The High Flying "House of Ninjas"

Just started watching the new NETFLIX series "House of Ninjas" and so far, it is a real HOOT!!! The Story: The last descendants of an old and legendary Ninja Clan, the TAWARAS, have been living normal lives among the commoners after the death of one of their family during a mission causes them to abandon their darker pasts and "go straight". But they have found that it is harder than it seems!

Father Souichi (Yosuke Eguchi) is the one trying his hardest to go legit, running the sake brewery that has been passed down through the generations as a front for their covert activites. But with dwindling sales and an aversion from getting "government" help, he is clearly struggling. And it doesn't help that at home, no one seems to respect his decision!

Mom Yoko (Tae Kimura) is a bit more lenient on slipping into her old ways and spends her free time shoplifting minor items form the supermarket for kicks. But when a real mission comes up, she eagerly accepts, careful not to let hubby know!

As well, young daughter Nagi (Aju Makita)  has never truly abandoned her ninja roots and has kept up her skills, keeping fit and training every night, stealing precious artifacts from the Museum of Art for the pure challenge of it all!

The one who is the hardest hit by the death of the family member is son Haru (Kento Kaku), as the one killed was his older brother Gaku (Kengo Kora), and Haru feels personally responsible for his death. 

He has been haunted by nightmares of that fateful night and has spend the last few years keeping to himself, working nights as a vending machine stocker, avoiding others.

But this changes when he happens across a pretty girl who frequents the late-night joint where he gets his meals. She is extremely pretty and Haru wuld love to ask her out. But he dares not. If it is up to him, nothing will happen... but unbelievably, they hit it off and it is the girl herself who asks HIM out on a date! Haru is thrilled but he will find there is more to this girl than meets the eye.

Her name is Karen Ito (Riho Yoshioka), and she is an intrepid journalist for a conspiracy-type magazine. At the moment she is investigating a horrific incident on a cruise ship where every passenger aboard was poisoned and killed, and part of the reason she asks him out is to accompany her on some of her investigating!

Despite being warned by others to avoid this problematic girl who sticks her nose where it doesn't belong, he of course grabs any opportunity to be with her. And before he knows it, Haru soon finds himself helping and protecting this girl as the unseen enemies try to silence her and her informants!

By some coincidence, this terroristic attack is also being followed by a secret agency called the BNM- the Bureau of Ninja Management whose job it is to facilitate operations and keep track of all agents. They have asked Souichi for his help in looking into the attacks, but the stern father flatly refuses to go back to ninja-like business.

But there is a darker fate being planned for the fate of Japan when it is revealed that the first attack on the cruise ship is just the beginning and that the cult responsible for it GENTENKAI, led by the enigmatic leader Tsujioka (Takayuki Yamada), has even BIGGER catastrophes planned and even MORE deaths!

And with  Gentekai's wicked agents all about working undercover, it may soon be too much for even the level headed Souichiro to ignore and the time may come for the legendary TAWARA Ninja Clan to live once more!

I'm only about 3 episodes into the series, but must say how BLOWN AWAY I am at House of Ninja's production and execution-intriguing characters and compelling story and oh my GOSH the ACTION scenes- more than your usual twist and tumble tussles (though there is some of that), the choreography of the fighting is creative and innovative along the style of John Wick, with the battlers using what EVER objects they can get their hands on to inflict damage upon their assailants!

And then there's Riho Yoshioka.  OH MY, you all already know how much I ADORE this girl, and House of Ninjas makes the MOST of her- she easily captivates her scenes whenever she steps into them and you realize how charismatic she can be!

Really, her role here as Karen Ito is so cool and compelling that I'm finding myself falling back head over heels in love with her and am on the verge of yet another  "Crush of The Day" post about her! But as I've already recently done one (for her turn as the time tripping girl in "Toki wo Kakeruna Koibitotachi"), this time I'll try to constrain myself and leave the gushing here!

PS: Ooh, and if that wasn't enough, they ALSO pay a visit to the good old reliable "Love Distance" Apartment Complex, a deja-vu scene I haven't seen in awhile!

I'm telling ya, this drama really has it all!!!!