Since Japan opened its borders to foreigners after age of isolation Japanese culture has delighted the world. Therefore, it’s a little surprise that Ninjai: The Little Ninja – an action-packed animated film – is on our radar. This unique and delightful film about a young ninja on a quest to find his true identity has mesmerizing visuals, intense action sequences, and compelling characters.
The Rise of Japanese Style Animation
The legacy of Japanese animation and ninja films since the 80s or earlier has mesmerized the east and west alike. Epic animated films like Ghost in the Shell and Akira showed us that animated films can be more than what Disney was producing. Anime explores a wide variety of topics such as warriors, loss, grief, violence, and combat as well as more light-hearted fantasy and adventure elements which allows these movies to appeal to such a wide age demographic. Anime isn’t just for kids.
Now we see many streaming services jumping on the anime bandwagon, their viewers are able to view old anime series, ninja stories, and all things Japan from around the entertainment world. Additionally, they are also working to produce their own content. Amazon with its 2021 series Invincible, and now the Dungeon and Dragons-based series The Legend of Vox Machina. Netflix with its various series based on the popular MOBA games DoTA and League of Legends. As well as their smash hit Castlevania based on the Castlevania game series.
Ninjas – A Staple of Anime
One staple of the anime genre is the Ninja anime. No matter how old you are, what hobbies you enjoy, or what your taste in tv shows is, nothing beats a ninja film! With the likes of Ninja Scroll and Naruto there is a lot to live. What is it about ninjas that make them so cool? There is something that is an elusive enigma behind the mask of a ninja. An unbeatable warrior with such insane abilities that we can’t take our eyes off the action.
Wielding their almost mythic skills, ninjas can predict opponents’ moves in a fight and react before our brains have a chance to process what we have seen. These masters of combat defeat anyone who stands in the way utilizing both incredible weapons, their stealth, and super speed and prowess, It’s no wonder ninjas and ninja action classics are so popular.
The History of the Ninja
We all revel in the fantasy of a good ninja movie. But there is actually a great deal of history and the cultural basis behind ninjas. The term ninja, or shinobi, means those who act with stealth; we still see this in today’s depiction of ninjas. Mastering the ability to act with stealth is a skill known as ninjitsu. Ninjitsu combines the training of a variety of combat techniques, military strategy, geometry, meteorology, and even breathing techniques.
These skills are mastered to enhance ninjas’ stealthy actions and are passed down from generation to generation in the same family – sometimes with just a few pupils from each family line being chosen to receive this gift. Because of the secrecy surrounding the teaching of these skills, it’s unlikely you’ll find a true ninja anywhere outside of Japan. Or if you did you wouldn’t know it.
As well as ninja training, the Japanese have also closely guarded their Samurai practices. These famous warriors of pre-modern Japan, utilize weapons such as spears and arrows, but are most famously known for their dedicated and well-crafted style of swordsmanship. The secret for making the Samurai sword is itself shrouded in mystery.
It is said that by increasing the carbon content of the metal they were working by folding charcoal into the blade up to several thousand times they were able to make blades that are stronger than modern steel. Some of these blades are still passed down from generation to generation today as heirlooms. Ninja often used similar swords to the Samurai, specifically the shorter Katana.
Ninjai – The Little Ninja
We are delighted to hear that Ninja: The Little Ninja is going to be a new and fresh Ninjai movie to hit the scene. Ninjai: The Little Ninja appears to be a visually stunning animated epic that tells the story of a young boy named Ninjai as he navigates the ancient world which is fraught with dangers and challenges of all types. Forcing Ninjai to use his skills as a ninja to battle through obstacles and protect the innocent in his quest to understand his true identity.
Using an arsenal of amazing ninja skills, you’d typically expect of a much larger ninja, Ninjai goes on a quest with his sidekick Little Bird in an attempt to find out who he truly is. The story is a true good versus evil, with a pint-sized Ninja going up against the overwhelming evil in the world. The action-packed fight scenes seem to be balanced delicately with quieter, more contemplative scenes in a beautifully crafted and unique narrative.
An independently produced animated film, Ninjai: The Little Ninja is far from being indie or niche. The wide appeal of the character and storyline, visuals, and themes are highly apparent. And who can pass up such amazing fight scenes? The character’s quiet determination has you rooting for him and cheering him on. And the simple and sweet relationship between Ninjai and Little Bird will tug on your strings.
The Ninjai Gang makes a first for independent productions
Ninjai: The Little Ninja is produced by a group of independent creatives that call themselves the Ninjai Gang. A diverse group of artists, animators, and martial artists from all different backgrounds and across the globe. Even so, the Ninjai Gang is producing an animation that is usually reserved for the likes of Disney or Pixar. Expert storytelling and stunning visuals show us that there is a lot of talent in this group, and we’re looking forward to seeing more from them!
If you are a Ninja fan like us, you are going to love Ninjai: The Little Ninja. With a release date set for 2022 as well as a new samurai-inspired animation called Blazing Saddles coming out, it’s looking like a good year for the Ninja! There is much more information about Ninjai – The Little Ninja on various news media channels like The Ritz Herald, Markets Herald, Madison Graph, Film Daily, and Sunrise News.
There are also fan-made unofficial Ninjai channels that are sharing unofficial updates and sneak peeks about the Ninjai movie via Tweets, Blog, Medium Posts, and Pins. Thanks for reading this post, hope you enjoyed it!
