VicIn this sequel to Batman Ninja, the Batman family has returned to the present to discover that Japan has disappeared, and a giant island — Hinomoto — is now in the sky over Gotham City.
Starring:
Koichi Yamadera, Joe Daniels, Daisuke Ono, Houston Hayes, Akira Ishida, David Matranga, Kengo Kawanishi, Nathan Wilson, Yūki Kaji, Bryson Baugus, Hōchū Ōtsuka, David Harbold, Masaki Terasoma, John Gremillion, Wataru Takagi, Scott Gibbs, Rie Kugimiya, Karlii Hoch, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Benjamin McLaughlin, Romi Park, Molly Searcy, Akio Ōtsuka, Cyrus Rodas, Ayane Sakura, Annie Wild, Takaya Kamikawa, Aaron Campbell, Kazuhiro Yamaji, John Swasey, Tesshō Genda
I was able to see that it was available to watch on the streaming platform HBO MAX. I was curious on the name of the movie and what it could be, so I pushed play haha. I was surprised while watching the Batman Ninja vs Yakuza League that the characters are in Anime. I liked their designs with the Japanese influence as it gave them more character in my opinion. I liked how Jessica Cruz aka Green Lantern was in a Kimona when she attacked Batman and Robin. Also, I liked how Wonder Woman had a Wagasa instead of a shield. This gave their characters a blend of Japanese culture while still being part of the story. There is that word, story, that I should have mentioned first.
The story is pretty good and felt like I was reading straight from a Manga. Japan is gone and Robin has a different hair style. Batman is worried and begins to try to talk to the Justice League…but they are gone too! Then a news report showcases a storm of raining Yakuza men who start to attack the police. Batman and Robin make it out there to save the day but noticed that in the sky there is a city. Once they fly into the city, they find out its Japan which is being ruled by Yakuza. Then, they are attacked by Japanese cultured Yakuza henchmen and henchwoman that were former Justice League heroes. I’m going to stop here…Story is pretty good! Very good If I have to say! There is a lot to the story here but the back story and character drafts are among the best I have seen in an animated movie.
I dig this!
Pro:
- Anime
- I enjoy the Anime designs of each character throughout the movie! Aqua Man, Harley Quinn, Joker, and more looked epic in their Japanese culture designs. I felt that this brought more in depth view of the small things on those characters that pushed out the emotion of the scenes.
- Story
- The story reads just out of a Manga novel! You will see how in depth the story is with the characters and their backgrounds in Japan.
Con:
- Singing
- I know this was suppose to be comic relief or something, I didn’t enjoy the singing. This reminded me of those old Japanese shows or movies where the character would be singing about their distress. I felt it was out of place for the movie, even though it is based in Japan, I still felt it didn’t require it.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Watch Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League on HBO MAX here: https://www.max.com/movies/batman-ninja-vs-yakuza-league/d7aa6310-18ca-4a72-b8c7-ac60cb4c6a24
