While the overt conflict of Castle of Owls may be the wolf-vs-sheepdog of Juzo and Gohei, there is a deeper interior conflict in both men played out by their relationships to women, all of whom are deadly female ninja themselves. … Continued
The Japanese DVD of Castle of Owls has a modest gallery of B&W set-shot publicity stills: CASTLE OF OWLS WEEK continues with an in depth look at the ninja women of the film, and a side-by-side comparison of the photography of … Continued
Here’s the original Toei trailer: And a related promotional short hosted by the film’s young kunoichi Chiyoko Honma featuring Masaaki Hatsumi:
Hey, that’s the rest of the image from the home-page header! Yep, yer right. It’s also perhaps the most striking image of Ryutaro Otomo from Toho’s publicity shoots. Those spike shuriken are just awesome. Otomo’s stern, strong eyes lend a … Continued
Inspired by Gobi’s awesome sketch from this post, I’ve declared this CASTLE OF OWLS WEEK at Vintage Ninja! I’m not saying the 1963 Ryutaro Otomo action-drama is the best ninja movie ever made, but damn if it isn’t my absolute … Continued
I’m just IN LOVE with this concept sketch by French comic and vinyl figure artist GOBI: Hmmm… this has me thinking ninja, owls… Could it be CASTLE OF OWLS week??? Thanks to the MuttPop blog for the find!
And a few more awesome sonosheet sets from Japanese eBay: See more of these 70’s Flexi-Discs, in all genres, at the great Pink Tentacle blog.
It’s not that you can’t win auctions over international eBorders, but it’s a bit logistically tough – there’s the kanji barrier, shipping rates, communication delays over the dateline, etc. and so forth. All these are excuses enough to keep me … Continued
I’m not a video game fan, but I do appreciate the classic character design and old-school design sensibilities of the new multi-platform game Mini Ninjas. Dang, I just appreciate the hell out of any new ninja property that doesn’t have … Continued
Thanks to the great Asian Drill Pop photo blog of things good, quirky and naughty for this nifty mag centerfold of Reiko Oshida, whom I’m sure you all fell in love with in this post. Damn she’s cute! Another recent … Continued