Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi
Shijou Saikyou no Deshi Kenichi a.k.a. History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi is one of the more enjoyable titles I have watched for the year. What's there not to love about martial arts? I have also been a fan since I was little so I prone to like anime from the fighting genre and this title embodies the very core of martial arts. You fight to protect and there is no short cut to mastering techniques. Kenichi starts off weak with a superficial objective of trying to impress the girl but he slowly matures and gains strength along the way with the help of his five masters. Funny how masters have torchlights for eyes. lol. XD One thing about Kenichi is that he learns the hard way, not by natural talent that most fighting anime protagonists seem to possess therefore making it more believable and some of the techniques shown could be performed with the proper training. You can pick up a few tips for self-defense. =p Okay, the fights can be bombastic but the training seems real (except that Kenichi's indestructible =3).
The OPs and EDs were average, not memorable which is a pity. Good songs always provide better overall satisfaction. Animation was not consistent, ranging from good to god-knows-who-animated-this. (o__O) This would had been a great title if they control the animation quality but alas, I guess 50 episodes is too much to ask? =/ Story-wise, it's your typical weak-to-strong plot but entertaining all the same with laugh-out-loud moments galore! You find yourself marathoning the series in no time. =p Since the manga is still on-going, the producers decided to leave it as an open ending which though annoying, was the right thing to do. Making up an ending or stuffing it with fillers would just kill the series. (>__<) Characters were each unique and endearing especially Kenichi's masters. It's been quite sometime since I last saw bulging muscles reminiscent of Dragonball (the last would be Tenjo Tenge?). Anyway, it's all brawn with/without the bulginess. The character designs are okay by shounen standards. There is only one I acknowledge as being a bishounen. Lol. XD The seiyuus did a wonderful job though Seki Tomokazu can be a bit whiny at times. =p
Boxing robes are cool. Tanimoto - he knows he's popular XD
Overall, Kenichi should not be missed if you're looking for an action and comedy packed series to watch. Hopefully this title would get its deserved second season (though there are tons of other series I've been keeping high hopes for >__<).