design in comparison to lets say Gundam SEED makes up for it because you’re getting all kinds of outfits and characters in this show which adds personality. Overall, I feel that the character designs that were presented are good examples of how to draw anime and I feel it should be in a beginner’s guide to drawing anime.
The fights are reasonably paced and exciting. Considering the nature of this anime, you’re not going to get fireballs, bullet time, or anything that excessively violates physics in a trendy and cliché manner. So if you enjoy the fights in Hajime no Ippo or Grappler Baki, you will probably like this one though it’s really not as technical as the fights in those shows. I say if you like Jackie Chan and Jet Li fan, then this is truly for you, but if you’re a Mixed Martial Arts fanatic like I am, there will be some things that will probably irritate and you which I will get into at the conclusion of my review.
The theme songs which I forgot the names of and too lazy to look up are pretty nice and energetic, but compared to other main stream songs and artists out there like what L’Arc~En~Ciel has done for GTO, Rurouni Kenshin, and Gundam 00, it doesn’t really stand out and doesn’t really capture my interest in comparison to that band as well as other big name artists and bands like NEWS, TM Revolution, Crystal Kay, Nami Tamaki, BoA, Hamasaki Ayumi, and some others. But you’re free to disagree on that one. I’m saying the music is good, but not really great. The background music on the other hand is pretty intense and accurately captures the eastern setting like how Naruto does in the ninja kind of manner and used appropriately.
The voice cast I have to admit is top notch. The English dub is officially not out yet upon the time of this review so I really can’t comment yet on that, but the Japanese version should be satisfying for those interested. I really loved the multi-talented Tomokazu Seki, the voice of Miyata from Hajime no Ippo; Keisuke from Initial D; and Domon from G Gundam as Kenichi. He captures the characters situations and moods very excellently. My favorite cast member had to be Horikawa Ryou, the voice of Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z as Hermit. He plays the character in a very interesting way and his acting abilities are just convincing the way he comes across at times which you have to see for yourself to understand because it’d be a spoiler if I talked about it.
Now that I’ve gotten the good points out of the way, I feel I should now talk about the bad points, but I don’t feel the qualities I found negative should make anyone refrain from watching this anime because I admit I’m making the negative qualities stand out more from the good though that wasn’t really my intention. First off, a guy who trains in all these disciplines and these characters that represent other kinds of martial arts is the novelty, but I felt the biggest flaw in relation was the execution and it’s based on how I view martial arts today. It’s not something I would say as inaccurate or myth, but an archaic way of thinking, especially in relation to Mixed Martial Arts and the philosophies of Bruce Lee. The perfect example is when Renka is critical of Kenichi for practicing other martial arts saying he should stick to one. That alone from tells me what this anime is doing is a completely outdated way of thinking and this is probably something that could have acceptable by my standards in maybe 1998 instead of 2008. Bruce Lee always talked about not limiting oneself to one style and the concept of styles shouldn’t really exist. His frustrations with wing chun in a fight and seeing his own art’s limitations bounded by their techniques and traditions was what led him to develop Jeet Kune Do.
Then 30 years later, mixed martial arts came and what you see in UFC makes up a good portion of what Bruce Lee is in a philosophical sense. The ending fight is also something that violates what Bruce Lee also talks about. Such as Kenichi transitioning moves from one martial art to the next. Some people have a misconception of Bruce Lee’s philopshies of how he took the best moves from these martial arts to create JKD, but here is an example of what he’s really talking about. You’re in a street fight and you use a jab similar to boxing but you miss, do you switch to using a karate seiken punch in hopes of winning? That’s an example of what this show is doing. I have never taken a Jeet Kune Do class, but I have friends that are certified instructors and they tell me in that situation, if you miss, you can still attack with the corresponding elbow you throw the jab with since your elbow could still be in front of your opponent’s face. Jeet Kune Do was about using every possibility to your advantage in a street fight. Even biting, eye gouging, and striking the family jewels. And I just felt that this anime doesn’t do the best job of differentiating between intramural martial arts and real fighting and the only exemption to this was when Kenichi fought the captain of the Karate club.
Before I get into the next topic, I will address what people are going to say. “But GrapplerJMo, it’s just an anime.” Yes, I know that, but remember that when kung fu movies came out in the 1970s it was creating actual misconceptions that what you saw also worked in real fights, and when kickboxing came along in the 1980s for awhile, people were disappointed that what they saw in the movies wasn’t real fighting because they never really saw those flashy kicks in those fights, and I got this personal paranoia that to some extent this anime is capable of carrying on that tradition because this anime is still based on real world principles at some capacity. But going on.
Another trait in relation to what personally bothered me was the lack of representation of other phases of combat or styles such as ground and submission fighting. The only character that somewhat represents them is the street brawler, Shinnosuke. Akisame is sort of like this, but his holds are based more on small joint manipulation and you really don’t see them in the fights that often anyway. But it did disappoint me I didn’t see the use of the guard, an armbar, or a chokehold, which are considered effective moves. And some of these real life practioners and fighters such as the Gracie family and Ken Shamrock are training our troops who fighting in the middle east and I feel with the mainstreaming of MMA, especially in Japan for 15 years now, it is a personal disappointment for me because of the intention this show has in that regard. Though it does represent the spirit of marital arts, it doesn’t represent the evolution.
HardToName
History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi starts out incredibly sluggish. There was not much thrill at the start, and it seemed like it would be another slice of life, kid gets bullied on, kid fights back thing. But, to my surprise, the story streamed off to another anime, which is quite appealing. I for one would NEVER watch fighting or brawling animes simply because I enjoy lore, mystical powers, etc etc, and eventually Kenichi does get these aspects. Although it is indisputably a fighting anime, the level of practicality is… just what the doctor ordered, none of the major events in Kenichi are possible whatsoever after acertain turning point (A few episodes after he joins the academy).
10/10, I am urging for a new season. One involving the masters.
If you did in fact find this review helpful, I do take value in my “Helpful” rating, so please take a moment of your time to tell me how you liked this review.
Sanders_Man772
A anime of nothing more than a kid getting his ass kicked, rising up and training to be the best. This is one of the better if not best action/martial arts anime out there. If you love karate kid you'll love this anime. It deals with the hard decisions of a young disciple learning martial arts and finding out what he is fighting for. It hold a good balance of being serious with a comic relief. It seriously will keep you entertained with all the masters and how their lives are changed by Kenichi being in their life! The story itself was nothing more thanepic. It showed a very good ladder of the disciple growing stronger and learning from his losses. It didn't sidestep at all from the main story and it made it easy to understand what was going on in the story! Overall you will enjoy the story and it will keep you wanting to watch more like it did for me....10....
The art was fairly good, it kept my senses liking what it saw and it was well drawn. I did see an improvement of art work during the ending of the series which was neat to see an improvement!.....9......
The music used in the series were great. I loved listening to action scenes and emotional ones and hearing the music change with it!......10....
The character background, there influence and how they changed throughout the anime is very special. You'll see characters influence one another and see them just change 180 from their previous thoughts and ideals which is very touching. The characters grow a strong relationship with one another and you realize watching that friendship always withstands everything and you can get pure energy from the power of your friends. Of course there are a couple love triangles in the series which is always fun to watch and you see characters true emotions coming out end the end of the series which is a shame because i like to see the series take a follow up on their emotions and the outcome. I hope they play more with that in the manga which I haven't read which is the next step for me. score........10.....
Overall this anime was a very enjoyable series, I actually learned a lot about the different types of martial arts and their style which was neat because I have no knowing of any martial arts. I don't know how much is true about what they do and practice but it is very entertaining and if its factual, then its very informational. Overall its is a very fun, enjoyable, action pack and comical series which I believe all will enjoy and love watching. overall scoring is a epic 10!
YuYuDragon
Well, Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple... probably the most surprising anime I have ever seen. Story- For the most part I love a story that starts off with a weakling and he/she trains hard and becomes more and more powerful as the show progresses. That's what you get with this anime. I had interest a long time ago and finally got the chance to watch it. The anime itself is only 50 episodes and then after that is a bunch of OVAs that follow the story. This isn't just a fighting anime, the comedy is very good in both the Dub and Sub versions so whatever one you decide, you are going to find it enjoyable. The fights in the anime are very good in the beginning and anyone who likes to see people train and get stronger this is an anime for you. There is some "filler" but not really; there isn't any fighting but it does serve purpose to character development. Towards the end of season one the fighting gets kinda boring and then season 2 comes in. The fights continue to get better and better and come more frequently. If you found season 1 too slow, stick with it because season 2 kicks it into overdrive! The last fight of the series shocked me beyond belief... It blew all the other fights in the show out of the water and in my opinion, although the anime isn't in my top 5 favorite... the last fight was my second favorite fight of all time.
Art- The art was flawless. There wasn't anything too flashy or ridiculous it was fine art that really couldn't have been done any better. Kenichi was made in 2006-2007 so the art was just as good as most modern anime although in my opinion doesn't surpass FMA brotherhood in art but that IMO was my favorite art in an anime.
Sound- About as average as you can get. The sound kinda repeats itself but it doesn't really take away from the anime. The endings aren't that great but the 2 openings are really really good!
Character- So characters.... hmmmm. Well Kenichi is an awesome protagonist and the bad guys are incredible. The masters that train Kenichi are so interesting and I would watch a series about each one of them but that's the thing. They don't have a lot of time to shine but when they do, it's never a dull moment. Miu, Kenichi's crush, is awesome but the real big down fall is Kenichi's "friend" Shirahama. He is so incredibly annoying and it might be hard for people to watch the show if they can't stand annoying voices although I must say the Sub voice is much less annoying than the Dub voice.
I had a really fun time watching this anime, it was really quick and on Netflix along with other anime watching sites of course but anything on Netflix is usually easier to watch and Netflix has both Dub and Sub versions. I give it a 9 out of 10. Very fun to watch, awesome fights, cool characters for the most part and a story that will make you cheer and route for Kenichi as if he were real and it may even inspire you to take up a martial art since he learns 5 types... Just saying it's very realistic...
Prizem
This is not your average tough-guy anime. Not a typical comedy or coming of age. Kenichi uniquely blends together a variety of interesting aspects into a very enjoyable and well thought out series. The story centers around Kenichi Shirahama, a mostly typical highschool boy who is unfortunately picked on and bullied for most of his life. But just as he's getting used to the idea, he meets a very unusual girl who changes his whole perspective. She does what he couldn't do: protect people. With that girl in focus, he determines he no longer wants to be pushed around and sets out to change himself throughmartial arts. But really, it seems that he bites more than he can chew, as he finds himself confronted with ever tougher opponents as things progress. But thanks to the girl, Miu Furinji, we find Kenichi training with five (sometimes six) of the best martial arts masters in the world.
The series does an excellent job building each character and makes everyone (besides random grunts) a joy to watch grow and open up as people. The masters are hilarious in how much they differ yet still come together to build something greater than the parts in Kenichi Shirahama. Even his former bully turned grudging friend, Haruo Niijima, is an interesting supporting character that provides exposition, builds situations, and offers comedic relief through a mischievous, methodical, ridiculous, self-centered, slimy persona that creates a real love/hate relationship for him.
Action scenes for this fighting-level anime are superb, not only giving intense matchups but describing a variety of moves and techniques that are pertinent to their respective styles. Seeing how things play out while learning some things along the way makes the fighting that much more interesting to watch, which reminds me of watching Initial D in that sense.
While being a comedy, with some romantic interest sprinkled in, Kenichi doesn't let that take him too far off track. Miu is really an amazing fighter, better than most of the enemies throughout the show, but is also a super nice, caring girl who becomes an excellent friend. This is a refreshing role to see a girl in, one that gets extended to other supporting rivals later in the series.
On top of all that, Funimation did an excellent job casting the characters and giving engaging dialogue that entertains all the way through. There are times when I do get tired of Funimation's recycling of their voice actors in all-but-typical roles which doesn't help with my suspension of disbelief. But I feel their choices here fit pretty well for the variety of characters they had to work with.
Overall, the show has great pacing, great comedy, great action and great characters. Although they do touch on some of the masters' backgrounds, I wish they had delved into some of the others some more. And I really wish weapons master Shigure was given more opportunity to show how she trains Kenichi. But the series otherwise pulls everything together thoroughly and keeps its focus on the battles to come.
daleb729
I hate long reviews they should never exceed the length of the synosis. There are alot of fighting animes out there and in my opinion this is one of the best, with it having the perfect mixture of comedy, action and seriousness and all round excellent fight scenes i highly recomend watching. If you find that it starts a bit slow just power through the first couple of episodes and you be happy you did. i give this a 9/10 for the story line but the characters themself deserve 10/10
shintai88
At first I was sceptical, because after all most martial arts anime are not that well done, mainly due to the difficulty trying to try complex styles, moves, and attacks. the art isn't the best, I didn't exactly like the style that was used in this series, but as I watched more and more I found that it wasn't to bad, and was bearable. and that the style began to fit with the pace the anime was flowing and the moves that were being shown. The characters are well diverse, especially Kenichis 5 masters, ranging from Karate, Weapons, Chinese Martial arts, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai. eachof them having their own unique personality and been very strong and fast.
The story is upon Kenichi a weak and cowardly boy, who wants to learn karate to become stronger. due to his shortness and weak build, he is bullied in the school dojo and challenged to a duel that who ever loses will have to quit karate. Kenichi accepts, and is troubled, and stumbles upon a blonde girl interfering in local yakuza bullying an old man, Kenichi fearing the girl will lose her life rushes to her aid with not even a thought, only to realise he was going to die. It was during this time the girl saves him with her amazing skills. and introduces him to her dojo.
The anime series, flows well, and makes alot of sense in some way. because as kenichi becomes stronger and defeats a strong opponent he attracts more stronger opponents who want to defeat him.
This series is full of action and comedy and ecchi scenes. and also its just fun to watch someone become stronger and making alot of allies.
Overall I enjoyed it and rewatch this alot. I hope you all enjoy it as much as me.
explicit707
This anime is a great way to start this story. This is the first story arc from the manga series, and it's adapted fairly well. The manga has a bit more ecchi and better artwork, but the anime stays in tune with it's comedy. Beware of the synopsis for this, it's a little off, but it does cover a couple of the basics. Kenichi is picked on by literally everyone at school. The story starts with this weakling attempting to protect a girl (that really doesn't need his protection at all) from a few thugs. In his attempt to "save" her, she sees something in himand they become friends. The synopsis is right on about the karate club, and Furinji Miu (the girl he befriends) teaches him his first basic moves so he doesn't get destroyed. He has no talent whatsoever (this is key) but his hard work and practice pays off. Now he's in over his head and Furinji Miu takes him to her father's dojo where the strongest fighters in the world have gathered. He begins his intense training one style on top of another, but he doesn't realize the world he's just fallen into. His driving motivation is to surpass Miu so that he can be strong enough to protect her.
This story is filled with so much comedy, and the fighting scenes are great. The manga is a must read, and this is a great introduction to the manga. It's hard not to respect Kenichi, he has an incredibly strong character when the chips are down, but in daily life he still cowers from delinquents (though he could easily mop the floor with them thanks to his training). There are a lot of valuable lessons of friendship, doing the right thing, standing up for what you believe in, and more.
I passed over this series many times without giving it a look, and when I finally did I regretted not giving it a try sooner. It's introduced me to the manga series that I religiously read week to week. This is a must watch so don't delay like I did.
PvMDream
*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 7/10The 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.
Chi-Chibi
Story: 6 The story of this anime is lacking. I'm sorry. I'm going to say it. It's cliche, repetitive, and predictable. However, at the same time, it's somehow intriguing in a way I can't explain. Also, Kenichi was bullied as a kid but we don't really get to see any of that. It kinda stunk. Art: 7 There's nothing wrong with the animation but nothing that special about it either so I'm giving it a 7. Sound: 7 I really felt like giving this an 8 but I stuck with a 7 because so many more animes have a better soundtrack. But I liked the music. It fit.Character: 6
There isn't much strong character development, so I'm giving it a 6. Obviously Kenichi changed but I don't feel as it should get a higher rating. I dunno. I'm sticking with a 6.
Enjoyment: 8
I enjoyed it. Watching it, I strengthened my own skill as a martial artist as well as enjoyed some of the funny scenes. I really liked this anime and I have rewatched it (all 50 eps) ten times. I don't really know what's so great about it, but I enjoy it.
It is funny. It has awesome fights. I like it and you should see it.
Overall: 9
I don't know what else to write here. I enjoyed it and I recommend it. So yeah.
lebannen
shit. i don't even know why i'm writing this but i'm going through benzo withdrawals and other stuff and as long as i write something i feel like my anxiety eases up a little bit. the first time i watched this anime was about 4-5 years ago, when i was 16-17 years old. at the time i thought "huehue awesome, underdog, can relate, omg cool fighting scenes" when watching it and would have most likely given it a 9/10. just about a month ago i rewatched this anime and part of me regrets it but at the same time it's kind of fun to laugh at howretarded you used to be and crush your angsty teen dreams.
the first thing that hit me about the series as a whole is that any sane, rational adult should be able to see that kenichi is the bad guy.
let me break it down to you: (spoiler warnings)
1. kenichi has a childhood friend
2. they play and get toy badges from a vending machine
3. kenichi trades his friends badge for a girls badge (the main heroine)
4. his friend now wants that badge that he traded, and rightfully so since he was literally the one who bought it.
5. kenichi insists on keeping the badge and goes as far as to beat his friend up, and then even pouring salt on his friends wounded pride by letting him have it. in other words the situation is basically the same as if i would randomly go out in the street, snatch the phone of any random stranger, then beat him up just to give it back to him later.
6. odin (the childhood friend) was obviously traumatized by this experience, so he sets out to get his revenge, and rightfully so. he even states that he wants kenichi to realize that his naive sense of justice will hurt people, and wants to stop him to save others from having to experience the same trauma that he himself went through, in other words he does not only act for revenge but also partly for altruistic reasons.
and then kenichi's outsidership is as overblown as in naruto, we never actually get to see any flashbacks from his upbringing where he was bullied, and we don't really even see him get bullied at all. all we get to know is that people basically called him "weak" and that he didn't have any friends.
kenichi is in other words extremely delusional and subconsciously uses his naive sense of justice to justify beating people up to "blow off steam" from his oh so tragic childhood that we know nothing about.
the ending scene is also extremely rushed and just generally feels braindead.
kenichi: "omg i'm so sad that my childhood friend is gone again"
his grandmaster: "eh fuck that guy, look over there, you have friends already so why care about him"
kenichi: "makes sense, now i'm genki genki again"
that is all i really have to say about this show, to sum it up, if you want some cool action scenes and training montages and you are below the age of 18, then by all means give it a try.
this is all written very hastily but idgaf right now. sue me.
Lord_Makk
Well where should I start... Kenichi is simply a masterpiece.. No matter what type of Anime you are generally Into, you'll like Kenichi.. No infact you'll love it. It has a great story, tons upon tons of humor and the best part is that it doesn't get dumb or idiotic... Everything fits right where you feel it should. Very often its even unpredictable, wich is very unusual for Anime (tbh, 95% of all Anime you can TELL whats gonna happen next during crucial scenes) This Anime has it all... What stops me from giving it max art and sound score, is because theres a certain character that obviouslyis there for the comedy side, but doesn't really do so well in my honest opinion... sometimes, but often ends up failing at it, leaving you wanting more of the amazing story instead of watching that.
This character you'll likely end up ignoring most of the time, but that is FAR from spoiling the Anime, luckily the time this person pops up isn't that frequent :D
After watching this Anime, you'll end up wanting more.. Hence why i've watched Kenichi probably 7-8 times over and over again... Many series I rewatch I end up fast forwarding to the funny/crucial/best parts, but not Kenichi... Kenichi I watch every episode, even the intros... Because it is a masterpiece.
PS, one of the main chars have huge boobies, another reason to run off and watch it asap.
Nogard-Kun
I watched this anime 4 times and it is one of My favorites, so I figured it is time I wrote a review for it. Story 9.5 At first glance you think that this is just going to be like any other martial arts based anime, but you later find out it is much more. The series starts with are protagonist who is tried of being picked on deciding to do something about it by learning Karate and we get to see him progress though his training From Wimp to Warrior, This series has the perfect balance of action to keep you interested and comedy to keepyou laughing. Now I'm not saying you will be rolling on the ground laughing, but some parts are pretty funny. I really don't want to say anymore cause I might give something away.
Art 10
I give the art a 10 because everything was really well drawn and the fight scene where really well done.
Sound 9
I felt that the opening and closing songs really fit the mood of the anime, personally I liked the first opening the best, but the second one was good too. The Characters voices all fit their personalty really well and the sound effects where really good.
Character 9
The characters where really well done and they all added to the story line. I think Kenichi is one of the best main characters of all time, because I think a lot of people can relate to him, Cause I fell we have all got picked on and want to do something about it. Also a lot of these kinds of series seem to have this over powering main character that seems to win ever fight with ease, where as in this story we get to see Kenichi at the Start of his training and progress though his wins and loses as a martial artist.
Enjoyment 10
Like I said up above this is one of my favorite anime series of all time, I liked this series so much cause I could really relate to the characters and it had a lot of good life lessons in it. I loved this anime series I couldn't find really anything wrong. Other than the fact that I wish their was a 3rd season rather than a few OVA's.
Overall 9
If you are in to martial art type anime I would defiantly recommend you give this one a try, or if you just like action or comedy genre anime, despite what you might think this show isn't just about fighting and martial arts it is much more than that.
DreamScaR
Being the type of person that quickly finishes one series to move onto the next there are very few that stand out that I know I have to re-watch. History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is one of those few animes that I've found to really grab me with the character development that I found to be the major point of me watching it. From episode 1 to 50 you see a wide variety of growth that you'd expect and almost want to see from the various characters in the show. From the awkward relationship between Kenichi and Mui to various others you meet throughout the show. I foundpersonally, with how Kenichi acts he is able to draw people around him much to the likes of Luffy or Naruto are able to in their own series.
Story : It gets going quickly off the start with some filler here and there but is quite often VERY entertaining and showing a lot of growth in characters. I never found during the storyline of the anime to come to a stop, it was always progressing forward.
Art : What to say, it was like Dragon Ball Z meets Street Fighter (you'll see what is meant by this if you make it through the series). I really enjoyed the look and feel, even with the very childish parts.
Sound : A great soundtrack can make or break a series, this one helped to move the series along and really draws you in. The characters are done amazingly and all the sounds sound very natural as to what you would think.
Character : Without spoiling anything, if you love character development and growth. Humor and seriousness than there's no much more to say.
Enjoyment : 10/10, why? I could not go without watching 6+ episodes at a time. Moving from one fight to the next you would always want to see where the story was going to take you and make you laugh all along the way.
Overall : MUST WATCH! Even if you're not a "sports anime fan" this is in a whole different category that the Naruto/Bleach fans and the Prince of Tennis fans can both call a middle ground. If you haven't had the chance to see it, give it a try I can say that it only gets better as the show goes on.
Uthred
Well this is the first anime in a while that’s driven me to watch it one episode after another until I eventually collapse into bed from exhaustion only to awake to do the same again. While it does make for wonderful viewing it can sometimes make a series hard to digest as your consuming the entire stream of the story rather than the "bite-size" pieces it’s usually served up in. It also works best with shows that have a continuous narrative as opposed to an episodic approach. Needless to say Kenichi has such a format and as such made for extremely enjoyable viewing. Story wise it’s afairly basic spin on the classic shonen martial arts series. What really makes it appeal though is the interesting and appealing characterisation of the protagonists (and antagonists).
Another huge appeal for me was the fact that in many ways the entire show could be seen as one long training session interspersed with bouts of action and character development side pieces. While this may not appeal to everyone (because some people are clearly deviant bastards) it really appeals to me. I really love those bits in martial art films, books, anime, etc. where after been beaten the hero goes of into the mountains or seeks out a reclusive master to learn new techniques and increase his power. In many ways such training scenes are as enjoyable for me as the fight scenes. And the more mental the training the better it is (e.g. Drunken Master).
As Kenichi contains training nearly every other episode I really liked that facet of it as it mixed all my favourite martial art genre tropes into a nice cohesive whole.
It's also quite an amusing show, though sometimes the jokes do require (fairly basic) knowledge of other fighting anime/manga series.
I suppose the main downside to Kenichi is the fact that there are only fifty episodes in the first season and as the manga is still ongoing it’s clear that the story isn’t finished in these fifty episodes. Though it is a fully contained story arc and only one main plot thread is left open so while it leaves the viewer wanting more it certainly doesn’t leave them feeling cheated.
