Hey everybody! Writing this from the 106-degree Southern California heat, so pardon any sort of fever-dream / sun-stroked quality to my prose…

Several physical media releases to talk about, but alas I can’t quite yet reveal one that I myself am integral to quite yet. When that news is finally cleared for public consumption, there will be a dedicated issue focused entirely on that news.

In the meantime, lets ZIP right into some other must-have discs.

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ZIPANG finally coming to hi-def!

Kaizo Hayashi‘s incredibly fun 1990 Japanese fantasy epic ZIPANG is finally coming to Blu thanks to Toy Robot. After hacking his way through parodies of Kurozukin, Zatoichi, Tange Sazen, even a musketeer, a sword-slinging kabuki actor/adventurer joins a quest between dimensions and centuries for a mystical pre-historic sword.

Pursued by a cute-as-hell pistol packin’ bounty hunter and a ninja with high-tech bamboo-punk weaponry, he encounters berserk cavemen, stone-age warriors, mechanical ancient astronauts and mythological gods right out of the old paintings. It’s a pretty amazing romp, with plenty of appeal for jidai-geki, ninja, anime, mech and ancient fantasy fans alike. I cannot wait for this! We wrote it up years ago here.

You wanted more HO’s, you got more HO’s!!!

Neon Eagle is back at it again with the ultra-beyond-deluxe package of the Godfrey Ho cut-together Diamond Ninja Force. Read all about it at the always recommended City on Fire.

It’s been 10 years, about time for another Sanada…

Once a decade, sometimes multiple times per decade, we get a version of the ‘Ten Sanada Braves’ story adapted into film, TV, anime or video game, and the 2020s will be no different. Coming this October to Japanese cinemas is what looks to be a fantasy-oriented version with the Anglicized title SHADOWS OF THE TEN NINJA. The character design looks rich and all over the map, from grungy to wacky.

The Sanada Braves concept is simple at its core — the historical military genius Sada Yukimura, in over his head as the Tokugawa close in on the Toyotomi in a final siege of Osaka, has ten ‘musketeers’ in his service. Often portrayed as outright ninja, or rag-tag samurai re-trained in guerrilla warfare and ninjutsu, they are vanguarded by ace ninja Sarutobi Sasuke and Saizo the Mist. From a source novel that dates back to the Edo period, modern adaptations have ranged from multi-film epics in the 50s and 60s, TV series from the 70s to the 90s, special effects-laden romps like Renegade Ninjas in the 80s, manga/anime tie-ins like Samurai Deeper Kyo into the 2000s, on and on. If you like old school ninjutsu magician swashbucklers, check out Ninjutsu Sanada-Jo and Ninjutsu Osaka-Jo from 1960. The 1989 Sanada Yukimura TV series was also star-laden.

Speaking of the Braves… New on blu from FarEastFlix:

In addition to several mandatory classics like Seventeen Ninja 1 & 2 and The Ninja Hunt, FEF continues to surprise with some obscure TV movies coming to BluRay. Despite the AI slop cover art, I can highly recommend FEMALE KIRIGAKURE SAIZO: A WARRING STATES ERA NINJA CHRONICLE, although I’d have just called it “Lady Saizo the Mist” — not sure why they got so long-winded on the title. Anyway, its a nifty flick wherein Saizo the Mist is slain in battle and passes is legendary ninjutsu magic to his little sister, who then assumes his role in the Sanada Braves.

Random vintage trailer drop:

I’ve always found the tone and clip choice of the original Castle of Owls trailer a bit odd, but this is my all-time favorite ninja movie so I share it whenever I can…

Also a reminder by the time you’re reading this, at least one of the two pending Ninja Wars blu releases will be hitting the streets, too. I got a shipping notice yesterday from the Australian label, and Toy Robot’s inventory should be hitting in the States any day now.

You might be getting another issue this week if the label I did some work for recently gives the green light, so stay tuned!

Keith J. Rainville — September 2026