What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this cartoon series features
racially and socio-economically diverse characters who treat
each other and their elders with respect. Themes of friendship,
loyalty, and teamwork dominate each episode, and the students
are, for the most part, patient and diligent in their learning.
The show includes various facets of martial arts training --
including kicking, punching, and throwing Ninja-specific
objects -- but most one-on-one exchanges have very little
contact and few end in visible injury (and any injuries that
are incurred don't last long).
Families can talk about adjusting to a new school. How do you make new friends? What can be frightening about a new place? Can changes like that also be exciting? Families also can discuss how Eizan and his friends solve problems that arise. What was difficult about the challenge they faced? What skills did they use to conquer it? When have you taken on a challenge? Who helped you?
Common Sense Media Review
Ten-year-old Eizan Kaburagi (voiced by Nathan Kress) is in
his first year at SHURIKEN SCHOOL. He and his classmates study
hard, play harder, and once in a while engage in scuffles with
kids from their rival school, Katana.
What makes Shuriken School unique is that its students are aspiring Ninjas -- none more so than Eizan, who would do anything to avoid making rice balls for a living like his father. He and his best friends -- wealthy New York native Jimmy B. (Kimberly Brooks) and hard-working Okuni Dohan ( Jessica Di Cicco), who hails from a nearby fishing village -- always find new adventures waiting at a school whose students specialize in vanishing, levitation, and employing disguises.
For example, when the building's halls are visited by a mysterious vanishing Ninja, Eizan, Jimmy, and Okuni join forces to discover the intruder's identity. And when the school welcomes exchange students from the American Cheerleading Academy, the Ninjitsu students have to cope with unwelcome new classes (like Tea Ceremony and Calligraphy) and the disruptions caused by three pretty visitors on campus.
Shuriken School's combination of action, adventure, and martial arts is sure to please the under-10 crowd. The characters are relatable, and kids will find that many aspects of the students' school issues reflect their own. And the show's vibrant animation style is engaging and lots of fun to watch.
Parents will like the positive messages about friendship, teamwork, and perseverance that play an integral role throughout the series. On the whole, the kids are smart, hardworking, and courteous to others. They rely on each other's individual talents and their own intuition to solve mysteries and wage Ninjitsu battles with Katana students.
Young fans may also enjoy The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron . For more unusual happenings at school, tweens can try Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone or any of its sequels. Good martial arts-themed picks for tweens and up include Jackie Chan Adventures, Final Fu and The Karate Kid .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
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