Lego Ninjago: Episode 1, Way of the Ninja

Yes, yes, for those of you who are familiar with the series, you have every right to tell me I am a couple of years late. You are correct. But since the last topic was Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse, I thought it would be nice to discuss another iconic toy-turned-series.

Legos. Some of you may remember them, before they got super-commercialized and over-marketed as a toy only for boys (I actually owned one of these blue buckets!!!!):

Back then, it was absolutely possible to buy a Lego set that wasn't from a television show:

Sadly, times are different. But, seeing as the Lego: Ninjago series has become such a cultural force, it would be best to confront it rather than run from it. Ninja-style!!!!

I know that the Ninjago series will be entering its third season, but I decided to start with the first episode of the first season, since I have only watched the series intermittently in the past.

The episode starts out ordinarily enough, with the as-yet unnamed Old Mysterious Asian Guy coming into a sword shop run by Kai, the blacksmith, and his sister, Nya. The Old Mysterious Asian guy says something pseudo-profound (like something from a fortune cookie), the sword shop gets attacked, and all heck breaks loose. Nya, the only female for miles around gets kidnapped by the bad guys (of course), Kai begins his ninja training with the Old Man, who now has a name (Master Wu), and so our story begins.

Innocuous-sounding enough, right? No sex, drugs, or violence (wait, no, there's violence!) But there are plenty of ninjas. Who doesn't love ninjas? Ninjas are fun. Like pirates or cowboys.

...except that, if you're going to talk about ninjas (I'm looking at you, Cartoon Network!) Please keep your cultural references straight!

In the opening sequence, Kai and the Old Man are talking about samurai and ninja. Both are names of different kinds of warriors from Japan. So obviously, one would think, the Land of Ninjago is based on a village from old Japan, if a village from old Japan were made out of Lego. So if Kai and Nya are Japanese, why is Nya wearing Chinese clothing? (See illustration below. Just pretend the blouse on the left is red).

Why does the ninja master from Ninjago (Master Wu), have the tenth most common Chinese name in Mainland China, according to Wikipedia?

Samurai met their official end in the late 1800s. If Ninjago is loosely based on late 1800s Japan (yes, yes, I know it's a television show, but still) could it be that Master Wu and Nya are just incredibly open-minded, or is it that the creators of the show don't know the different between China and Japan?

I'll let you decide, gentle reader. The only cool thing about the first episode for me, was when Nya helped her brother fight when their shop was under attack. Nya can kick butt! Now, if we could only get her in some culturally-correct clothing....

Coming soon, a new design for the blog, and a review of a vintage cartoon!!! Can't wait to see you there!

Photo Credits

All photos were used for illustration purposes only. No profit was made from them, nor am I associated with any of the web sites or companies listed below.

The original picture of the Lego CITY set can be found here.

And at the same web site, the Lego bucket.

The Chinese blouse was taken from here.

Here is the original picture of Nya

And lastly, Kai the Ninja!

Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse

Before I begin my post about Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse (a post you're all dying to read, I know) I'd like to take a minute to say, that I haven't been paid to review anything that appears on this website. In the event that I have been paid (woo hoo!), I will make sure to post it here on the blog. In the meantime, you can be sure that everything I write is my free and honest opinion.

Back to the blog.

If you watch television with your son or daughter, you've likely seen the commercials for the Barbie Dreamhouse. (For some reason I could only find the German version of the commercial. If you want to see it, you can click here). You've also probably seen the short ad that comes after it, advertising the web television show, Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse. Oddly enough, my daughter didn't bother me about getting a Dreamhouse. She seemed more intrigued by the web show, and kept begging me to let her log on and watch it. Finally, after the ten gazillionth plea, I relented.

I really, really, really wanted to hate the series. I had decided, even before watching, that there would be nothing of value to my daughter in the show. Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse? Come on! Isn't each web show just a long commercial for the toy?

But after watching one episode, I am ashamed to say, I really, really, really like the series.

As of writing there are 31 episodes, each about three minutes long. There are also some extras like music videos, and Barbie's little sister's reading fan mail. Each episode deals with Barbie and her friends' (mis)adventures in and around the Malibu Dreamhouse. Although the show is being used to endlessly promote the toy, as well as the Barbie brand (I haven't even tackled the endless activities and games on the Barbie web site, though I plan on doing that in a future post) which I HATE, the show itself is smart and funny, which I LOVE. It constantly pokes fun at the Barbie brand, reality television, commercialism, and the over-the-top Malibu lifestyle. Episode 22 shows what happens when there's a glitter shortage in Malibu. Episode 29 shows what happens when Ken tries to get a life that doesn't involve Barbie--with crazy results. Each episode has something to giggle about.

The only thing that gives me pause about the series is the racial tokenism. Barbie has exactly one African-American friend (Nikki), and one Latina friend (Teresa). Barbie's enemy, Raquelle, has black hair and could be seen as Asian or also Latina. (The name Raquelle brings to mind the actress Raquel Welch, an American actress of Bolivian descent). I think it's great that the Barbie series has a diverse cast, but the characters don't really seem to have any shape or form of their own outside of Barbie. (See Episode 31, "Let's Make a Doll"). I question the judgement of the series creators in giving Raquelle black hair. Even in the name of diversity, why should the villain have darker hair and darker skin? What does this say about our perceptions of dark-haired, darker-skinned people in America?

Overall, I would rate this web series as safe, and even enjoyable to watch with your kids. I WOULD however, be ready to ask and answer tough questions about race in America, especially if your child, like mine, is a child of color.

To watch the Barbie:Life in the Dreamhouse series, click here.

Thoughts on this anyone?

Next post, boys' media!!! (I personally don't believe in strictly for boys or girls television shows, but I know that marketing and culture would mark certain television shows, movies, and toys as such.) So, see you soon! In the meantime, don't forget to comment.