By Drew Dietsch
| Printed
Again once I did the Tremendous Mario Bros. video for this channel – which it is best to watch as a result of it’s video and doing so helps forestall me from changing into homeless – I discussed presumably making a video about the actual first online game characteristic movie.
Earlier than I may even do this, I’ve to say this isn’t about The Nice Mission to Rescue Princess Peach! or Operating Boy: Star Soldier no Himitsu. Not as a result of I dislike or low cost animation in any respect, however as a result of these have been smaller productions extra akin to TV specials than large characteristic variations with an actual funds.
For that, we’re heading again to the ‘80s and watching what continues to be the most effective online game films ever and proves there was by no means a online game film curse to start with.
We’re speaking about the actual first online game film, Mirai Ninja.
Mirai Ninja is a 1988 Namco arcade sport that was solely launched in Japan, so it’s truthful when you’ve by no means heard of it. Within the sport, you play as a resurrected robotic ninja who has to cease an evil empire and the resurrection of their chief. Which jogs my memory, I must replay Cyber Shadow. That sport rocks.
In any case, the Mirai Ninja arcade sport was developed with the intention of releasing a companion characteristic movie, so this wasn’t about adapting an current sport right into a film. As a substitute, the sport and film have been made to straight praise one another.
The film’s Japanese title can be Mirai Ninja: Keigumo Kinin Gaiden, translated as Future Ninja: Stealth Pleasure Cloud System Aspect Story. Bless the Japanese and their great titles.
The film would get a variety of totally different titles relying the place it was launched. Throughout the pond within the UK, it was Robo Ninja. My great neighbors to the north received Warlord. Sorry, Canada, you deserved a greater title. And right here within the States, which is how I got here to comprehend it, it was Cyber Ninja however I’m gonna name it by its Japanese title as a result of I’m a loser weeb.
Now, earlier than really speaking about Mirai Ninja itself, I feel I must right an omission from a earlier video. In my video on Guyver: Darkish Hero – which I’d additionally love so that you can watch so my lovely kitty doesn’t starve to loss of life – I uncared for to say the time period tokusatsu, which is utilized in Japanese live-action productions to indicate a heavy use of particular results.
Over time, tokusatsu additionally turned a time period that utilized to a selected fashion of particular results manufacturing, like what’s seen in Japanese TV collection resembling Kamen Rider or the Tremendous Sentai collection. And Mirai Ninja is about as pure tokusatsu as you will get. I might watch these exploding sparks time and again.
For the reason that sport and film have been being produced collectively, the Mirai Ninja film was intentionally attempting to be as trustworthy because it might to the arcade sport. A lot in order that the director and co-writer of the movie, Keita Amemiya, additionally labored on the character designs for the sport. All of this results in a film that couldn’t be extra trustworthy to its online game supply materials. The primary stage of the online game is just about straight tailored for the opening credit sequence, and even the music from the sport simply will get new orchestration for the film at occasions.
So the fundamental story of Mirai Ninja goes to look very acquainted to anybody with even the smallest of familiarity with…
The film begins with textual content saying, “As soon as upon a time, in a distant future…”, there may be an evil empire that kidnaps a princess wearing white, a roguish mercenary is employed to rescue her, there’s an evil emperor that’s large floating head, want I’m going on? Compulsory assertion of “Star Wars was influenced by samurai cinema, particularly Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress” earlier than somebody within the feedback needs to “Um, really” me.
The extra “not Star Wars” a part of the story is a few soldier who dies at first of the film and is resurrected as a robotic ninja by the Darkish Overlord’s clan. That is our hero, Shiranui, who’s attempting to succeed in the Darkish Overlord’s fortress to reclaim his physique earlier than it and the princess are used to resurrect the Darkish Overlord.
You don’t get way more easy than that, and that’s the smartest thing about Mirai Ninja from a writing perspective. At 75 minutes, it doesn’t overcomplicate itself. As Joe Bob Briggs would say, “There ain’t a number of plot to get in the way in which of the story.” That is about robo ninjas and techno baddies taking pictures lasers and slicing up one another with swords.
Which is the precise smartest thing about Mirai Ninja. That is pure uncut Saturday morning cartoon craziness rendered in the actual world. And it’s simply doing precisely what the online game is. It doesn’t must jam Jack Black into it to make it as widely-appealing as doable. It could possibly replicate and embrace the simplicity of its online game whereas nonetheless managing to inform a functionally melodramatic story about Shiranui due to the viewers understanding he’s really the brother of one other featured character. It’s nothing new however it works.
And when you’re hung up on the story and characters of Mirai Ninja, you go forward and pout whereas I bask within the Edo-style assault walkers and my man, Shoki, the massive evil henchman who finally ends up because the vessel for the resurrected Darkish Overlord. He’s received head tentacles that stab you when you attempt to sneak up on him! Shoki guidelines.
Shiranui guidelines. Mirai Ninja fucking guidelines.
And the one motive extra individuals didn’t really feel that method again when Mirai Ninja launched in 1988 is as a result of the film stayed in Japan as a result of arcade sport not being exported to different nations. It received a house video and English dubbed launch within the ‘90s on VHS and a DVD launch in Japan within the 2000s, however it hasn’t gotten a loving restoration or higher launch on Blu-ray.
And it must for thus many causes. When individuals bemoan about “the online game film curse” that plagued so many variations for many years beginning with Tremendous Mario Bros., they should learn about Mirai Ninja. The primary live-action online game film wasn’t cursed in any respect. In truth, it was produced about in addition to it might’ve been again in 1988.
Keita Amemiya would go on to direct comparable tokusatsu films like Zeiram, two Kamen Rider films, and one different movie that I 100% will do a video on if this one does nicely. Since Mirai Ninja was his first theatrical characteristic, it wants that preservation for his filmography.
And it’s the primary live-action online game film, not Tremendous Mario Bros. That truth alone ought to grant Mirai Ninja a ton of admiration, respect, and a correct modem dwelling video launch for audiences across the globe.
You’ll find a replica of Mirai Ninja out right here in our on-line world, however hopefully we will all look ahead to a day the place a loving high-definition new model could be made. The primary true online game film deserves nothing much less.
Y’all like these sorts of movies about lesser-known flicks or Japanese style stuff? I like doing ‘em even when no person else appears to love them, so let me know within the feedback and just like the video as a result of that’s gonna inform us, “Make extra issues like this!” Subscribe to the channel and I’ll give my kitty a scritch only for you. Thanks for watching and hope you’ll be again subsequent time right here on Big Freakin Robotic.
