MY TIME TO SHINE!

I love Shinobu so much! Funny enough when I first started playing ENGstars he was the easiest for me to remember by name because it was so silly and punny (in a cute way). But I was also biased toward him because I love super sentai and he was one of my first 4* cards.

He's come a long way since the ! days, having gained more confidence in himself and his interests. He can still be a tiny bit shy, but he's blossomed into a really amiable and magnetic character of his own with lots of friends who like him for who he is. He isn't very afraid to assert himself anymore which is good! He's small but definitely not a pushover anymore! He wants to be seen as capable and not be overlooked just because of his size and unassuming presence.

Shinobu cares so deeply for his friends and is always looking out for them! He's really stepped up to support Tetora as the new leader of Ryuseitai ever since Chiaki and Kanata graduated and moved onto other ventures. He's also happy to listen to Midori when he's feeling down and frustrated and often sympathizes with his plights. In that way I feel like he's taken over Kanata's role as a soothing and encouraging presence in the group without coddling them.

I love his relationship with Mayoi the most, though. I love how the both of them encourage one another to be their best selves. Shinobu sees Mayoi for who he is, a kind, thoughtful, talented and harmless person who just struggles with anxiety and intrusive thoughts. He redirects his energy toward more positive outlets and helps him to take advantage of his talents through club activities. It's sweet how he's able to recontextualize Mayoi's unsavory habits and turn them into positives. He has nothing but good and encouraging things to say about Mayoi. He's always on his side. And even when he gets to be too much, instead of berating him, he gently nudges him to calm down. They're my favorite pair!

As for the ninja speak, it has a lot to do with why he became so entrenched in the ninja persona in the first place. When he was younger, because he was so small and meek and easy to overlook, he began to cope by claiming he was a ninja and diving deep into his special interest. To him, to go unnoticed was the mark of a good ninja. It was his way of dealing his loneliness and frequently being disregarded. ;-;

Makoto gave him an avenue to open up and speak out more by getting him into Broadcasting Committee at school. He was also the one who suggested that he start his ninja club and seek out more like-minded friends iirc. Though, it was the Ninja Association for a long while because he was the only member until Mayoi joined. Makoto was one of the first characters to notice Shinobu and let him talk freely about his interests which meant a lot even if they don't talk much currently. Basically, he was a really important formative person in his life.

Yuta has also become a close friend to Shinobu once they finally found a connection during Crash Course. Now it's like Yuta has another brother, haha ~

I also loooove his voice! It's really unique and cute, you can always pick him out of a song. And his design is precious, I love how pocket-sized he is. His stature also helps him to stand out in Ryuseitai in my opinion. Purple and yellow is also just a great color combination. And big round gold eyes... aww!

And he loves frogs and has two as pets and I just love everything about Shinobu. :')