Nobunaga's Ninja: Anegawa/Ishiyama Arc - Episode 53 Comments: Chidori, I've been waiting for you for six months!

Well, I waited and waited. The rest of the story has finally begun.
First of all, the third season has started, banzai!

Nobunaga no Shinobi" is a short anime based on a four-panel manga of the same title (written by Naoki Shigeno) serialized in Young Animal (Hakusensha), and it has many hidden fans due to its excellent performance as a gag anime about the Warring States period. The first two seasons (two cool seasons each) have already aired 52 episodes, which means that it is a short anime that has continued for almost a year. It has only been half a year since the second season "Ise/Kanegasaki Arc" aired from April to September 2017, but it seemed awfully long, is it a "Nobunin Loss" as I thought?

The third season of "Nobunaga's Shinobi" will finally depict the "Battle of Anegawa" and the "Battle of Ishiyama," two of the most important battles on Nobunaga's path to unify the country. If you are a history fan, you absolutely have to watch it! For those who are not familiar with it, it is a must-see. For those who are not familiar with the history of this area, Oda Nobunaga was only a military commander in Owari until then, but he gained momentum by defeating Imagawa Yoshimoto in Suruga in the famous "Battle of Okehazama". This is roughly the content of the first period.

Afterwards, Oda Nobunaga, who had pacified Omi and ascended to the capital, installed Ashikaga Yoshiaki as the 15th shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate, and he himself came to power with his backing. During this period, Nobunaga also conquered the Ise area near the Kinai region and attacked the Asakura clan in Echizen, which was poised to attack the Omi region connecting Kyoto and Mino, but was betrayed by the Asai clan, with whom he was related, and had to flee for his life. This is roughly the content of the second period.

In the third season, the "Battle of Anegawa," the decisive battle between the Asai and Asakura allied forces, is depicted first. Nobunaga's sister, Oichi, was married to Nagamasa Asai, the general of the Asai forces, and the episodes surrounding Oichi are among the most famous of the Warring States period.

However, "Nobunaga's Ninjas" is a short animation of only three minutes in length. Although it faithfully traces history, it is basically a series of small gags. The characters are deformed and comically drawn, and all of them have something lovable about them. It is a work filled with laughter that one would not expect from a warring country. However, even in the midst of such gags, the work is characterized by its depiction of a solid human character. In the early part of this season, we will see how the tragic fate of Nagamasa Asai and other vassals of the Asai clan, as well as that of Oichi and his family, will be depicted. And how will they interact with Chidori, the leading ninja? It will be very interesting to see.

In the first episode of the third season, Episode 53, "Silence at Kotani Castle," the Asai clan's situation before the decisive battle is depicted at their castle, Kotani Castle. The Asai's forces holed up in Kotani Castle numbered 5,000. However, it is said that one samurai of the Asai clan can fight against 10 men, so it is impossible to attack the castle at once. The Oda forces then turned their attention to Yokoyama Castle, a branch castle of Kotani Castle, located across the Anegawa River from Kotani Castle.

Well, that's about the end of the story, but as a fan, I was already happy just to see the faces of Chidori, Sukeso, Nobunaga, and Oichi after a long time. Oichi is still showing her natural charm, and her daughter Chasa (later Yodo-kun) is just adorable. Nagamasa Asai's parental stupidity is no wonder. By the way, both Oichi and Chana are voiced by Suzuko Mimori, a child actress who is also quite good. Oh, Endo-dono, it's been a long time, how are you?　Well, three minutes passed in the blink of an eye as I was making noise like I was meeting an old friend.

Now, in the next installment of "Isono, let's go! Kazumasa Isono, a vassal of the Asai clan and skilled in martial arts, will go into battle in the next installment. We cannot take our eyes off him.

(Kamata, Editorial Department)

Episode 53 "Silence at Kotani Castle
The Oda and Asai families became enemies in the previous battle at Kanegasaki. The Asai army has only 5,000 men, but they are holed up in Kotani Castle, a mountain castle suitable for defense. Nobunaga devises a plan to draw Nagamasa out of Kotani Castle!