Unhappiness is something everyone experiences to some extent, but feelings of despair so overwhelming and persistent that they lead to a desire to be erased from existence altogether are far less common. The psychological wounds or defects responsible for manifesting self-destructive yearnings are things most people cannot really identify with, because death is just not something most are willing to consider as a coping mechanism. The protagonist of Nabari no Ou, Miharu Rokujou, while not plagued by suicidal thoughts, is far more troubled than your average middle school student. Old scars caused by trauma he cannot quite remember have caused him to develop a façade of apathy. So, when his classmate Koichi Aizawa tries to get him to join a ninja club, he wants absolutely no part of it. The only thing Miharu wants to do is go home to work in his grandmother’s okonomiyaki restaurant, which he plans to take over one day.

Unfortunately, the simple life Miharu desires is not meant to be. Unbeknownst to Miharu, a secret world called Nabari exists, and is inhabited by modern day ninja who all want something from him. It would seem Miharu has inherited the Shinra Banshou, a power coveted by the shinobi world. And when a teacher from his school turns out to be a ninja tasked with kidnapping Miharu, the boy is soon even more surprised by the revelation that Koichi and another faculty member, Tobari Kumohira, are also ninja. To make matters worse, while Koichi and Tobari seem to be at odds with his would-be abductor, when Miharu inadvertently begins to activate the Shinra Banshou’s power in self-defense, Koichi stabs him in the chest, making determinations about the loyalties of those around him even more difficult to discern.

Miharu recovers almost instantly from a seemingly-mortal wound, and Tobari explains to him what is going on. With trust in short supply, both Tobari and Koichi promise to do everything they can to remove the Shinra Banshou from Miharu so he can return to his life of indifference, and to protect him from the threat of an ancient clan of Iga ninja, referred to as the Kairoshu, who are after the Shinra Banshou, and will stop at nothing to possess it.

Things are further exacerbated with the arrival of Raimei Shimizu, a Fuuma ninja with a complicated family history, who advises Miharu and his protectors to consult her clan about how best to proceed in dealing with the Shinra Banshou. However, when they arrive in Fuuma Village, they find the Kairoshu already in the midst of an assault. There, Miharu encounters a member of the Kairoshu named Yoite for the first time.

Initially appalled by the brutality of Yoite’s Kira technique that saps the very life of its user with each application, Miharu subsequently begins to form a bond with Yoite. Blackmailed into promising to master the Shinra Banshou and erase Yoite from existence in exchange for his friends’ lives, Miharu soon begins to see his promise to Yoite as a wish, rather than just an obligation he must fulfill to save the lives of those he cares about. These feelings further blur the line between friend and foe, and it is soon difficult to determine who really has Miharu’s best interest at heart.

Raising questions about what constitutes the bonds we forge, and what incites us to burn the bridges we do with others, Nabari no Ou weaves a nice blend of action into the personal struggles of damaged people living in an extraordinary world together, to tell an engaging story. There’s also a good amount of comedy mixed in, from Miharu’s devious use of his childlike demeanor in getting what he wants, to Tobari’s irrational fear of planes, trains and automobiles, the show has a few good laughs in store as well. Overall, it is a solid recommendation for anyone looking for a quick series devoid of overly-eccentric characters and nonsensical plots.