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Nintama Rantaro Anime Airs 5 New Episodes Based On Plot By Soubee Amako In October
posted on by Kim Morrissy
NHK revealed on Thursday that the Nintama Rantaro anime will air five new episodes daily from October 10-14 to commemorate the series' 30th anniversary. The story will be based on a plot by original manga creator Soubee Amako.
In addition, new episodes will debut in November depicting the five most popular duos from the franchise according to a popularity poll that ran from March 31 to May 8. The stories will focus on Rantaro and Isaku Zenpouji, Kirimaru and Chouji Nakazaike, Shinbei and Senzou Tachibana, Hansuke Doi and Rikichi Yamada, and Denzou Yamada and Rikichi Yamada.
NHK additionally announced that the second half of the anime's 30th series will premiere on September 26.
The 30th series for the anime franchise premiered on NHK Educational on April 4, kicking off a 30th anniversary celebration for the franchise.
Soubee Amako's original Rakudai Ninja Rantarō ninja gag manga centers around Rantarō, a ninja apprentice at an elite ninjutsu academy in historical Japan. As elementary students, Rantarō and his ninja-in-training friends are called "Nintama" — a contraction of the words "ninja" and "tamago" ("egg").
The manga inspired the Nintama Rantaro television anime in 1993, and the NHK-E channel is still airing the 10-minute anime every weekday. The manga also inspired two anime films and two live-action films. Takashi Miike directed the first live-action film.
Image via NHK
Sources: NHK, Comic Natalie
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