Little Ninjai

Ninjai - The Little Ninja

From the site: Ninjai, The Little Ninja is our online action/adventure series. We invite you to join Ninjai on his exciting, enlightening and sometimes humorous journey as he travels throughout the Ancient World.

For some reason, the other night I remembered to check up on news of the Little Ninjai. This is a little internet fun that I have followed since it began.  As many others did, I became frustrated with the long wait between chapters and lack of inactivity and fell out of touch with it. I will give them some slack.  I guess.  ;) The designers are not paid, and in the beginning, Ninjai's popularity spiked and drained their web space, etc.  The latest news as of January 2010 is that they are expecting to complete their first Ninjai feature for theatrical release, Ninjai, the Little Ninja.

So far, it's a charming and often funny series about a little ninja trying to find his path and learn about his past. The story is clever if sometimes non-sensical. The characters are always quirky and memorable (look out for the adorable bird!). The voices of the entire cast are great, especially Ninjai. Let me not forget the visuals. Though every character but Ninjai is a bit cartoony for me, the landscapes and backgrounds are often breathtaking and keenly detailed. And the music is original and enjoyable. It's unique, fun, and entertaining. If you have a few minutes, at least visit the site and watch the first chapter. The chapters are short, usually just a few minutes, so the story doesn't get very far. The creators have been teasing with about the movie idea for a while.  I'm not holding my breath.

Slight warning: this series is not for children. There is often blood and strong language.  But really, still charming.

Here is the first chapter. The quality of this recording from YouTube isn't great; I highly recommend visiting the website to view them (it is free); I just can't post those here. This at least will give you a taste of it.