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Ryutaro Otomo

Life is better on THE PLANET OF THE OWLS
9 Jul 2024

Life is better on THE PLANET OF THE OWLS

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV | 0

I was honored to do a guest spot on the HEROES THREE Podcast this week. These seven year vets covering all things martial arts cinema and Hong Kong action took a step out of their usual comfort zone this summer … Continued

CASTLE OF OWLS, Eiichi Kudo, Heroes Three, Ryutaro Otomo, Ryutaro Shiba
Talking MAGIC SERPENT on “Nerd Lunch”
4 Dec 2017

Talking MAGIC SERPENT on “Nerd Lunch”

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV | 0

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

Hiroki Matsukata, Magic Serpent, Ryutaro Otomo, toad magic
34 ninja can’t be wrong
23 Nov 2014

34 ninja can’t be wrong

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV | 0

SEVENTEEN NINJA (JUSHICHININ NO NINJA, 1963) is the typical 60’s Japanese boom film in that: 1.) It’s GREAT. 2.) It’s noir-as-hell — painted in gorgeous chiaroscuro cinematography. 3.) It’s also noir-as-hell because (from the gospel of James Ellroy) pretty much everybody in it is fucked. And… … Continued

17 Ninja, Hiroki Matsukata, Jushiro Konoe, Ryutaro Otomo, Satomi Kotaro
17 Nov 2012

Even more hand-colored CASTLE OF OWLS stills

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV | 0

I just can’t stop rescuing these from dealers in Thailand… And why not? I love hand-tinted antique photos, and these are from my favorite ninja film ever (and the one I’ve written about the most on this site, too). Some … Continued

CASTLE OF OWLS, Ryutaro Otomo, Thai press kits
10 Aug 2011

Name the KUROZUKIN actor…

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV | 2

No, this isn’t a contest or anything, I’m just stumped on who this is playing the oft-filmed Black Hood and what year it’s from: Of course, it could also be one of the myriad Kurama Tengu, as well… UPDATE: Thanks … Continued

Kurama Tengu, kurozukin, Ryutaro Otomo
12 Feb 2011

KAIKETSU KUROZUKIN in film

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV | 0

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

kurozukin, Ryutaro Otomo, Tomisaburo Wakayama
1 Oct 2010

A little MAGIC SERPENT to start things off

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV | 3

Surely the apex of shinobi-kaiju cinema, Magic Serpent (for the Sandy Frank/AIP-exposed) or Kairyu Dai-Kessen, is a no brainer to start of Monsters and Masks 2010! This is a staged publicity shot, you rarely if ever get that clear a … Continued

Hiroki Matsukata, kaiju, Magic Serpent, Ryutaro Otomo, toad magic
8 Jun 2010

VN’s birthday look at AKAI KAGEBOSHI – Pt. 2

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV | 0

Not only is Akai Kageboshi a great ninja movie that spans the colorful flamboyant 50’s and grimmer realistic 60’s, it’s also a damn nifty TOURNAMENT MOVIE! The tournament is one of the strongest devices in martial arts cinema. It’s single … Continued

Jubei Yagyu, Red Shadow, Ryutaro Otomo
7 Jun 2010

Hey VN, It’s Ya BERFDAY!

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 1 - Film and TV | 1

Yes, indeedy! One year ago today, I posted the first content on Vintage Ninja. 200+ posts, hundreds of pictures and thousands of readers later, I’m pretty damn happy with where everything stands. I’m no web wizard, but the site is … Continued

Hattori Hanzo, Jubei Yagyu, Red Shadow, Ryutaro Otomo
27 Apr 2010

Another look: CASTLE OF OWLS

by Keith Rainville | posted in: 5 - Art and Advertising | 0

In looking at repurposing color images for B&W print ads, I tried to look for zones of photos that weren’t necessarily the original focus. Blowing up some of these areas produced a lot more grain, which when thrown into B&W … Continued

Ryutaro Otomo, Thai press kits, vintage photos

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

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