In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki is a parody of Naruto that puts a great deal more focus on romance, or, at least, the prospect of love. Ironically, this ninja rom-com from Crunchyroll’s 2022 lineup features more call-outs to Naruto than actual romance tropes because of its unique perspective that naturally prevents it from completely following in the footsteps of every anime rom-com. This doesn’t make In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki any less of a romance anime, but it will undoubtedly appeal to those who are a bit tired of the genre.
In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki is unlike most romance anime because there is a complete lack of male characters, and it takes place in a ninja village that’s composed entirely of heterosexual female ninja who are taught to fear and stay away from men.
The vast majority of romance tropes are all contingent on there being at least one couple. The lack of males naturally prevents a series like In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki from dabbling in any subject related to love. However, the anime does an incredible job of creating its own unique formulas to still be part of the genre even when no romance actually occurs.
In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki Is Perfectly Romantic Even When There’s No Romance
Based on the manga by Sōichirō Yamamoto; produced by CloverWorks
The collection of mini-stories presented in the anime revolves around the eponymous Tsubaki’s struggles with being romantically curious about men and how this affects her three-woman team of ninjas. Because just thinking about men is essentially forbidden, Tsubaki finds herself in various positions where she feels that she must hide her true feelings from everyone, the attempts of which fortunately work even on her teammates, who completely misconstrue her reactions.
Whenever the story temporarily leaves Tsubaki, the focus normally falls on her two teammates as they try to figure out what’s troubling their friend, which unknowingly puts Tsubaki in difficult situations that cause her to daydream even more or bring her closer to seeing a man. During all this, they and their female counterparts train together in ways that are almost blatant rip-offs of Naruto, from having names like Konoha to switching themselves with tree stumps when performing substitution jutsu.
In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki Captures The Mysterious Nature Of Love
Although its adorable premise and likeness to Naruto are enough to draw in new viewers, In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki‘s true appeal lies in how it masterfully captures the undefinable mysteriousness of love through its unique perspective. The question that many fans might have when starting this series is how someone can feel anything romantic when they clearly don’t know what love is or have never even seen someone they would be attracted to. The series ingeniously captures this and other nuanced dynamics throughout its first season, as Kunoichi Tsubaki slowly learns the truth behind why men are forbidden in her village and identifies what she’s feeling in her heart.
It’s through this unique journey that In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki amplifies the power of love more effectively than most romance anime and others, and it does so while entertaining the audience with its references and parodies of Naruto. In what is essentially another interpretation of the idiom “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki proves just how much of an impact love can have on anyone, especially when all the ingredients for feeling any sort of fondness are supposedly absent.
In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki is available on Crunchyroll
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