Kevin Mareletse
Batman Ninja is a bold, stylistic take on the Batman franchise, incorporating ancient Japanese culture, Batman lore and the mecha genre of anime. Seemingly transporting many of the main heroes and villains from the Batman story to early Japan by means of time travel, the story is interesting, unfortunately a proper execution of the plot is something left to be desired. This is mainly due to lack of exposition for certain plot devices and transitions from scene to scene feel less natural than they should. Despite all this the film excels in blending the genres and aesthetically the scenes transport you into the world that was created.
Batman Ninja is the latest exploration of the cross between western stories and anime. There have been many attempts in the past with films such as Dragonball Evolution, Ghost in the Shell, and Death Note. Many of these adaptations have failed to integrate some of the anime nuances that first made fans fall for the original story. Lately there has been an improvement with the involvement of Netflix screening original anime such Castlevania, and Seven Deadly Sins. Both receiving positive reviews shows an appreciation on a larger scale which will allow for directors who attempt crossovers to understand how to seemingly transition the two in a better fashion.
The cinematic adaption of these stories is bound to happen, but with time and patience from studios and creators alike the eclipse of the stories seems more possible with interest increasing from audiences worldwide. Batman Ninja is an example of integration taking a step in the right direction as it takes care into maintaining key factors of both tropes from opposite figures of entertainment.
Image: imbd.com
