It's hard to believe, with all the Western otaku out there, that very few reviews online have noted that this film is a live-action version of a popular kids animation called Nintama Rantarou. It's little wonder that most of the reviews seem as disjointed and unsure as they believed the movie to be.
The film itself has a threadbare plot that mostly serves to pay fanservice to those who grew up watching the series and/or have children who've seen it. The costume designers, make-up crew and set directors have made pinpoint recreations of the artwork of the original series. The make-up is the equal of the work on Takashi's somewhat similar film The Great Yokai War.
It's rife with sight gags, slapstick and deadpan humor, some that will be lost on those without the reference point of the animation in their heads going in.
My very young children have seen Ninatama and chuckled and laughed through most of the goofy fun of Takashi's version. They tended to drift as the film ran on; it's probably too long to hold their interest all the way through. For adults looking for Takashi to live up to his reputation as Mr blood and guts they should probably look elsewhere. However, if you're interested in a vibrant slapstick comedy that doesn't reference thousands of American comedies, Ninja Kids is a spectacle to see.
The film itself has a threadbare plot that mostly serves to pay fanservice to those who grew up watching the series and/or have children who've seen it. The costume designers, make-up crew and set directors have made pinpoint recreations of the artwork of the original series. The make-up is the equal of the work on Takashi's somewhat similar film The Great Yokai War.
It's rife with sight gags, slapstick and deadpan humor, some that will be lost on those without the reference point of the animation in their heads going in.
My very young children have seen Ninatama and chuckled and laughed through most of the goofy fun of Takashi's version. They tended to drift as the film ran on; it's probably too long to hold their interest all the way through. For adults looking for Takashi to live up to his reputation as Mr blood and guts they should probably look elsewhere. However, if you're interested in a vibrant slapstick comedy that doesn't reference thousands of American comedies, Ninja Kids is a spectacle to see.