The Samurai was Japan’s first major ninja export to the English-speaking world, bringing the adventures of invincible sword-slinging detective Shintaro and his shinobi-sidekick Tonbei the Mist to millions of fervent fans in Australia in the mid-1960s and generations of followers … Continued
Kage no Gundan (aka Shadow Warriors) is one of the most famous, and prolific, properties in ninja media history. The Sonny Chiba TV show was the shinobi Magnum PI — a smash hit that lasted several seasons and defined TV … Continued
The anime version of this decades old property is ubiquitous, the big-budget movie was a hit in 2004, but we’re no longer able to protect you all from the horrors of the largely forgotten late 60s live action kids TV series. You’ve been warned…
I hope you’ve all pre-ordered Dr. Stephen Turnbull’s Ninja: Unmasking the Myth (available May 3rd). I’m about finished my review copy and am working on both a review and with luck an interview with the good doctor himself. In the meantime, … Continued
Back in 1984, at least for this teenage ninja-maniac, four words began a turning point for the ninja craze: “Hi, I’m Max Keller.” Timothy Van Patten‘s intro to each episode of The Master has since become iconic for me. His … Continued
What’s part Die Hard, part Kung-Fu, part Batman and obscure as hell for no logical reason? It is the 1983 made-for-TV predecessor to The Master, arguably one of if not the best 80’s American ninja craze films made, but virtually un-recognized, … Continued
I take any chance I can get to turn folks on to the ninja / kaiju genre-bender Magic Serpent (Kairyu Daikessen, aka Dragon Showdown and many other retitles), so when the invite came from Paxton and Jeeg to co-chair the … Continued
Working two concurrent jobs plus helping friends with a wedding has slain my ninja-time like never before, friends. Apologies for the lack of updates. In times like these, I find it best to change clear the backlog folders of various … Continued
The Samurai, starting in 1964, may have been Japan’s first shinobi export to the English-speaking world, but that phenom was contained strictly to Australia. So for the rest of us, the first ninja we saw on any screen were flanking … Continued
Sho Kosugi returns to home video with a series of training DVDs via Masters Magazine! An expansion on his 1980’s VHS release Master Class, The Art of Hollywood Ninja Action Film Making is a five part ‘course’ on ninja-centric choreography and … Continued