Ninja High School Highly recommended

Publisher
Antarctic Press
Writer
Robby Bevard
Artist
Ben Dunn
Country of origin
US
Year
2007

Ninja High School #151 to #153

By David Rasmussen
19th Jan 08

It has been (again) awhile since we last sat down and reviewed this title, which reminds me to renew my subscription to NHS in the start of 2008 (very important so I’m in the loop for the new year). Well, without further ado let’s get to it. The next 50 issues after #150 and the return of Quagmire High School (after it’s absence for awhile from the NHS Universe).

Ah, the Sakura Inn… isn’t that the place that seems to be the center point of some of the odder residents of Quagmire? Anyway today we’re focusing on seemingly average working stiff Dishwasher Pete! He’d love to do his job at the restaurant full-time, but it seems he has to stop working (sometimes) and do something like, I don’t know… go to school. And if it isn’t harsh enough that he must leave his “happy place” in order to go to school, he has to do it with “classmates” like the hyperactive Ricky (star of this series since the last star went and got married and changed into a skunk person or something) and his newest rival Yuudai.

However it’s not so much about them as it is the hidden talent of Dishwasher Pete to provide fodder for a Prince of Tennis rift this issue… yeah, get over your horror when you discovered ClapHanz wasted valuable resources and manpower on Hot Shots Tennis for the PS2 (when they could have been making Hot Shots Golf : Open Tee 2 for the PSP) because this issue is about tennis!

It seems Pete has this talent for tennis, a talent gym teacher slash catgirl Meppy Whiskers wants to bring out in him… only it seems that might not go over well with Pete (but to understand what makes a Pete tick you’ll have to see a flashback of his life in this issue). Tennis is the theme, but for only this issue… that’s about it.

N ext in Issue #152, don’t look now but… shhh…. Suzume Satsujin sees illiterate comic book lovin’ Shinigami! Apparently a not so literary shinigami is attached to the female classmate sitting in front of her, which is too bad because this story is called “ The Death Seer” (bad point #1), Suzume is going to end up getting into a nearly revealing (in THAT sort of way) battle (luckily she wore panties to the battle), and… yes, the shinigami is still illiterate (I think). Quick, somebody get me a copy of Supernatural Hooked on Undead Phonics!

Issue #153 ends in a cliffhanger as we catch up in the snowy wastes of the wilds with departing characters (from Issue #149) male Tetsuo (the man who would be “Ninja King”, kinda like Naruto and his quest to be… you know… only without the loud orange jumpsuit or video game tie-ins which traditionally overuse the words “BELIEVE IT” in said games) and female Nanashi (who’s in love with Tetsuo.

After coming to the conclusion that he’s been hanging out in Quagmire too long (at the end of the story arc that ended in Issue #149) he decided to find himself (and a new path to travel), with Nanashi along for the ride. Strange, apparently he wants to be Batman because he’s gone off into the snowy wilderness (just like the first 30 minutes of Batman Begins… only without Michael Caine playing his butler). This may be a great place to reinact your favorite scenes from movies in snowbound wastelands (Empire Strikes Back, The Thing, the Al Gore Was Right All Along movie The Day After Tomorrow), or it’s an even greater chance to get Tetsuo & Nanashi closer together with lots of cuddling to stay warm in the cold… too bad the story ends with the two huddled together for warmth nearly out of it when they are discovered by a mysterious stranger.

Well, let’s see what the dire events of this ending has in store which hopefully doesn’t end up sucking in some mannerism (yeah, that‘d be nice). Otherwise Ben Dunn and Mr. Bevard’s work continues to be what we’ve come to expect of both talent’s tireless efforts to do what each does best. If you have not yet fallen for this series is now (as we start up into the next batch of 50 after the big event issue of some months ago) now is a good time to jump in and get your feet wet.
Ninja High School #151-#153 gets it’s continued perfect score of 5 snow bound cuddle sessions out of 5.
NHS 2007 © & ™ Ben Dunn

-- David Rasmussen 19th Jan 08