is a magical girl

Magical girl

belong to a sub-genre of Japanese fantasy anime and manga. Magical girl stories feature young girls with superhuman abilities, forced to fight evil and to protect the Earth. They often possess a secret identity, although the name can just refer to young girls who follow a plotline involving magic...

 manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 series by Shotaro Ishinomori

Shotaro Ishinomori

was a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and tokusatsu, creating several immensely popular long-running series such as Cyborg 009 and Himitsu Sentai Goranger, what would go on to become part of the Super Sentai series, and the Kamen Rider Series...

. It was originally named , but was changed in 1971 when Toei Animation

Toei Animation

Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...

 adapted it into an anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 called Sarutobi Ecchan. The anime was unsuccessful, and only lasted 26 episodes. It has been recently released on DVD as a part of the DVD ANCIENT SERIES.

Plot

Ecchan appears to be a normal little girl, but appearances can be deceptive. She is descended from the great ninja Sasuke Sarutobi, and possesses ninja skills of her own. Ecchan is also capable of all sorts of extraordinary feats: she can communicate with animals, possesses hypnotic and telepathic abilities, and is stronger and more intelligent than normal girls of her age. But despite all this, Ecchan is still only a young girl, and like any young girl makes mistakes. But with the help of her friends Miko, Taihei and her dog Buku, everything always turns out right.

Since it was cancelled due to low ratings, Ecchan does not have a proper ending. The last episode focuses around an American Ecchan doppelganger named Eiko, who wants nothing more than to see Mount Fuji.