Hello Ninja

TV Series Review

Kids have active imaginations–some more than others. And Wesley, his orange cat named Pretzel, and his best friend, Georgie, are known for their creativity. Wesley’s mom, dad and super-wise grandma, Baa Chan, know more than most.

Some days, with Baa Chan’s oversight, Wesley and Georgie will tackle a new thing that seems like it’d be simple, like baking a cake, making a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich or babysitting a rabbit. But sometimes things go awry. And when the task is too tough to handle, all they have to do is pretend to transform into super-fast, agile ninjas to get the job done.

Trust me, with this ninja trio (including, naturally, Pretzel the cat) nothing is impossible.

Three Ninjas. One Wild Ride

Based on the book written by N.D. Wilson, “Hello, Ninja” comes to life in this new Netflix animated series.

Each 12-minute episode typically begins with Wesley’s grandma, Baa Chan, doling out a life-lesson that all “ninjas” need to learn: How to be responsible, patient, even-tempered and wise in difficult situations, for instance. And once Baa Chan says her part, Wesley bows his head, says “hello ninja” and transforms into a ninja alongside Georgie and cat sidekick, Pretzel.

Naturally, being a ninja means way more than kicking your way through the house. For this trio, it means pretending to be in ancient Japan, leaving a dojo and following a mystical purple dragon named Kuma who leads them to their “critical mission,” which just might be cleaning spilled milk off the floor.

It’s a show aimed at preschoolers and is jam-packed with silly stunts, bright colors and important life lessons. Yes, there are some ancient Japanese roots here, as the kids “call on” naturalistic, spirit-like attributes, such as the speed of cheetahs, the stillness of stones or the agility of monkeys to accomplish the task at hand. But the bulk of the show focuses more on the power of imagination and what’s learned than on ancient, mystical powers.