Before the MCU came, DC’s fame upon fame was that it nailed animated superhero movies, and the Batman projects were some of their best. While the catalog may have become less popular, one sleep hit stood out above the rest: 2018’s Batman Ninjaby Kamikaze Douga.
Kamikaze Douga is known by JoJo fans as the studio behind the CGI openings for part 1, 2, 3 and most recently 6. They also released the hit comedy Pop Team Epic in 2018, the same year they collaborated on a DC project that gave them complete creative freedom.
A bat in time
The story begins with little time left, as Batman and his allies are in Arkham Asylum, where Gorilla Grodd plans to use a device to experiment on the prisoners. Batman arrives late as the device activates, unexpectedly teleporting Batman, the Bat family and some of Bat’s greatest villains back in time to the Sengoku period.
From there, Batman discovers that he has arrived late and that all of his villains have become warlords battling for Japan, using Grodd’s advanced technology to create mechanical fortresses. Batman must reunite with his allies and defeat the villains, and reassemble the pieces needed to get back home.
Why it got a mixed reception?
Simply put, this movie is weird, and that’s putting it mildly. Although produced by Kamikaze Douga, the film is written by Kazuki Nakashima, the writer behind Trigger and Gainax works as Gurren Lagann, Promare, Murdered La murdered, and more. That is, the story is nonsensical, but centered around a strong thematic core.
The movie starts off a bit tame, but escalates beyond the average Batman fan who isn’t a fan of anime. First it was time travel, then mechs, then some rather ridiculous plot devices, culminating in a final battle that the audience either love or despise.
And while, yes, many of the on-screen quirks are hard to defend with even the slightest hint of seriousness, a lot of it isn’t meant to be taken seriously. Even then, the film can sometimes feel like a less unique take on Batman and more like a parody of what a Batman anime would look like.
That said, there’s a more fundamental reason why this movie is divisive, and it comes down to one’s choice of language while watching. Yes, the sub vs dub debate is a tired and fraught topic, but it needs to be mentioned here. This has to be one of the worst executed localization efforts by an American studio in the history of English dubbing.
Where’s the script?
When the American production team Kamikaze gave Douga complete creative freedom, it was absolutely the right decision. However, what DC did with the film before its release in the west can only be described as lazy. In behind-the-scenes footage, they talk as if they weren’t given an actual script to work with, which is clearly not true.
Watch the first minute of Batman Ninja both in English and Japanese and the two movies will be instantly different. While the Japanese version begins with a monologue by Gorilla Grodd, the English version begins with a story by Catwoman. The scripts are fundamentally different.
Compare the screenshots below with the clip above of the same scene in English. While it’s just a small example, almost every line is completely different and informs (or informs) the characters in big ways.
Entire Joker monologues about how hard it must be for Batman to be a hero or how his rule of “Owari” province is perfect are completely missing. It has been replaced with dialogue written to fill in gaps between plot points rather than to advance themes or create meaningful dialogue.
Now you might say, “But didn’t you say this wasn’t meant to be taken seriously?” and that is a valid point. That said, if DC could put the original Japanese version on the Blu-ray with a fully translated script, the least they could do was write a better English script.
Batman without gadgets
While Batman Ninja may enjoy absurdity, it is not without strong visual storytelling or good themes. At its core, the film continually challenges Bruce’s reliance on modern-day gadgets and technology, a reflection of his wealth. By making him powerless, he has a chance to become a more pure interpretation of ‘The Batman’.
This new Batman is a force of nature that not only manipulates the shadows, but also controls them. The film embraces classic mythos of ninjas and allows Batman to become what they always were from a lore standpoint: a ninja. And ninjas in the media tend to perform feats that some would consider superhuman.
This could reasonably be a double-edged sword for some. On the one hand, being stripped of technology allows Bruce to lean on his intelligence and earn his title. It is an effective critique of the character. But that his decision to lean so heavily on ninjutsu that leans much more supernaturally could feel like a betrayal.
The best advice is to go into the movie expecting unrealistic things to happen and for action that defies ideas of what Batman is quintessentially. Think about what Batman is at its core and what elements are hidden behind modern tropes or classic pastiche. Think of this more as an emotional ride than a narrative one.
An All Star Team
Director Junpei Miyazaki gathered such a diverse group of people from across the industry that the result was a sight to behold. The character designs of Takashi Okazaki, of Afro Samurai fame, are among the best Batman designs in years, both modern and Japanese interpretations of the aesthetic.
Even more impressive is Yugo Kanno’s music, who not only creates a powerful main theme that could fit right at home in a major Batman movie, but also an addictive Joker theme. Joker, voiced by Wataru Takagi, brings something of a Kabuki performer, a Thespian take on the clown prince of crime that feels classic and nuanced.
Throughout the film’s visuals, a mix of 3D and 2D, are impressive, although the 3D has aged less favorably as more 3D anime came out. Even with the occasional roughness, the blending of style is beautiful, often leading to highly creative scenes experimenting with new styles.
A lengthy Red Hood segment was approached with such a dramatic presentation that it felt like an entirely different movie, which could be seen as good or bad. However, it is scenes like this that make us appreciate the existence of this film. It is an exercise in excess, not content to draw the line somewhere.
Batman Ninja can have a way of irritating people as it is ultimately an acquired taste. It could be just what the doctor ordered or the worst thing you’ve been looking at all week. However, for those who were less than amused, try watching it again. The movie has its issues, but look deeper and there’s a story that gets to the heart of Batman.
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