Drama
Chief of War
Apple TV+’s ‘Chief of War’ paints an interesting portrait of Hawai’i’s history circa the 18th century. But like many historical dramas, it’s painted in blood.
On Mount Kamigami, there’s a village full of quirky creatures known as Kami. Their village knows little else but peace—save for when the “demon moon” rises once every 100 years, causing the wicked Oni to bring disaster upon them.
Well, the village is now approaching their centennial torment, and Sensei Tengu is preparing his children to help them fight back the beasts. As such, they’re finally being trained to unlock their “Kushi,” internal powers unique to each family bloodline.
That’s great news for Onari, who dreams of being able to shoot lightning arrows and fly around on clouds to finally put an end to the evil Oni. The bad news? She’s the only one in her class who hasn’t been able to harness her familial abilities yet.
With the demon moon fast approaching, Onari heads to her jovial (yet oblivious) mute father, Naridon, to ask about what her Kushi is—but Naridon seems more interested in playing in the forest than training his daughter. Frustrated, Onari sets off to seek the answer she desires.
But she neither she nor her village could have ever expected what she would find.
Move over Thor Odinson, there’s a new god of thunder in town.
As the threat of the Oni looms near, Onari can only hope that she masters her Kushi powers before their arrival in order to help protect her village. And while the village prepares for the inevitable battle, we can prepare you, the viewer, for what to expect as you watch this four-episode miniseries.
Kami, the creatures in the village, are modeled after various yōkai from Japanese folklore, such as the kappa, kasa-obake and a couple sentient Daruma dolls. They’re the equivalent of the fictional beasts you’d find in Grimm’s Fairy Tales—creatures with potentially dark backstories turned relatively clean for the sake of a younger audience. (Although the original Grimm’s stories could be pretty grim themselves.)
And while the animation generally stays clean, there are a few sparse moments for parents to consider. One character expresses “what the duck” when someone puts such a creature on his head; A character’s backstory includes the (for the most part offscreen) death of a couple of people; A few scenes may be frightening for younger audiences. And, of course, you’re dealing with supernatural beings and entities called “gods.”
But there are also positive messages to be found in Oni: Thunder God’s Tale. We see an exploration of the damaging affect racism can have. We’re also taught to not let our fear of the unknown cause us to instantly take up our arms to fight.
Because even if we’re afraid, that doesn’t automatically make the source of our fear a monster.
It’s the day that Onari and her classmates are to start training their Kushi (unique internal powers). However, when Onari doesn’t see any results, she asks a hesitant Naridon, her father, what power she should expect to have.
The episode (and the series) revolves around the coming of the demon moon and its Oni villains. We hear and see a lot of creatures from Japanese folklore. We also will see various supernatural or spiritual creatures.
Onari prays to her ancestors. Onari bites another student. Onari also has a creepy nightmare. An unseen principal seemingly has omniscient qualities. A shadowy monster attempts to attack Onari. Naridon flatulates and belches.
God’s name is misused once.
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’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
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