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2 – Books and Manga

13 Nov 2009

ZANPEI KUMOTORI

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 2 - Books and Manga | 0

Takao Saito, best known as creator of Golgo 13, was also responsible for two ninja manga: Kage Gari in the 70’s (the Shadow Hunters, which also spawned two films), and Zanpei Kumotori in the 80’s. The latter featured a Connery-esque … Continued

Kage Gari, Takao Saito
4 Nov 2009

Antique Japanese theatre mags

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 2 - Books and Manga | 0
19 Sep 2009

Sonosheets from Japanese eBay – Part 2

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 2 - Books and Manga, 4 - Collectibles | 0

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.

Lion Maru, Phantom Agents
16 Sep 2009

Sonosheets from Japanese eBay – Part 1

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 2 - Books and Manga, 4 - Collectibles | 0

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

Akakage, HENSHIN NINJA ARASHI, Red Shadow
10 Sep 2009

Meaty thighs and a taste for steel. She’s a keeper!

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 2 - Books and Manga | 1

Great art by prolific shinobi manga magnate Mitsuteru Yokoyama. Someone throw my a translation, will ya… apart from the headline kanji for ‘ninja’, what are the subheads and copy here?

Mitsuteru Yokoyama
27 Aug 2009

Kunoichi cover girl

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 2 - Books and Manga, 6 - History and Martial Arts | 0

Via Robert Grunzanki – cover from the 1988 ninjutsu book Shononki, possibly the only female cover from the 80’s craze books. That mission gear is pink or purple, as she’s actually a tour guide / theme park character from the … Continued

25 Aug 2009

A great collection of ninjutsu books

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 2 - Books and Manga, 6 - History and Martial Arts | 1

I highly recommend browsing the cover collections and article reprints hosted by Robert C. Gruzanski on a memorial site to his father, renowned knife thrower and author of Ninja Weapons: Chain and Shuriken, Charles Vincent Gruzanski. Charles Gruzanski trained with a who’s … Continued

Masaki Hatsumi
16 Aug 2009

GARO covers by Shirato Sanpei

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 2 - Books and Manga | 0

GARO was an eccentric, cutting edge alternative to traditional 60’s manga, and had an effect on a generation of readers akin to what Heavy Metal did for us in the U.S. in the 80’s. It’s backbone was Shirato Sanpei’s re-imagined … Continued

kamui, Shirato Sanpei
12 Aug 2009

Remembering “Silent Interlude”

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 2 - Books and Manga | 0

It was the winter of 1984 that Marvel Comics and creator Larry Hama quietly let loose one of the most significant pieces of media of the entire 80’s craze. Seeing as the massive and ridiculous GI Joe movie is #1 … Continued

GI Joe
8 Aug 2009

80’s Coloring Book

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 2 - Books and Manga | 0

Well this is about as generic an 80’s ninja product as you could ask for… I’d love to see how bad the illos are inside. And how many dolphins died in that tuna net…

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Welcome to VINTAGE NINJA — dedicated to old ninja movies from Japan’s 60s boom to the 80s American exploitation craze and beyond, with a ton of vintage toys, comics, and sharp pointy stuff thrown in for good measure.

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50+ Japanese ninja movies reviewed

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