Hollywood has a samurai fetish. Whether it¡¯s ¡°Kill Bill,¡± ¡°Westworld¡± or the acclaimed new FX remake of the ¡°Shogun¡± miniseries, samurai often prove to be a one-way ticket to pop culture cool ¡ª and thus given a glamorous portrayal.
This is starkly different from the depiction of ninja, even in the recent, skillfully produced Netflix series ¡°House of Ninjas.¡± This divergence is remarkable, considering the ninja likely sparked many of our initial ¡°Japan is cool¡± moments in childhood.
The entertainment world¡¯s differing representations of the two iconic figures, however, align with the true-to-life Japanese experience with the samurai and ninja: The former were the glitterati of the warrior class, decked in shiny armor and touting to the strict ethos of Bushido, and the ninja were seen as dishonorable.
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