New DEAD RINGO trailer
Check out the latest from Eddie Mort!
And see a pile of imagery at the Dead Ringo tumblr.
Tags: DEAD RINGO
Coming soon…
…but not necessarily this week:
And if anyone can identify where this panel comes from I’ll send them something cool free!
Meanwhile, I’m looking at a busy two weeks in front of me, so new stuff might be sparing. I’ve been thinking about dusting off some of the better archive posts, particularly from our first year, and republishing them for the new readers (and those without the patience or DEDICATION to click through the categories on their own).
Stay tuned folks!
Posted in Ninja Miscelany May 13, 2012 at 5:36 pm. 2 comments
JIRAIYA THE BRAVE: Ninja and toad magic in the roaring 20s
This 1921 silent movie might just be the first time the legend of Jiraiya was put on film. It could also well-be the first time giant toad and snake magic with special effects transformations appeared on screen, four decades before heroic ninja and tokusatsu monster action were all the rage.
If the tale of toad-powered Jiraiya and snake-powered Orochimaru seems familiar its because it’s been adapted and re-imagined over and over, from the technicolor era to Naruto today.
There’s even a sidekick employing SLUG MAGIC! Not sure how menacing a big ass slug actually is, (that’s him in the middle, below) but there you are…
Silent films in any country are beyond rare, with most lost to the ravages of time, but throw in the war and it’s a miracle any of these flicks still exist. The ritualized combat choreography and simple but ground-breaking effects work here have real charm. Glad this not only survived, but is on YouTube!
Want to credit Ninja Attack co-author Matt Alt for turning me onto this video. Read his article on toads in Japanese popular media here. A new edition of his book is due in July.
Tags: Jiraiya, Silent Film, toad magic
Posted in Film and TV May 9, 2012 at 10:21 pm. 1 comment
Vintage Ninja Wind Chime
This 4″ porcelain windchime came from Japan, the seller not knowing how old but had it in her possession since the early 80s. However the design is old school enough, I have a feeling the same mold was used for decades and by myriad vendors. There’s no copyright date or manufacturer indicated anywhere, so this would fall into the wide category of unlicensed generic merch, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you could by them still at Iga tourist village stalls.
It’s hard to make out, but the ninja is holding a secret scroll.
These are the sorts of non-descript products that are ‘everywhere’ and you think they’ll always be around. Until they’re NOT. These are the things that become rarer than rare. Check eBay for generic ninja merch from the 80s. You’ll see the non-property and bootleg stuff that sold off blankets in subways and at dirtmalls and swapmeets routinely outsell licensed mass market merch. You can find an old Storm Shadow figure anywhere, but try to find another one of these…
Posted in Collectibles and Toys and Statues May 4, 2012 at 6:11 pm. 1 comment
Sanpei sketches
These brush illos were used as chapter breaks in reprint collections of Shirato Sanpei‘s Ninja Bugeicho.
Tags: Ninja Bugeicho, Shirato Sanpei
Posted in Art and Advertising and Books and Manga April 21, 2012 at 10:56 pm. Add a comment
Give us your TOP 5
Had a reader on the VN Facebook page (have you ‘Liked’ us? If not, SHAME!) post a great question:
“If you had to distill your favorite ninja films into a grievously unfair list of only 5, what would they be?”
OY! Can you imagine the nightmare scenario where you were trapped on a deserted island with only five ninja movies to watch over and over? Or if you had a bomb shelter with space for only five ninja films to survive the apocalypse and represent the genre for far-off future archeologists? Top tens are easy, but FIVE? That’s tough.
What I ended up coming up with (in no particular order) were:
– Castle of Owls (1963) Probably my favorite ninja film ever.
– Shinobi-no-Mono 1 (1962) For its historical significance, and being the best example of Hatsumi-driven credible espionage-based ninja flicks.
– Revenge of the Ninja (1983) Arguably the best of the American 80s craze, which must be represented.
– Five Element Ninja (1982) As should Hong Kong’s co-opting of ninja into their kung-fu empire.
– Magic Serpent (1966) To satisfy the Monster Kid in me, and represent TOAD MAGIC!
The Top 5 format forces me to exclude the entirety of the Joseph Lai/IFD genre-unto-itself cut-together films (Full Metal Ninja being my personal fave). Also on the bubble: The Octagon, the artistic apex of the genre Samurai Spy, Mission Iron Castle for being the height of dark ninja noir, and one of the Kadowkawa/Chiba/JAC collaborations has to be high up there too (Ninja Wars being another personal bias, lots of late-light cable viewings in this man’s youth). Ninja Scroll is probably the anime entry as well.
But what about all of you? Commenting is now wide-open to anyone and totally easy, so please, leave us you own Top 5 below. Really curious how many of us have similar lists, and am ready to slap myself with disgust for missing a crucial title that should have been on there.
Speak up folks!
Posted in Film and TV and Ninja Miscelany April 16, 2012 at 10:56 pm. 3 comments
Toei VHS inserts
Some Kurozukin and other hooded hero goodness from the VHS days:
I miss video stores in general, but I especially miss Little Tokyo stores from the height of the VHS clamshell era. Such great design at work with these case inserts, which packed in a ton of imagery and mood but somehow never felt too cluttered.
Posted in Film and TV April 11, 2012 at 10:34 pm. Add a comment
Great gallery of Japanese cinema stills
I highly recommend taking a stroll (or ‘scroll’ more accurately) through EigaGoGo: Japan Cinema‘s tumblr gallery. Tons of vintage Japanese cinema publicity stills from all genres, with some great shinobi stuff peppered in.
Click any image to enlarge.
The above are from the Shinobi no Mono films, the below from Samurai Spy.
Tags: Samurai Spy, Shinobi no Mono
Posted in Film and TV April 4, 2012 at 1:54 am. 1 comment
The self proclaimed “Internet Ninja Movie Database From Hell”
And who’s to argue with that claim, once you see the rather staggering array of foreign video packaging for ninja movies assembled on this French-language newsgroup. Wow…
BAD NINJAS: Is that Blue Thunder in the background? And is that trenching tool really going to help in the fight against the local post-apocalyptic warlord? And what of BORN A NINJA, wherein more wasteland warriors pick on poor ninja, with a she-version of Manimal looking on even!
Wow, is MASTER SAMURAI actually BLOOD OF HEROES? And what is that garden implement thingy???
Well-collected mon freres!!!
Tags: VHS art
Posted in Film and TV March 30, 2012 at 1:09 am. 1 comment
Volunteer translator(s) wanted…
Heya cats,
We’re regretably without the services of a Japanese translator at the moment, and are looking to glean some info from a few old movie flyers and video packages. Nothing heavy, we’re mostly looking for titles, actor names and dates.
Anyone who wouldn’t mind an occasional jpg e-mailed to them for a spot translation, please drop us a line at unknownpubs@yahoo.com or leave a comment here.
Many thanks in advance…
KR
