House of Ninjas Review 2024 Tv Show Series Season Cast Crew Online

The Japanese drama “House of Ninjas”《忍者之家》premiered on Netflix on February 15, 2024. Set in contemporary Japan, it explores an intriguing premise: what would happen if ninjas remained active in Japanese society during pivotal moments in history? The story focuses on the Tawara family, who decided to forsake their ninja identity following a special mission, as they confront a crisis that could shake the nation.

Kento Kaku not only stars in but also serves as a co-executive producer of what he calls a “life-or-death” production. In the drama, he plays Haru Tawara, the family’s second son, a talented ninja who, due to his excessive kindness, suffers from emotional trauma. The rest of the Tawara family is portrayed by a cast of acclaimed actors, including Yosuke Eguchi as the father Souichi, Tae Kimura as the mother Yoko, Kengo Kora as the eldest son Gaku, Aju Makita as the eldest daughter Nagi, and Nobuko Miyamoto as the mysterious grandmother Taki, all contributing to the narrative of this secretive ninja spy family.

The cast also includes Riho Yoshioka as Karen Ito, a journalist investigating the incident related to the Tawara family six years ago; Tomorowo Taguchi as Majin Hamashi, an operative of a secret organization; Tokio Emoto as Masamitsu Oki, a newcomer providing high-tech support; and Kyusaku Shimada as Kosaku Kuze, the leader of a cleaning squad responsible for erasing ninja evidence. Other characters feature Pierre Taki as Zensuke Omi, a detective investigating a theft; Mariko Tsutsui as Toko Mukai, a policy research council president once saved by the Tawara family; and Tenta Banka as Riku Tawara, the only son unaware of his family’s secrets. The drama showcases how the Tawara family confronts a threat that could destabilize the nation.

“House of Ninjas” Ending Review and Explained

Netflix’s original Japanese drama “House of Ninjas” barely passes muster overall, at least surpassing the general production level of current Japanese TV stations. However, it is not without its flaws. From a critical standpoint, the plot is quite dull and predictable, lacking in elements of surprise. The portrayal of villains is overly obvious, making them easily identifiable at a glance. Even significant plot twists in the drama, such as the return of Gaku Tawara, are easily anticipated by the audience, who can guess that he has become a member of the Fuma clan.

In terms of the design of the action scenes, although there is an attempt to mimic the style of “Rurouni Kenshin,” the martial arts movements in the drama are too traditional and monotonous. The ninjas still use katanas as their primary weapon, which seems somewhat outdated for ninjas who have been fighting from the Edo period to the modern era. In the climax of the story, the Special Assault Team (SAT) should be able to easily resolve the issue with firearms, yet the decision is made to have four ninjas specializing in assassination fight enemies with katanas inside a factory, a design choice that clearly does not align with contemporary styles.

As for the considerations of the director and screenwriters, perhaps they insist that the Special Assault Team cannot defeat ninjas, but if that is the case, there should at least be a scene demonstrating this. Otherwise, is there really a need for masked individuals, who only use katanas and do not understand ninjutsu, to replace the police in solving the problem? It seems that simply allowing the police to eliminate all members of the Fuma clan and claiming they dealt with a group of criminals posing as ninjas would suffice.

If Hattori Hanzo and Fuma Kotaro knew how their descendants performed in the modern era, they would probably be so angry they’d rise from their graves. With the Hattori family reduced to just seven people in the Reiwa era, including Gaku Tawara who died in a mission, it’s hard to imagine this as the result of national control. If ninjas were truly so useful, why not form a special agent group and train more ninjas?

The ancient ninja families being controlled by a small team from the nation, not even allowed to date or bring a girl home without facing execution, and having to marry through arranged meetings is absurd. Doesn’t arranged marriage also require explaining the ninja family background? I thought that Karen Ito, following Haru Tawara home, would marry into the Tawara family and become a future ninja, but the national agency chose to forcibly separate them and even threatened to kill Karen Ito. The script design seems off; the state cannot manage ninjas’ participation in missions but can control whom they marry! Hattori Hanzo, your lineage is at risk of ending!

The Fuma clan becoming villains in the modern era, although their name sounds crazy, does not mean they are insane! Ninjas turning into cult leaders! If they were really that powerful, with thirty thousand followers in Japan, why bother being ninjas and staging a solar eclipse? Just continue preaching and gather more followers, which would be far more influential than being ninjas. The descendants of the Hojo clan even kneel to Fuma Kotaro; if Hojo Soun knew his ninjas had turned out like this, he would probably also be angry enough to rise from his grave.

Regarding the settings, apart from the house reconstructed from the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu dojo in “Rurouni Kenshin,” most scenes incorporate modern elements, with the frequent appearance of the Hojo family’s Odawara Castle resembling more of a tourism promotion. The ninjas in the drama lack a sense of mystery, with ninjutsu mainly limited to throwing shuriken and slashing with katanas or wakizashis, failing to showcase the unique ninjutsu of ancient ninjas or new techniques developed by combining modern technology. The initially mysterious and powerful grandmother character ends up fleeing from the Fuma clan, disappointing audiences who expected her to demonstrate her formidable strength.

“House of Ninjas” seems to be laying the groundwork for a second season, but from the audience’s perspective, it appears to waste the ninja theme that could easily attract significant interest. The drama sets up for the next season by having the descendants of the Fuma clan choose a descendant of Hattori Hanzo to become the 20th Fuma Kotaro, a plot decision that seems incredible.

“House of Ninjas” fails to fully showcase the mysterious and powerful abilities of ninjas, a regret for audiences looking forward to seeing ninjas exhibit extraordinary skills. If the ninjas in the drama had modernized equipment like in “Kingsman,” such as bulletproof ninja suits, shurikens with guidance systems, and various high-tech modern weapons, the entertainment value and excitement of the series would undoubtedly increase significantly.

Such settings would not only make the ninja character more in line with contemporary audience expectations but also integrate more innovative elements beyond the traditional ninja hiding in the shadows, making the story more engaging. Hopefully, in the future second season, the production team will explore these possibilities, making the image and story of ninjas more vivid and modernized.

Finally, I want to point out a nitpick: the characters in the drama keep emphasizing that they are “Shinobi” not “Ninjas,” yet the English title is still “House of Ninjas” — what’s up with that?! XD