House of Ninjas
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| House of Ninjas | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Dave Boyle |
| Written by | Masahiro Yamaura and Kata Oura |
| Directed by | Dave Boyle Kento Kaku |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language | Japanese |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | February 15, 2024 |
House of Ninjas (Japanese: 忍びの家, Hepburn: Shinobi no Ie) is a Japanese television series developed by Dave Boyle for Netflix based on a story by Kento Kaku (acting as co-executive producer),[1] Yoshiaki Murrao and Takafumi Imai.[2] It stars Kaku as the protagonist, alongside Yōsuke Eguchi, Tae Kimura, Kengo Kora, Aju Makita, Nobuko Miyamoto, and Riho Yoshioka. It follows a family of ninjas, known as shinobi, as they struggle to connect as a family and return to the shinobi lifestyle.
House of Ninjas was released worldwide on February 15, 2024.[3]
Premise
[edit]The series revolves around the Tawaras, a shinobi family that lives in a traditional 'house of ninjas' in present-day Japan and are descended from Hattori Hanzo.[4] Six years ago, the eldest son died during a mission to rescue a kidnapped politician, and the Tawaras abandoned their role in the government. They aim to be a normal family, but struggle with some idiosyncratic dysfunctions. When a new crisis unfolds, however, the family is drawn back into the shadows of its past.
Cast
[edit]- Kento Kaku as Haru Tawara
- The second-oldest son of the Tawara family of ninjas. He feels responsible for the death of his older brother Gaku, who was killed by an assailant whom Haru spared.
- Yōsuke Eguchi as Soichi Tawara
- The patriarch of the Tawara family of ninjas and a descendent of Hattori Hanzō. Since the death of his oldest son Gaku, he has since retired from ninja duties and relegated his life to running the family brewery as a normal civilian, not knowing that his remaining son, daughter, and wife have secretly continued using their abilities for missions.
- Tae Kimura as Yoko Tawara
- The wife of Soichi and a small-time shoplifter who is the first to secretly utilize her skills for a mission regarding the cruiser six years ago from which her son Gaku had died on.
- Kengo Kora as Gaku Tawara
- The oldest son of the Tawara family who was killed six years ago during a mission to rescue a kidnapped politician.
- Aju Makita as Nagi Tawara
- The only daughter of the Tawara family and a college student who utilized her skills to commit a series of high-profile museum thefts that gets her involved in a public conspiracy.
- Nobuko Miyamoto as Taki Tawara
- The grandmother and Soichi's mother.
- Riho Yoshioka as Karen Ito
- A journalist whom Haru meets regularly at a beef bowl restaurant. She becomes involved when her paper assigns her to investigate a case that Hamashima informs Haru to stop her from doing so.
- Tomorowo Taguchi as Jin Hamashima
- The head of the Bureau of Ninja Management who assigns missions to the Tawara family.
- Bambi Naka as Ayame
- An assassin working for the Gentenkai cult.
- Tokio Emoto as Masamitsu Oki
- A junior member of the Bureau of Ninja Management working under Hamashima.
- Mariko Tsutsui as Touko Mukai
- A high-profile politician who was the subject of a kidnapping six years ago, but was rescued by the Tawara family on the day her kidnappers' ransom was announced.
- Kyusaku Shimada as Kosaku Kuze
- A cleaner and interrogator for the Bureau of Ninja Management
- Pierre Taki as Zensuke Omi
- A police detective investigating the ninja conflict between the Tawara and Fuma.
- Tenta Banka as Riku Tawara
- The youngest son of the Tawara family with no knowledge of the ninja activities of his family.
- Takayuki Yamada as Yosuke Tsujioke,
- The leader of the Gentenkai cult. He is the 19th "Fuma Kotaro" of the Fuma clan and was the man whom Haru spared six years ago.
- Aoba Kawai as Mori Mayuko
- The new sales manager at Tawara Brewery with a mysterious past.
Episodes
[edit]| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Offer" | Dave Boyle and Kento Kaku | Dave Boyle | February 15, 2024 |
| 2 | "The Trail" | Dave Boyle | Masahiro Yamaura and Kota Oura | February 15, 2024 |
| 3 | "The Flower" | Dave Boyle | Kota Oura and Masahiro Yamaura | February 15, 2024 |
| 4 | "The Resurrection" | Yoshiaki Murao | Kota Oura and Masahiro Yamaura | February 15, 2024 |
| 5 | "The Confession" | Yoshiaki Murao | Masahiro Yamaura and Kota Oura | February 15, 2024 |
| 6 | "The Stranger" | Dave Boyle and Kento Kaku | TBD | February 15, 2024 |
| 7 | "The Trade" | Dave Boyle and Kento Kaku | TBD | February 15, 2024 |
| 8 | "The Eclipse" | Dave Boyle and Kento Kaku | TBD | February 15, 2024 |
Reception
[edit]The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating based on 7 critic reviews.[5]
Netflix reported that in February 2024, the show is number one in the Weekly Global Top 10 (Non-English) in the second week of release.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (September 8, 2022). "Netflix's House of Ninjas Live-action Series Slated for Worldwide Release in 2024". Crunchyroll. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 3, 2024). "'House Of Ninjas' Kento Kaku & Dave Boyle Launch Production Company Signal181". Deadline. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ Kelley, Aidan (February 14, 2024). "Where to Watch 'House of Ninjas': Premiere Date, Episode Schedule, and More". Collider.
- ^ "なぜネトフリ｢忍びの家｣が世界中でヒットしているのか…ただの｢忍者×ホームドラマ｣では終わらない奥深さ". PRESIDENT Online (in Japanese). March 17, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
- ^ "House of Ninjas: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ "'House of Ninjas' Has Now Risen to Rank #1 in Netflix's Weekly Global Top 10 (Non-English) In It's Second Week of Release". Netflix. February 28, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
