The Agony and the Ecstacy of Ninjai
An example of precisely what you want to do to your fans: Present for them an irresistibly engaging story, with memorable characters, exceptional sound design / mix, and evocative musical score. Ninjai: The Little Ninja does this, and then some. (WARNING: Graphic violence, some adult language)
An example of precisely what you DO NOT want to do to your fans: Present most, but not all, of your story, and then disappear from the face of planet Earth. Ninjai: The Little Ninja does this, and then some. Twelve completely entrancing episodes, no closure… and some fans have been waiting two and a half years since that twelfth episode was released, hoping a number 13 will appear… to no avail. A whole lot of rumors and some serious bitterness going on in corners of that fan forum, let me tell you… and who can blame them? It’s a major karmic infraction in the world of story / film.
That being said, the Ninjai Gang sure did respond quickly to a MySpace friend request (link), and rumor has it they are taking Ninjai to some kind of larger distribution channel… perhaps even the big screen. So much as it might seem futile… I’ll not take my eye off what they’re doing. And if the internet version of their production is any indication of what is to come, it’ll be worth the wait.
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Count me in the disgruntled masses. In the dark hours I still find myself checking the site for updates. It is a shame. No matter what is going on the forums, the silent masses (people like me) are just as disappointed. On the other hand, I did criticize Afterworld when they had their long break and they have picked up nicely.
The question is: how much momentum did a series that started as promising as Afterworld lose when they went down the path of delays, empty music videos, and false promises?
Comment by michael — November 15, 2007 @ 11:05 am
yep i was one of those fans - actually started my interest in animation and iClone. my favorite character is that professor with tourettes in the second episode…Last i heard the gang was working on a live action movie called karmakula - but then again info about karmakula first surfaced 2 years ago, still nothing other than a teaser in youtube
Comment by animatechnica — November 15, 2007 @ 2:09 pm