A designer’s rant…
A reader sent me some anime movie poster scans, for which I was grateful, but one of them just struck a nerve – a wrong nerve – and I have to vent. Some day job background first – I pay … Continued
Enter the Red Ninja!
What’s going on in this picture??? Yep, you’re right! Another hapless red ninja gets pig-stuck by a movie hero. Well what did you think was happening? You people disgust me sometimes… honestly. Franco Nero impales a hapless jobber in the … Continued
Images from THE OCTAGON
When vengeance wore a mustache… Is it just me, or did Chuck Norris never look comfortable with a sword? Good career choice, sticking to uzis, nickel-plated handguns and heel kicks with cowboy boots. This awkwardly colored image of Richard Norton‘s … Continued
Toshiro Mifune: Ninja???
Everyone knows Toshiro Mifune, right? Shogun, warlord, admiral, ronin. But who knew he once played a ninja!?!? Born on this day in 1920, let’s celebrate Mifune’s birthday with a look at a lesser-known chapter of his storied career – two ninja … Continued
Egyptian poster for NINJA IN THE USA
Amazing Arabic market poster for Alexander Lo-Rei’s Ninja in the USA. Wow… I mean, WOW!
NINJA BUGEICHO
So-called “Motion Comics” released on DVD and partially-animated graphic novels adapted for tablet devices are familiar now, but go back a few decades and experiments in using still art in moving media are less frequent, and with mixed results at … Continued
Quicklinks to the the ‘Ninja-To’ article series
If you’ve missed the evolution of the ninja sword discussions day-by-day, here’s an easier way to read them all in order: Part 1.) Origins of the 80s Ninja-To – in which we looked at the earliest American magazine ads we … Continued
‘Ninja-To’ visual shorthand in American vs. Japanese films
One thing you hear over and over from the anti-‘Ninja-To’-sword-haters-club is the blade is “pure Hollywood.” Before this recent spat of research and over-scrutinizing swords in old movies, I used to argue against that notion; the Japanese studios got ninja … Continued
Ninja miscellany to close out February…
No major theme today, but I wanted to throw some notes out there before a busy weekend. I’ll start with a rather strange score from LA’s Chinatown: Found this statue/plaque/display thing at a shop in the Dynasty Market complex, which … Continued
KAIKETSU KUROZUKIN in film
Kaiketsu Kurozukin (The Black Hood) is one of Japan’s most enduring hooded hero properties, with cinematic origins in the silent era and a retooling about once a decade since. We did a brief overview of the property a while back here, with … Continued