Comedy
Dead Boy Detectives
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
For centuries, ninja have protected the realm of Ninjago from countless threats that would strike from other worlds and destroy the land if left unchecked (for proof of that, see Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu and its chronological sequel, Ninjago).
But they weren’t able to stop the Merge.
The cataclysmic event caused the Sixteen Realms to all collide into one. And one Ninjago City resident named Arin had a front-row seat to it all.
Arin watched as the sky tore open and sucked away his home, his friends and family and even all of his heroes, the ninja, with it, leaving him utterly alone. And in place of the portion of Ninjago City that was whisked away stood the Kingdom of Imperium, a technologically advanced civilization which relies entirely on dragon power.
Then Arin watched as the Crossroads, a city made up of displaced people from all the realms, was built on the very place his house used to be.
“Now, I walk the streets with skeleton people, buy food from snail people, sell pies to frog people!” Arin explains.
It’s not all bad—he’s found a great friend in an Imperium girl named Sora. And one day, Arin hopes to make enough money to open a new monastery and train himself and others in the way of the Ninja.
But that’s when Arin and Sora spot a young dragon being chased by Imperium guards who seem keen on capturing and harming the beast. And when they step in to protect it, they find themselves in a bigger story than they bargained for.
One that just might reveal the key to restoring the world back to order.
Well, they’re not quite there yet, but by Season Two, Arin’s found many hints that finding his parents might not just be a pipe dream. After all, finding the Department of Reassignment, which seeks to return people displaced by the Merge back to their original homes, is a welcome hope to him.
What’s more, Arin and Sora have found some of the original ninja, and the Green Ninja, Lloyd, has started personally training Arin in their ways. And they’ve more-or-less discovered the connection between dragons, elemental powers and the Merge itself.
Of course, they haven’t yet been able to defeat the villainous Lord Ras, who still plans to unleash chaos on the world. But at least they prevented the world from ending once already!
However, celebrations will have to wait. Lloyd’s troubled by horrible nightmares—ones that seem to be visions of an impending disaster.
And if they don’t stop that disaster, saving the world once might have ultimately been for nothing.
While Ninjago: Dragons Rising may technically only have two seasons, its story spans much farther back. The show falls after the events of the previous two Ninjago TV shows. So, in a way, this series technically starts viewers off in seasons 16 and 17.
And, for that reason, most people who watch this show have likely been following the Ninjago franchise for some time. If that’s the case, then some good news for you: Dragons Rising, content wise, is more-or-less the same as its predecessors.
But if this show is your first venture into the Ninjago realm (or if you just want a recap), don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
You’ve seen me use the word “realm” often in this review. It’s a word that comes as no surprise to a Ninjago veteran. Ninjago focuses on a group of ninja who fight destructive forces that threaten to wreak havoc on the world—and many of these people or creatures come from different “realms.” And while some of these realms aren’t too different from our own, others house spirits, demons, djinn and more that frequently veer the show into Eastern spirituality.
What’s more, some violence (albeit blocky and bloodless) often pops up. And in one episode, we briefly see a character who has a nonbinary flag stitched onto her sleeve.
But, as we’ve said in previous reviews, Ninjago is a LEGO world, and it is ultimately trying to entertain rather than teach. Even if a character dies, it likely won’t be any worse than one of your child’s actual LEGO pieces falling over. And when those spiritual elements do pop up, the ones associated with destruction are always villainous.
With all that in mind, it’ll be up to you where these ninja go—on your screen or out the door.
Arin and Sora hope to win prize money by winning a mech race. However, when they spot a young dragon being hunted by evildoers, they risk everything to protect the creature.
Robots fire laser blasts. A dragon is injured when it is hit by a laser. A vehicle is tampered with and explodes as a result. Other vehicles are damaged or blown up.
Arin ponders whether there was a “greater purpose” or “reason” behind the Merge. The Ninja use elemental powers. The young dragon “awakens” a magical power within Sora.
Arin and Sora steal from a junkyard.
“Dang” is heard once.
Arin and Sora investigate a string of strange break-ins. Meanwhile, the Green Ninja, Lloyd, suffers from intense prophetic nightmares.
The villainous Lord Ras goes to the Forest of Spirits. It contains a temple which houses “forbidden secrets,” including the key to unlocking the “dark powers of a lost age.” Meanwhile, Lloyd is overtired as a result of his nightmares; he later discovers that those nightmares are visions of what Lord Ras might accomplish. We also see a golden ghostly figure watching Lloyd. A man has the ability to turn himself into smoke, and Arin wonders if it’s an elemental ability.
People fistfight and are knocked to the ground as a result. A car is tipped over.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
An elf mage contemplates on connection and regret as she watches her human friends grow old and pass away.
