If comedy is truly about subverting ones expectations then NinKoro is one hell of a great comedy. 500https://i.ur.com/wgOxzY2.gif It follows the sliceoflife adventures of Konoha a stonecold school girl assassin and Satako an earnest but incredibly dense runaway ninja. The unlikely roommate duo initially teams up due to Satakos lackluster ninja ability to turn objects into leaves which ends up being a nearperfect method for disposing of dead bodies something Konoha happily exploits to improve her client reviews and rise up the assassin leaderboards. 500https://i.ur.com/dgQVYCb.gif The first few episodes didnt really impress me right away. The gag of introducing adorable welldesigned waifus as assassins coming after the pair only for them to have three seconds of screentime and face a merciless death at the hands of our disturbingly unperturbed ninja and assassin is a good bit but not enough to have me consistently laughing for 12 episodes. Episode 5 A Robot and Assassin Under One Roof is where NinKoro really begins to shine and deliver the shocking dark comedy that makes this show so engaging. I wont spoil it too much but the episodes absurd premise involves Konoha caring so little about her roommate that she doesnt realize shes been replaced by a robot clone created by her mad scientist assassin rival Marin. Konoha ends up falling for this robot imposter and some antics ensue that lead to this episode feeling like an absolute mindf. 500https://i.ur.com/9OqXhRB.gif It marks the first episode in which NinKoro really shows off its ability to not only make you laugh but also get you emotionally invested setting up the recurring theme of seeming oneoff gags having longlasting plotaffecting psychological consequences for the characters. The way Konoha views Satako after this episode fundamentally shifts and even takes a while to repair which was surprising to see from what would otherwise just be another gag in the show. The real joy of NinKoro is watching Konoha and Satakos relationship develop. For characters who seem flat at first they actually grow a surprising amount. This growth is rooted in Satakos repeated attempts to earn Konohas respect and affection by using the most absurdly stupid means possible such as when she gets Massive Boob Surgery in an attempt to use them as Konohas walking weapon storage. 500https://i.ur.com/rRMGTUm.gif I had to see this and now you do too Konoha is extremely aloof and cold towards Satoko at first but the ninjas devoted efforts to grow closer to her even when they backfire spectacularly challenge Konoha and force her to confront her own emotional walls. Their eventual bond feels wellearned and complex. I think the best example of this is A Ninja and a Baby Assassin in which Konoha gets turned into a baby normally not a trope I would particularly enjoy creating an alternate childhood in her memories where she was raised by Satoko. Yes the implications of that are as weird as youd think especially considering the two have a fair bit of romantic tension going on but it causes a major breakthrough for Konoha as a character resulting in some really emotionally hardhitting scenes in the following episode. The supporting cast of characters were some real gems as well. Kuro was the Lesbian Wifeguy I didnt know I needed to see represented in anime. Marin and later her yandere sister excelled at both being adorable and chaotic. 220https://i.ur.com/YjUxWLV.gif 220https://i.ur.com/BlNXsNu.gif Overall NinKoro isnt for everyone. Its dark humor can be uncomfortable and provocative maybe offputtingly so for some but for me it was the most compelling aspect. Silly moments can spiral later on into serious consequences. Like they still have to worry about all those ninjaassassins they killed plotting revenge from beyond the grave. Id really hope for a season 2 to be able to see things snowball even further.