Batman has had various adventures over the years. Whilst some have become landmark pieces of pop culture (The Dark Knight Trilogy), others have disappointed legions of diehard fans (*cough* Schneider Batman). However, on the small screen, DC have experimented with the caped crusader in animated features for years. Recently DC seem to have taken an interest in throwing the Dark Knight into various historical settings. For example, in the recently released Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, Batman was pitted against Jack the Ripper.
Batman Ninja is the latest of these historical elseworld efforts and it sees Batman thrust out of Gotham, back in time to the Sengoku Jidai period of Japan. However, Batman hasn't been sent back alone. Practically all his famous villains have been sent back with him, and each of them have designs upon ruling Japan in accordance with their evil desires. Thus, it's up to Batman, and a few familiar faces, to stop these infamous rogue's causing chaos in the land of the rising sun.
Batman Ninja is a completely different animal from the animated films usually produced by DC. Rather than producing the film on familiar shores, they outsourced the production to a Japanese studio called Kamikaze Douga, who specialise in animated shorts. I'll be honest when I first found out that a Batman movie was being produced by an anime company I was overjoyed. It was a crossover for the ages, forget Infinity War, the world's greatest detective was going to have a full-fledged anime escapade. I mean come on, who wouldn't be excited for a bit of Banime
The decision to outsource to a country more closely connected to the source material paid dividends. The Japanese voice over work is fantastic, not only does it feel authentic in the context of the story, but it also manages to remain faithful to the classic characters involved (Wataru Takagi in particular shines as The Joker). Although the voice work is a high point of this outsourcing, the real highlight is the animation and art style. The animation has this quirky, almost clunky, style that feels right at home with the eccentric depiction of feudal Japan. Furthermore, the art style is a mix of stylised contemporary art mixed and classical Japanese art, this fusion also cleverly reflects the dichotomy between the different time periods in the narrative. This experimental combination creates a visually evocative world that transfixes one's eyes from the opening shot to the closing credits.
Unfortunately, however, the beautiful visuals are undermined by a fairly shallow script that tries to juggle too many characters. As aforesaid, practically all of Batman's villains are brought to Japan with him, including: The Joker, Harley Quinn, Bane, Two Face, Gorilla Grodd etc. However, a small part of me thinks that this decision was justified as it meant we got to see Bane as a peculiar looking sumo wrestler. In all seriousness though, this creative choice bogs down the flow of the film and detracts from the intensity of the classic Batman-Joker feud that the film was clearly trying to capture. Although a pure Joker-Batman film would have hardly been a reinvention of the narrative wheel, it would at least have provided a solid foundation for the fantastic experimental art and animation.
I must also confess that I thought Kazuki Nakashima's script was also rather uninspired. Although the plot does go in some interesting directions, as many films have taught us, unpredictability isn't necessarily an indication of quality. Nakashima also makes some odd narrative choices towards the end of the film, as he decides to introduce key elements that have zero set up. When these moments occur, they come out of left field and they break the unique immersion created by the visual design.
The film is also tonally all over the place at times. Towards the end the action is simply too over the top for its own good, and that zany action comes at the expense of narrative quality. I personally would have preferred it if the film had the vibe of the final 10 mins. Without spoiling much, the final moments of the film are absolutely riveting. Perhaps this is presumptuous of me, but I would argue that the final 10 mins are what most people paid to see. If the film had decided to establish this gritty tone from the start and stuck with it, the film could have been something truly special.
Finally, even though I'm no musician, I have to say Yûgo Kanno's score is fairly underwhelming. The music is pretty lowkey and at no point does it really convey the uniqueness of the setting. Which is a real shame, as this era of Japanese history is known for its distinct music. Perhaps Kanno could have been a bit bolder in his composition by wholly embracing the setting. Although it wouldn't have transformed the entire experience, it certainty would have added a further layer or authenticity.
DC certainly took a gamble with Batman Ninja, and in many ways that gamble payed off. The film is a visual marvel, and one can recommend a viewing purely based on the merit of the art style and animation. However, it is held back by a bloated cast, shallow script and overblown action set pieces. It's a shame as this film had a potential to be a future classic, a Mask of the Phantasm for the millennial generation. Still, there's plenty of fun to be had in this stylised, historical romp. Maybe just check your expectations at the door before giving it a watch.
Batman Ninja is the latest of these historical elseworld efforts and it sees Batman thrust out of Gotham, back in time to the Sengoku Jidai period of Japan. However, Batman hasn't been sent back alone. Practically all his famous villains have been sent back with him, and each of them have designs upon ruling Japan in accordance with their evil desires. Thus, it's up to Batman, and a few familiar faces, to stop these infamous rogue's causing chaos in the land of the rising sun.
Batman Ninja is a completely different animal from the animated films usually produced by DC. Rather than producing the film on familiar shores, they outsourced the production to a Japanese studio called Kamikaze Douga, who specialise in animated shorts. I'll be honest when I first found out that a Batman movie was being produced by an anime company I was overjoyed. It was a crossover for the ages, forget Infinity War, the world's greatest detective was going to have a full-fledged anime escapade. I mean come on, who wouldn't be excited for a bit of Banime
The decision to outsource to a country more closely connected to the source material paid dividends. The Japanese voice over work is fantastic, not only does it feel authentic in the context of the story, but it also manages to remain faithful to the classic characters involved (Wataru Takagi in particular shines as The Joker). Although the voice work is a high point of this outsourcing, the real highlight is the animation and art style. The animation has this quirky, almost clunky, style that feels right at home with the eccentric depiction of feudal Japan. Furthermore, the art style is a mix of stylised contemporary art mixed and classical Japanese art, this fusion also cleverly reflects the dichotomy between the different time periods in the narrative. This experimental combination creates a visually evocative world that transfixes one's eyes from the opening shot to the closing credits.
Unfortunately, however, the beautiful visuals are undermined by a fairly shallow script that tries to juggle too many characters. As aforesaid, practically all of Batman's villains are brought to Japan with him, including: The Joker, Harley Quinn, Bane, Two Face, Gorilla Grodd etc. However, a small part of me thinks that this decision was justified as it meant we got to see Bane as a peculiar looking sumo wrestler. In all seriousness though, this creative choice bogs down the flow of the film and detracts from the intensity of the classic Batman-Joker feud that the film was clearly trying to capture. Although a pure Joker-Batman film would have hardly been a reinvention of the narrative wheel, it would at least have provided a solid foundation for the fantastic experimental art and animation.
I must also confess that I thought Kazuki Nakashima's script was also rather uninspired. Although the plot does go in some interesting directions, as many films have taught us, unpredictability isn't necessarily an indication of quality. Nakashima also makes some odd narrative choices towards the end of the film, as he decides to introduce key elements that have zero set up. When these moments occur, they come out of left field and they break the unique immersion created by the visual design.
The film is also tonally all over the place at times. Towards the end the action is simply too over the top for its own good, and that zany action comes at the expense of narrative quality. I personally would have preferred it if the film had the vibe of the final 10 mins. Without spoiling much, the final moments of the film are absolutely riveting. Perhaps this is presumptuous of me, but I would argue that the final 10 mins are what most people paid to see. If the film had decided to establish this gritty tone from the start and stuck with it, the film could have been something truly special.
Finally, even though I'm no musician, I have to say Yûgo Kanno's score is fairly underwhelming. The music is pretty lowkey and at no point does it really convey the uniqueness of the setting. Which is a real shame, as this era of Japanese history is known for its distinct music. Perhaps Kanno could have been a bit bolder in his composition by wholly embracing the setting. Although it wouldn't have transformed the entire experience, it certainty would have added a further layer or authenticity.
DC certainly took a gamble with Batman Ninja, and in many ways that gamble payed off. The film is a visual marvel, and one can recommend a viewing purely based on the merit of the art style and animation. However, it is held back by a bloated cast, shallow script and overblown action set pieces. It's a shame as this film had a potential to be a future classic, a Mask of the Phantasm for the millennial generation. Still, there's plenty of fun to be had in this stylised, historical romp. Maybe just check your expectations at the door before giving it a watch.