House of Ninjas, a Japanese series on Netflix, will remind you of The Incredibles, the animated Pixar film about retired superheroes returning to service, but it’s a bit darker. Six years ago, the legendary Tawara family of shinobi (ninjas) rescued the Prime Minister from kidnappers, but in the process, their oldest son, Gaku, (Kengo Kora) was killed. After that, Soichi (Yôsuke Eguchi), the father, refused to put his family at risk ever again. When a group of passengers on a pleasure cruise suffer a ghastly death from an unknown nerve agent, the Tarawa’s government handler Hamashima (Tomorowo Taguchi) requests their help. Soichi vehemently shuts him down. But some members of the family secretly work with Hamashima, because civilian life is stultifying for a ninja. House of Ninjas is a charming family drama with evil villains and impressive fight scenes.
If you are interested in Japanese Crime drama, see our review of Giri/Haji here.
The Tarawa Clan
The Tarawas are the last surviving shinobi clan in Japan. They are descendants of the great Hattori Hanzo. Shinobi rules dictate that they hide their identities as ninjas at all times. For the Tarawa family, their cover is that they own a Sake factory, which is close to shutting down for lack of money. The clan, who all live in one sprawling house, consists of Grandma (Nobuko Miyamoto), Soichi, his wife Yoko (Tae Kimura), adult son Haru (Kento Kaku), late teens daughter Nagi (Aju Makita), and young Riku, who knows nothing of the family’s abilities. Haru is tormented by a secret: on the Prime Minister rescue mission, he showed mercy on the very ninja that killed his brother Gaku. He stocks vending machines for a living, and has a crush on a young woman, Karen Ito (Riho Yoshioka), at the local gyudon (noodle) shop. Meanwhile, for kicks, Nagi is sneaking into a museum and stealing artifacts, only to stealthily return them three days later. Yoko, bored out of her mind as a housewife, shoplifts at the local market for excitement. She jumps at Hamashima’s request for service.
For more foreign crime drama recommendations on Netflix, click here.
The Return of the Fuma Clan
The Fuma clan is a rival shinobi family that the Tarawas wiped out during the Prime Minister mission. Or so they thought. The ninja that Haru spared has been quietly regrouping in the shadows, and has built a big enough army to re-emerge. They are responsible for the pleasure cruise poisoning, and Hamashima suspects there is something bigger planned for that deadly nerve agent. The Fumas are ruthless, and the Tarawas are the only ones who can stop them. In episode 4, the tone of House of Ninjas changes from charming and funny to quite serious.
Our Take on House of Ninjas
The word I’ve been using to describe House of Ninjas is “cute”. By which I mean clever, funny, affectionate. It puts a smile on your face. For example, when the business manager of the ailing sake factory excitedly reports to Soichi that they’re eligible for a government subsidy from the department of culture, Soichi gruffly refuses. He knows that the “department of culture” is really the Bureau of Ninja Management, trying to hire his family. But for those who care more about the impressive fight scenes, your patience will be rewarded starting in episode 5. If you are looking for something a little different, House of Ninjas is for you.
Note: the first episode is hard to see because it’s at night and the ninjas wear black. Make sure you watch it in a dark room with your brightness turned up!
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