Kage Kara Mamoru ( 陰からマモル ) is a light novel series written by Achi Taro that has been adapted into a manga and anime as well. The anime series ran from January 7, 2006 through March 25, 2006 on TV Tokyo for a total of 12 episodes. The manga and light novel are still on going.

Kage Kara Mamoru follows the adventures of Kagemori Mamoru, a ninja from the Kagemori family who is entrusted with the care and protection of his neighbor Konnyaku Yuna. The Kagemori ninja have been protecting their neighbors, the Konnyaku, for four hundred years since they were first entrusted with this duty and they take it very seriously. Mamoru’s mother, Kagemori Sakurako, is a highly skilled kunoichi protects Yuna’s mother while his father (Kagemori Kengo), an equally skilled shinobi, protects Yuna’s father. Unfortunately for Mamoru, Yuna is an utter airhead and ditz and has a tendency to get into an insane amount of trouble because of it.

In the first episode alone, while at a bowling alley with her classmates, Mamoru and Airi, Yuna accidentally uses the men’s restroom and as a consequence witnesses some yakuza conducting *ahem* illegal activities which results in her being kidnapped. As her protector, Mamoru quickly removes the dorky disguise he wears constantly which consists of disheveled hair and too-thick eye glasses, and dons his ninja outfit. In a matter of seconds he retrieves Yuna and and beats the yakuza to a pulp.

In retaliation for this event, the yakuza hire a miko samurai, Mapputatsu Tsubaki, to extract justice and revenge for them after telling her a false story of how the girl hired a ninja to ruthlessly attack them. Tsubaki’s sword can cut through anything and she proves to be a formidable opponent for Mamoru, that is until he discovers the one thing her sword can’t cut – nato. After the situation is straightened out, and Tsubaki gets her revenge on the yakuza, Tsubaki joins Mamoru’s school.

Kage Kara Mamoru is a short and lighthearted series that manages to cross several genres without losing itself or taking itself too seriously. Banana! You’ll have to watch it to get the joke. This series has comedy, action, and as you might have already figured out, is also a harem anime as well. I recommend this series to anyone who wants to watch something light hearted and fun with a little bit of action tossed in as well. The characters are all lovable and the use of classic anime-style gives it an interesting flavor. I’m sure by the end of this series you’ll be singing the Banana-song as well!

Last 5 issues of FAnime Friday:

• Issue #19, November 16, 2007: Sai
• Issue #18, November 2, 2007: Doujin Work
• Issue #17, October 26, 2007: Bamboo Blade
• Issue #16, October 19, 2007: Reacting to Lengthy Delays
• Issue #15, October 12, 2007: New Series to Look Out For

Read the rest of the FAnime Friday issues on the FAnime Friday page! ^_^