Ninja Kids!!!

Ninja Kids!!!
Japanese film poster for Ninja Kids!!!
Directed by	Takashi Miike
Produced by	Atsushi Terada Hiroshi Hattori
Written by	Yoshio Urasawa
Based on	Nintama Rantaro by Amako Sobei
Starring	Seishiro Kato
Music by	Yoshihiro Ike
Cinematography	Nobuyasu Kita
Editing by	Kenji Yamashita
Distributed by	Sedic International
Release date(s)	July 3, 2011 (2011-07-03) (New York Asian Film Festival) July 23, 2011 (2011-07-23) (Japan)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Box office	$3,436,468

Ninja Kids!!! (忍たま乱太郎, Nintama Rantarô^?) is a 2011 Japanese family-oriented comedy film directed by Takashi Miike. The film is live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime series Nintama Rantarō. The film stars Seishiro Kato as Rantaro who is sent to a ninja training school by his parents. During the summer, their teacher is invaded by a group of rival ninjas culminating in a race to ring a bell on top of a mountain.

Ninja Kids!!! had its world premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival on July 3, 2011 and was released theatrically in Japan on July 23 where it was the fourth highest grossing film in its opening week.

Plot

Set in the Muromachi period in early 16th century Japan, the young ninja Rantaro (Seishiro Kato) is born into a family of low-ranking ninjas. Rantaro is sent by his father and mother (Shido Nakamura and Rei Dan) to attend the six-year course at a Ninja Academy run by Denzo Yamada (Susumu Terajima). Rinatro's homeroom teacher is Hansuke Doi (Takahiro Miura) and head of the Ninja Girl classes at the school is Shina Yamamoto who appears as either a beautiful young woman (Anne Watanabe) or an older woman (Tamao Nakamura). After going home to his parents' farm for the holidays, Rantaro is joined by his schoolmate Shinbei (Futa Kimura) but they later decided to stay with teacher Doi. One day, some Usetake ninjas arrive at the house of flamboyant hairdresser Yukitaka Saito (Takeshi Kaga) and his son Takamura (Takuya Mizoguchi) in order to kill both of them. Yukitaka and Takamura used to belong to the Usetake clan, but Rantaro and his friends aim to save them by joining a contest that ends with a race to ring a bell on top of a mountain.

Release

Ninja Kids!!! had its world premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival on July 3, 2011.^[1][2] It premiered in Canada at the Fantasia Festival on July 16, 2011.^[3] After the premiere, negotiations were reported to be underway with a major production company for an American remake of the film.^[4]

It had its theatrical premiere in Japan on July 23, 2011.^[2] It was the fourth highest grossing film on its opening week in Japan grossing $1,060,634.^[5] It has grossed a total of $3,436,468.^[5]

Reception

Ninja Kids!!! has received generally positive reviews. Screen Daily gave a positive review, praising the film's energy while noting that "the film may enchant or completely turn off a viewer with its bizarre attempt to give the characters the exact same looks as their animated counterparts"^[6] Tradepaper Variety gave the film a favorable review stating that it had " joyous energy that propels its pint-size protagonists through a rapid-fire succession of slapstick gags, each more outrageous than the last."^[7] Film Business Asia gave the film a seven out of ten rating, noting that "in the second half, the film loses its initial playfulness and becomes more like rote silly comedy".^[2]

Notes

1. ^ "Ninja Kids!!! (Japan, 2011) : NYAFF11". New York Asian Film Festival. http://subwaycinema.com/ninja-kids-japan-2011/. Retrieved August 9, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Elley, Derek (August 8, 2011). "Ninja Kids!!!". Film Business Asia. http://www.filmbiz.asia/reviews/ninja-kids. Retrieved August 9, 2011. 
3. ^ Bottenberg, Rupert. "Ninja Kids!!! : Cinemabox & Ubisoft Present Fantasia 2011". Fantasia Festival. http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2011/en/films/film_detail.php?id=500. Retrieved August 9, 2011. 
4. ^ Blair, Gavin J. (August 30, 2011). "Takashi Miike's 'Ninja Kids' Set For Hollywood Remake". Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/miikes-ninja-kids-set-hollywood-229302. Retrieved August 30, 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Nintama Rantarô (Ninja Kids!!!) (2011)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?id=_fNINTAMARANTARN01&country=JP&wk=2011W29&id=_fNINTAMARANTARN01&p=.htm. Retrieved August 9, 2011. 
6. ^ Lee, Edmund (August 2, 2011). "Ninja Kids!!! : Review : Screen". Screen Daily. http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/latest-reviews/ninja-kids/5030463.article. Retrieved August 9, 2011. 
7. ^ Scheib, Ronnie (July 19, 2011). "Variety Reviews - Ninja Kids!!! - Film Reviews - N.Y. Asian - Review by Ronnie Scheib". Variety. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117945676/. Retrieved August 9, 2011. 

External links

• Ninja Kids!!! at the Internet Movie Database