I’ve actually wanted to do some sort of review on this piece for quite some time. This week I’ll be reviewing one of the lesser-known titles, which are lesser known for all the wrong reasons. For this review, Nobunagun!

In the future, the world will have been the target of invasion by the very slow arrival of aliens known as “Evolutionary Invasion Objects.” In order to fight the upcoming invasion, the organization known as DOGOO created the E-Gene holders, reincarnations of historical figures that can call forth AU weapons from their DNA. Now meet Sio Ogura, a clumsy, awkward, military otaku attending an all-girls school. Upon finding out that she herself is an E-Gene holder and the reincarnation of Oda Nobunaga, she ultimately joins DOGOO as a sniper, bearing the codename “Nobunagun.”

The animation is fantastic even while looking generically Shonen. First-timers to the show, as I once was, may have the first impression that it will be a rip-off of Soul Eater. But when I started actually watching, I found that there was very little resemblance between the two. This series has a crazy amount of detail all over it, from the fight scenes to the more cartoony moments. And speaking of the fight scenes, they’re usually shown in dark shades of blue or red or purple. This only ups the intensity and wicked awesomeness.

As for the musical score, it’s nothing unique and not really that memorable, but what is worth mentioning are the opening and ending themes. The opening theme is called “Respect for the Dead Man,” and it’s performed by the band Pay Money To My Pain. I can’t really say anything about it other than that IT’S FREAKIN’ AWESOME!!! And it’s even better when shown over the opening sequence, which also uses dark shades. The ending theme, like in other action Shonen anime, is very soothing and calm.

But here’s the bad news. This show has no English dub, which is a real shame. It is licensed by FUNimation and is just one of the many, many titles that they haven’t gotten around to dubbing. And seeing as it was originally released in Japan very recently this year, it’s probably going to be another year before it’s released in English. Even so, it sounds amazing in Japanese and I imagine that it will sound just as amazing in English.

Nobunagun is available from FUNimation and currently streaming on Crunchyroll. The original manga by Masato Hisa has never been released in the US, which is also a real shame. Even though it’s never been dubbed into English, it is still awesome and I give it a huge recommendation.