From the earliest announcement of Warner Bros.' latest animated Batman adventure, we knew that Batman Ninja would be an anime take on the classic DC Comics property. What we didn't know--what we couldn't know--was just how insane that take would turn out to be. Maybe we should have had an idea once it was announced that Junpei Mizusaki, the producer behind JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, would be directing the film from a script by Kazuki Nakashima (Kill La Kill, Gurren Lagann) with character designs from Takashi “Bob” Okazaki (Afro Samurai), but seeing is believing. Luckily for you, dear reader, you can see for yourself since Batman Ninja arrives on Blu-ray/DVD today!
Both the original Japanese audio/voice cast and the English script/dub are included on this home video release, and I'll get into the merits of both in my review below, but this one's likely going to divide some Bat-fans out there. If you're looking for a serious take on the Batman mythology delivered in a visual anime style, you might be disappointed. If, however, you're up for a bonkers ride that sends Batman and his allies into feudal Japan and pits them against his rogues gallery in the "most anime" way ever, you'll really dig Batman Ninja. The special features included on the Blu-ray are pretty scant, but they do dig into what makes the "East meets West" design of Batman Ninja such a unique take and they go a long way towards explaining some of the more obtuse cultural connections for dumb Westerners like yours truly. Let's get into it!
Feature:
When I heard that Batman Ninja would be an anime movie that sent Batman into feudal Japan during the era of warring states presided over by a shogun and his subservient lords, my anticipation was understandably off the charts. I was expecting something along the lines of Yojimbo, Ninja Scroll, Seven Samurai, etc. Imagine, as I did, Batman landing in the distant past without the use of his vast array of technology, forced to battle through each territory--controlled by supervillains like Gorilla Grodd, Deadshot, and Poison Ivy--by making allies of locals and becoming a sort of samurai. That's ... kind of what we get with Batman Ninja? But the tone is way, way different from what you're probably expecting.
I don't want to go into spoilers because half the fun of Batman Ninja, whatever version you're watching and listening to, is seeing the insanity unfold before you. As the creative team behind the scenes mentions multiple times in the special features, this isn't "Japan through the eyes of Batman, but Batman through the eyes of Japan." The translation here is that just about every anime trope you can think of has been jammed into Batman Ninja, for better or worse. This thing is way zanier than I expected it to be; sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't, but you definitely can't say the team didn't go for broke on this one.
Visually, Batman Ninja is a stunner. One of anime's strengths, and Japanese cinema overall, has always been its visual storytelling which often trumps the narrative and dialogue itself. Batman Ninja is no different. The movie is rooted in cutting-edge CG-characters and backgrounds (your mileage may vary here but I'm not the biggest fan of this approach; see Berserk 2016...) but uses 3D trips into a "virtual reality" space to move the story along through exposition, and in a particularly original sequence, switches to a sort of animated watercolor style that's absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, the shallow story undercuts the otherwise glorious animation.
To view Batman Ninja in the best light, watch it with the Japanese audio and English subtitles. This movie is steeped in all things anime and Japanese cinema by design, so it's in its purest, craziest form with the talented Japanese voice cast doing the heavy lifting. That's not to say the English voice cast isn't up to the task; veterans Roger Craig Smith, Tara Strong, Grey DeLisle, Tom Kenny, Yuri Lowenthal, Fred Tatasciore, Will Friedle, Eric Bauza, Adam Croasdell, and Matthew Yang King are solid. Relative newcomer to voice work Tony Hale (Veep, Arrested Development) turns in a good performance as The Joker, one which took me a while to warm up to but ultimately found to be quite enjoyable. It's just that the English script and vocals lose something in translation and Batman Ninja needs to keep the Japanese spirit intact to be at its best.
Batman Ninja is for those folks who take neither their Batman stories nor their anime too seriously. If you can sit back, have fun with it, and laugh yourself silly at the insanity on-screen, you're going to have a good time. It's at least worth a rental just for the experience.
Rating: C+
Special Features:
East/West Batman (10 minutes) – In this featurette, Mike Carlin (Creative Director Animation, DC Entertainment), Ames Kirshen (VP Interactive & Animation DC Entertainment), Kazuki Nakashima (Screenwriter), Takashi “Bob” Okazaki (Character Designer), Eric S. Garcia (Producer, English Screenwriter), Leo Chu (Producer, English Screenwriter), and Junpei Mizusaki (Director) on marrying the Western Batman mythology with Eastern cinematic traditions and history, taking Batman out of his element—he’s seen as a “guest” in Japan--and forcing him to adjust, and taking both the heroes and villains’ characteristics to the extreme. They also break down the differences in American and Japanese animation, storytelling styles, and even comic books/manga. There’s even a bit of time devoted to “uniquely Japanese sounds” and the use of silence in the storytelling. They creative team also addresses the bonkers idea of working mecha (and a giant monkey “mech”) and other tropes into the story just for the hell of it.
Batman: Made in Japan (15 minutes) – A featurette exploring the traditional Japanese storytelling elements and tropes that found their way into Batman Ninja. The creative team explores the work of Takashi Okazaki, both in this film and in his career. “Bob” himself breaks down the design of each character in a great behind-the-scenes look at armor, clothing, make-up appearance, hairstyles, and all of the design influences using concept art. It offers a very cool explanation of some of the more obtuse design choices where Western audiences are concerned, like Red Hood’s basket-head, or Catwoman’s particular style of mask.
New York Comic Con Presents Batman Ninja (40 minutes) – NYCC 2017’s Batman Ninja panel, featuring an awesome Collider-themed backdrop (!), featuring Gary Miereanu hosting a panel that includes Kazuki Nakashima (Screenwriter), Takashi “Bob” Okazaki (Character Designer), Junpei Mizusaki (Director), Eric S. Garcia (Producer, English Screenwriter), Leo Chu (Producer, English Screenwriter), and interpretor Mari Morimoto. Though the team couldn’t say much at the time since the film hadn’t come out yet, there’s some interesting commentary from the screenwriting team about the translation to the English version of the script.
Trailers
Batman Ninja is now available on Blu-ray/DVD and digital platforms.
