KenIchi the Mightiest Disciple - Season 1 Part Two

KenIchi the Mightiest Disciple Season 1 Part Two is a continuation of TMS Entertainment's (best known for properties like Case Closed and Lupin III) silly but energetic Shonen (fighting) anime title.

Containing episodes 14-26, the Season 1 Part Two collection is a two-disc set packaged in a pair of thin packs. Coming in at a total runtime of 312 minutes, the show wears a conservative TV PG rating (what attempts at fan service that do exist are intentionally censored). Extras include textless songs and a crop of Funimation property trailers on the second disc.

Language options are typical sub and dub variety meaning original Japanese dialog or English dub options with English subtitles available under either.

The story, while in no danger of being mistaken as a modern day masterpiece, is certainly serviceable in maintaining the upbeat, oft goofy theme of the visuals. Following the exploits of cowardly (but big hearted) kid KenIchi, Season 1 Part Two continues with said kid's training at becoming a master of martial arts. This time KenIchi is invited (or perhaps manipulated as the case may be) into coming to the dojo to live while continuing his intense training.

The show's pacing is a bit irregular at best with the first nine episodes contained being little more than exercises in masochistic behavior with our lead character getting tortured continuously in the name of training. Sure slapstick abounds in these initial episodes, the humor tends to get bogged down a bit, however, in the simple fact that the plot itself seems to have stalled. The final four episodes start to pick up with a much grander sense of conflict right up until the show comes to a rather abrupt end (let's not forget that that this is simply the second half of the first season of a 50 episode saga).

The dub work is especially noteworthy as Funimation manages to outdo themselves with voice acting that captures the feel and emotion of the Japanese source material.

In all the show isn't for everyone and in fact seems to struggle to commit to a genre throughout. Its most prominent and consistent trait (fighting) places it in a class with Dragon Ball Z and Bleach but the abundance of over-the-top slapstick and high school era humor attempts keep it from ever being taken too seriously. However, the mood is consistently cheerful and the characters have enough depth to them to hold the viewer's interest.

My only complaint is the pacing itself; had this entire 13-episode run maintained the pace and motivated-plot presented in the final few episodes, this program would easily be on par with the best entries in the Shonen genre. As it stands however, KenIchi Season 1 Part Two is simply a tool used to slowly advance the gap between the first episode and the start of the second season.