Streaming Sleepers: In SHOGUN’S NINJA, Love And Female Ninjas Go Hand-In-Hand
The rebrand and launch of SVOD/FAST label 24/7 Samurai Shinobi is making way for a new space for Japanese action content in 2025 with the release of Koichi Sakamoto’s Shogun’s Ninja. The movie special plays on some similar themes explored in Norifumi Suzuki’s 1980 period classic while venturing into a new story all its own, casting Himena Yamada and Kanon Miyahara in the titular roles.
The story covers a sweeping narrative tale of vengeance and redemption at a time of tenuous peace during the reign of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Oddjobbers Okyo (Miyahara) and Kagaribi (Yamada) ply their trade as assassins as best as they can despite their clashing personalities, while their partnership is soon put to the test with the violent kidnapping of their friend, Oran, played by actress Nashiko Momotsuki.
Efforting to rescue her, little do they know that doing so will affirm them as targets of a government unyielding in its push to preserve the Tokugawa bloodline at any cost; Central to the dramatization here is the pseudo-requited love between the Shogun, Iemitsu (Raiga Terasaka), and his servant-cum-lover, Matajuro (Ryuma Hashido). The purity of their love notwithstanding, the Yagyu clan and the cold-hearted Lady Ofuku (Ayane) have themselves duty-bound to making sure Iemitsu bears a child to keep the bloodline going.
The film aptly explores how that plays out in its inclusive tale of queer romance, interwoven family drama, political upheaval, and revenge. The roles of Okyo and Kakaribi lend plentily to the film’s bubbly side to even-out the incumbent tragedy and gloom that looms ahead; There’s a running gag where Okyo is obsessed with lengthily introducing their occupation before Kagaribi cuts her off, which is hilarious.
Sakamoto layers it all nice and thick with his usual style of coordination that puts the cast in focus, lending some amazing 1v1 and 2v1 moments amid scrimmages of weapons and fisticuffs. That also means getting an eyeful of co-stars Katsuya Takagi, Julia Nagano, and celebrated Tokusatsu vet Seiji Takaiwa, and Ryuma Hashido in the action, with actress Fumi Taniguchi turning some heads in a role with a twist that brilliantly rears its when it’s time.
At a little under eighty minutes with ads in-between if you’re not a paid sub to the 24/7 Samurai Shinobi channel, Shogun’s Ninja does the work of delivering what the cast and crew do best. Toku fans ought to get a kick out of this one as well, particularly with Takaiwa involved, and with Miyahara and Yamada making for a helluva duo to enjoy.
Shogun’s Ninja is now streaming for free with ad-support on the 24/7 Samurai Shinobi channel on YouTube. The player will give you the options to watch the film with choices subtitles and audio, so be sure to open the settings button and choose your preferences accordingly.
