322. Master Ninja I (1984)

I hate to say it, but in context that makes sense. I’d scream a lot if some creep was trying to assault me, too.

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That’s right, I forgot about the context. It’s been a chunk of time since I’ve last seen the episode; I just remember her voice sounding noticeably raw.

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Completely agree that they nail everything about that segment, but it’s in Master Ninja II. :grin:

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! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Oh snap, good call! Much obliged on the correction there, thank ya!

[looks around all embarrassed-like]

[quickly wanders away]

[tries to say something clever, ends up mumbling like Timothy Van Patten]

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Rewatched this tonight.

Had totally forgotten about this:
Joel and Tom: “Scarecrow”
Crow: “Scare me”

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Master Ninja are solid eps.

I’m not surprised that they cast Lee. It’s the Old Master trope of a Japanese warrior whose years of experience outweigh the decline of age, particularly since the careful diet, activity, training regimen, etc. supposedly slow the aging process. The only thing missing is that the Old Master in Chinese and Japanese film is usually a heavy drinker and/or a letcher. Ideally the role should have been given to a Japanese actor, but, despite the whole show being built around Japanese mythos, Hollywood would never approve of a non-white lead. Same exact thing happened with Carradine in Kung Fu.

What is a little odd is that Sho Kosugi, who did the fight choreography and played the Japanese ninja who tries to kill Lee in every episode, was also Lee’s stunt double. I guess they got another stunt double for the ninja vs ninja fight scenes.

It’s the “-chucks” prop comedy that brings back memories for me. I was playing Feng Shui with some friends in college. For those familiar with TTRPGs, it’s a GURPS module. Basically, a D&D-like game designed to feel like the game you’re playing is a martial arts movie. Instead of rounds, turns are counted in “scenes.” My character was an Everyman Hero, similar to a typical Jackie Chan role. Just a guy off the street who seems perfectly ordinary and unremarkable, but he’s a talented martial artist with a penchant for using random things around him as improvised weapons. (A friend played an Old Master, who gets powerful attacks but very few HP.) Anyway…

We were in the woods outside the enemy temple we’d just defeated, and the temple exploded just before we were beset by another wave of enemies. I looked around and asked the DM if the explosion had left any dazed groundhogs within view. He, knowing me, very firmly said no. “Aww. But I wanted to use my improvised weapon skill and grab a pair of numb woodchucks! (They wouldn’t be hurt because they’re already numb so it’s okay…)” The DM affirmed that he was not going to let that happen, but I still got to enjoy the entire room of friends glaring at me.

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What Do We Do with These Here Tokens.

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No way. Who wants to compete against Johnny?

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I must have missed that fad as another boy from the 80s. I never felt the Ninja trend till the 90s. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was my only clue and I chalked that to the show not some larger theme in pop culture.

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The Ninja Turtles started as a comic book in the 80s and there was definitely a ninja craze then, helped by arcade games being imported from Japan with ninjas in them (Shinobi being an especially popular example).

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Also, the coolest G.I. Joe character was a ninja. (Ignore Shipwreck and the dog.)

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After the fact I saw that. Double Dragon the videogame is steeped in it.

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Cannon’s American Ninja (1985) starring Michael Dudikoff is a prime example.

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Really, the 80s was a time when Japanese culture started making its first tentative footsteps into the American zeitgeist. You had the occasional hit before that, like Speed Racer or Kurasawa’s films, but suddenly people started getting into Japan.

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And of course Big Trouble in Little China (1986).

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Best.
Episode.
Ever.

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Lo Pan wins! Scene-chewality!

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image

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My favorite riff in this one might be in the first epis… I mean, the first half of the movie. As seen above in the clip @BruceLeePullen posted, Joel’s line as Lee breaks the pool cue on his own neck: “Uh, hey, uh, it unSCREWS!” Timed so well with the snapping of the cue.

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What was even the point of him wrecking the bar? The Evil Sheriff was in the bar, so there was reason to fight him, but why go around destroying the vending machines and jukeboxes and everything?

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