Krishna group in Hawaii
Date: October 25, 2006 01:18PM
Yeah, my guess is that the concept of the main characters is totally from Chris Butler, and that it is 100% run-by* him and approved by him.
*as in "run it by him"
They have a very escapist notion of "innocence" and "children" that they project onto their idea of "baby krishna" and also their own kids.
"awwwwww, look, he said 'krishna', awwwww, such a nice little devotee."
Yeah, no s**t, it is the only word the kid has ever heard.
So the character "ninjai" represents purity and innocence.
"Ninjai" would also represent pure devotion to krsna.
So you have simplistic innocence,extremely simplistic and childlike dialougue and mannerisms coupled with extremely exagerated violence which is completely justified and glorified.
They have 2 generic interviews up about and from the "Ninjai Gang".
This is from that:
Question: Ninjai has a lot of violence, there's no getting around that. Obviously you're not anti-violence, yet at the same time Ninjai is very sweet and childlike, so is his little bird friend. Are you trying to tell young people something here?
Answer: Not really, I guess that's just our personalities and our world view. We don't believe in violence for the sake of violence, but as martial artists we hold the viewpoint that violence is neutral. Violence can be used for good or evil. For so many years we've been sort of pissed off watching people in Congress and a lot of other people saying that all violence is bad and they should take all violence out of TV and movies and so forth. These people don't know what they're talking about. If these congressmen and people really believed violence is bad, they would not take tax money to build and maintain the military might of the United States. We don't believe or like those kind of videogames where players are killing or smashing innocent people, driving over them with their cars, and getting points for that kind of meanness. But on the other hand, it's crazy to be trying to indoctrinate young people into believing that violence can never be used for good. Sometimes violence can be used to protect innocent people and to protect our freedom.
This is pure "Chris Butler Morality". The appeal of violence to them is exactly the same as the appeal of Homophobia.
They like feeling like they are hardcore, I guess it is a necessary reflex to compensate for how truly declawed and castrated they really are in their daily life.
Their own idividuality is non existent, they have no real intellectual power or critical faculties of their own, only license to extend the pathetic philosophies of their spiritual master which they have to align with by default, and have been doing so, in some cases, their whole lives.
So compensate for that sad situation with an aggressive, dominating, righteous and tough persona.
I can see how it would help.
I find that this particular thing (ninjai) hits me pretty damn close to home.
It is basically the exact outcome I could see for myself if I had never left the group or the idea of "Krsna Consciousness".
Infact, in like 1999, my Mum asked me if I would want to work on some project for them that involved animating, since i was known to be a good cartoonist. My Mum said that it would be like pennies in my spiritual piggy-bank... (##@$$%%%$^^&****##@@@$$!!!!!!)
I think that 'project' was likely 'ninjai'.
I am and have always been way into drawing and cartooning, and I and everybody in the group was/ARE encouraged to incorporate Krsna, Krsna themes, Krsna ideals and anything kinda Krsna-ee (whoa! new word, file next to 'truthiness' - colbert report) into any and all of our artwork and creative endeavors. That means EVERYTHING, writing, drawing, music, surfing? ...well, you know we gave it our best shot... DOIN' IT FOR THE LORD!
The freedom I have in my creativity having completely dropped this ideology and belief system is probably the best thing about it.
When I see Ninjai, I see all that incarcerated creativity, I see how my energy was supposed to be used.
What i described above with the way the kids (who are practically being pumped out as we speak by my generation) are encouraged to draw krsna, color krsna, look at colorful pictures of krsna constantly from the first day, told enchanting tales of krsna, etc... is how they bind our emotions and comfort us with this image. It is serious and goes as deep as anything could go if you are born into it.
It of course makes the ones subject to it incredibly dependent on it, hard to turn the tide on that kind of flood.
This Ninjai thing has absolutely no production credits anywhere, all totally anonymous, as they try to claim it is just the creative endeavour of a bunch of friends.
No.
First off, you are called "The Ninjai Gang", the one thing that you all have in common, which constitutes the 'gang', is the group you belong to which falls under the direct orders of your Guru.
They are actually in a precarious situation with Ninjai, I would suggest...
The thing is that a lot of people like it, it is regarded as being some of the most accomplished flash animation on the web.
It was much more amateur at first, and has really developed a lot.
I would agree that it is incredibly beautiful, I say episode 11 was very badass.
I also think the pace, story and characters are seriously painfull, but I like stuff like 'curb your enthusiasm' and 'arrested development' which don't exactly suffer from slouchy writing.
Writing is everything, and I think that is an aspect of 'ninjai' which will remain weak, especially since it can only go one possible direction.
So they have a fanbase.
Their fanbase are not aware of any 'Krsna Consciousness' agenda.
'Krsna Consciousness' is the agenda.
How do you slip that mickey in everyone's drink?
Hence the precariousness.
They really want to reveal Krsna to everyone through this cartoon.
They don't want to turn people off.
They have successfully incorperated quite a lot of 'pro-krsna' content already, but it is likely not sufficient.
They need to make people aware of what they have been alluding to.
Which is funny, because that is exactly what I want to do!
I think they know that most people won't go for nothing preachy, and would likely feel differently if they saw the cartoon in the light of what it is really about.
You can bet that I will be watching.
I think that the main character will actually turn out to be a holy person, some more obscure, yet equally holy figure.
Or even some version of Krsna, they have never shown the character's face.