Audience reviews
11 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
LoPixels
Interesting show, I liked the spy games, the time period and history of China in ww2 is a fascinating under-used setting. If you find it interesting, I recommend you watch it even though the main plot is a bit flawed
I liked that foreign characters spoke their mother tongue
The main villain is pretty cool, the action is pretty good and very physical
The alt history stuff is well sourced and allowed me to learn something new
the problem is that its kinda racist, especially with the chinese comedy relief character, its in bad taste but thats standard for the japanese honestly.
oh and the central moral dillema is kinda stupid
Read at the sourceTardivex
This was a very enjoyable watch, the China in the early 1930’s setting is interesting and unique, and while the characters do possess superpowers it still manages to feel very grounded and down to earth. This was quite a tumultuous time in history as some countries were undergoing massive changes, some were recovering from World War 1 while a select few were giving rise to what would spark World War 2.
It was genuinely surprising and refreshing to see an anime actually be somewhat realistic portraying Japan back in those days, showing the dangers of their ideology and giving a fairly accurate depiction of the Manchurian Incident, despite the fantastical elements added to spice up the story.
The main characters are essentially spies with powerful abilities, Aoi has telekinesis, Yukina has…
Read at the sourceShinyBrel2323
I am Chinese, and have some ancestral ties to the Qing dynasty, though they are thin.
Senkou no Night Raid is a historical fiction anime. It respectfully portrays historical content, and does so in a fair manner, although the circumstances have been fictionalized. While character motivations from different characters range from downright imperialistic to idealistic, the series always maintains a realistic tone. There is love put in between specific character interactions, such as the bond between Natsume and Yukina and the brotherhood between Aoi and Kagura.
However, the final few episodes felt lacking in budget and had a storyline, which was fine for the first half, then unsatisfactory in the second. I felt like I was watching an entirely different series with unsatisfying payoffs at th…
Read at the sourceFunnyCartoons
Spies with psychic powers in 1930's Manchuria is an example of a setting that a viewer will either be completely into or completely ambivalent about. I fully admit to being the former, and if the first seven words of this review got your attention, then Senkou no Night Raid might very well also be in your wheelhouse.
The plot plays rather fast and loose with history, while also going really far out of the way to assure us that the writing team did their homework. Having watched this show again with a friend, I found my recommendation soured a bit by the inclusion of long pre-episode history lessons over static images of maps. Certainly a fine addition if we were watching some kind of edutainment show, but had they all been cut, we likely could have gotten a whole other episode's worth of…
Read at the sourceLambda_Delta
Art (5/10):
It’s pretty average as far as Chinese cartoons go: nothing really stands out and nothing looks that bad either.
Sound (7/10):
The OST fits well. The opening and ending themes are also nice. The Indian caricature who had a white voice actor and the British dude who had an American voice actor was a nice meme. Although the guy who portrayed the Indian dude was far more skilled in expressing his emotions convincingly.
Plot (3/10):
It’s like Darker than Black. Except in China. In the 1930s. Look, it’s pretty interesting actually. But, some of the events do feel a bit wonky. You'll know what I mean when you watch it. It's the kind of shit that makes you say to yourself "I'm fully aware I'm watching a cartoon and it characters don't feel realistic (in terms of actions and responses…
Read at the sourceMinster122
Senkou Night Raid is a nice historical anime that centers on the time period between the two World Wars. The chosen time period is somewhat rare for animes since Japan did a lot of questionable stuff during this time period and actually still try to hide it today. It's definitely nice to check out since it tries to depict what happened during the time in Manchuria after the Russo-Japanese War.
Also adds a nice twist by adding ESPers to the time period, making them superpower spies. It's actually kind of vague as to what side they're on, but it gets a little clearer overtime. Adding psychic powers to a spy setting just makes the tension go up. Although I think they could've done a bit more on it...
The characters have a sort of cliche back story and personality, but I guess that's okay, r…
Read at the sourcechalupahoopla
I don't usually write reviews, but I thought I would for this anime. It first caught my eye on Netflix and I'm glad it did. Like the other reviews say, if you are interested in history, especially early 20th century history, this is the anime for you. However, my only major qualm with the show is that towards the end, the characters and the plot become a little shaky. Nevertheless, I would even just watch this anime for the animation and the soundtrack alone (goodness, the soundtrack is amazing, it's kind of a mix between Legend of Korra and jazz). And if you enjoy a good hand to hand combat fight scene, this anime is chock full of them. It is certainly not an award winning anime, but I think it deserves more love than it is currently getting.
Read at the sourceigotme0
I finished this anime recently. To be honest, I was kinda lost and try to follow the storyline but in the middle I catch up. The art and character style is good (one of the reason why I watch it). Ending was ok, so overall Senkou no Night Raid is fair.
Read at the sourcezillion29
I had no preconceived notions going into this series. It was a random Netflix stream and I had never heard of the series. I was hooked from the beginning - a rarely explored historical setting, jaw-dropping fight choreography, high quality animation, serious plot but not overbearing - it was great. We're so jaded as otaku into expecting the usual WWII whitewash from Japanese mass media - but it reads pretty true to events (aside from psychic powers and the narrative conceit of the Japanese mysteriously inventing a protypical A-Bomb). Unfortunately, the crazy choreography of the fights disappears quickly and true to most anime, the script loses its way and can't seal the deal in the end. But it is still a great achievement and shows much promise in terms of Japan dealing with its controvers…
Read at the sourceLightningHound
My first review of anime on MAL so here it goes.
Senkou no Night Raid is about the Sakurai Agency, a fictional organizations that leads covert missions with superhuman agents to carry out the interests of Imperial Japan.
Now why did I give this anime such a high rating? My reason is because I love Asian history and know a lot about it especially the late 1800 to the early 1900 era. With this in mind, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on in the story. It sounds smug and biased, but this anime does require a bit of background knowledge to fully appreciate it. Let's got down to the actual rating.
(7)Art: I also liked the fact it was historical fiction, ACCURATE historical fiction in which the creators of the anime and story did their best to portray the setting and people during…
Read at the sourcexxxholic_wing
With the series ended (but ongoing in North America), it's seems that Senkou no Night Raid (or Night Raid 1931 in English) is not just about Japanese spies with superpowers (a la Darker than Black). It's more than that since it goes deeper into pre-WWII history which also touches sensitive content (e.g.: Mukden Incident). In contrast to what most people claimed that it whitewashes history, it's not.
Story: 7
The six episodes are just tasters on who are the characters and what direction will the story be, considering its episodic formula. The rest of episodes...well, let's just say that where the real story is as the episodic formula is removed. The staff made a very good connection of the fictional side with historical facts, establishing a very balanced story which doesn't offend people…
Read at the source