Video Phenomena

Ask A Ninja is an award-winning series of comedy videos about the image of ninjas in popular culture available in podcast and vodcast form, as well as in mov and wmv file formats. The first episode was released in November 2005, but production and editing of that initial episode is not as proficient as the episodes from number 2 (January 2006) onwards.

The series, created by Los Angeles improvisational comedians Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine, features a ninja who answers e-mails from “viewers” (a similar format to Ask Zorbak and Strong Bad Email, which was an influence on Ask A Ninja’s creators according to Kent Nichols). According to an interview, Ask A Ninja was originally supposed to be an animated show about two Ninjas living in Orange County.

Although episodes 1 to 16 are answered by Ninja in front of a featureless blue background, the action sometimes goes to other places, such as inside a car or another house. One notable episode was shot in the MythBusters warehouse with Jamie and Adam. Episodes after the “Ninja Omnibus” episode use the Ninja edited onto a red circle gradient background, and episodes after the “BBQ” episode changed to blue. In some episodes, the chair Ninja is sitting on can also be seen.

Much of the humor of the show orginates from Ninja’s cavalier obsession with killing and violence and his incredible over-the-top claims of what ninjas are capable of, which almost always is utterly absurd.

Ninja is known for his emphatic declarations, as well as his expansive, spontaneous, and often extremely exaggerated hand gestures (helpful in communicating his comedic intent, as one can only see his eyes). Ninja is also fond of using linguistic blends in his speech, particularly those involving the word “ninja” (“ninjelephant,” “ninternships,” “chickinjas,” “caninjas,” “minjas,” etc.). Video editing is often used for emphasis, such as showing him doing the same throwing motion three times. It is also used to emphasize his mysterious ninja powers, which include the ability to adopt impenetrable disguises, and to make himself microscopically small (Ninjascopic).

Recently the Ninja has begun to answer questions in a way that the asker did not intend. For example in “Ninja Dates” the question was asked, “What kind of dates do Ninjas go on?” The Ninja responded “You ask this as if ninjas stop on some dates. There is not a date on the calendar on which we do not go.”

The episodes feature constant and erratic camera-angle changes. In Special Delivery 10: “Pop!Tech” the Ninja makes reference to this erratic editing, explaining that during the course of filming each episode he has 14 or 15 ninjas trying to kill him while he’s filming, so he has to edit all the ninjas out of it so that the episode does not consist solely of thrilling fight sequences. These angle-changes are also often used to comic effect by having perhaps a single word or phrase in a very short clip, often shot at a bizarre angle (usually sideways and sometimes upside down).

Each episode usually ranges from four to seven minutes, usually ending with Ninja’s signature remark to each questioner: “I look forward to killing you soon!” (or some variation thereof, usually relating to the episode e.g. ‘I look forward to playing through you soon!’). New episodes are usually released bi-weekly. Starting with Episode 23, “Ninternships”, the behind-the-scenes-team decided to have sponsors for their episodes.

The episodes start with the song “I Am Ninja”, performed by German band The Neu Tickles and written by satirist Brently Heilbron.

Ask A Ninja is popular enough that Douglas Sarine was once asked to report as a guest film critic on National Public Radio’s show, All Things Considered. His review of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is classified as a special delivery episode. In a 5-10 minute piece Ask A Ninja interviewed Blades of Glory stars Will Ferrell and Jon Heder for which he asked a series of movie related questions. At the end of the interview he ice skates circles around Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton.

At the end of older episodes, the Ninja advertised the Ninja-Mart Store, where viewers may buy “Ask A Ninja”-related merchandise. More recent episodes have ended with Ninja advertising Ask A Ninja’s first DVD release in the style of HeadOn commercials. He’s also advertised The Simpsons Game as well as Doritos.

Ask a Ninja also started hosting their videos with CastFire’s video hosting service, likely to add to their monetization strategy.

In December 2007, television industry trade magazine TelevisionWeek (www.tvweek.com) reported that Ask a Ninja creators Kent Nichols and Doug Sarine make about $100,000 a month in ad revenue and income from merchandising and licensing from the show. The show’s two creators can be seen in episode seventy-three, “Modern Major Ninja”.