Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Oni: Thunder God’s Tale’ on Netflix, A Stop Motion Animated Tale About Growing Up

Stop-motion animation can look fantastic when done correctly, and completely sink a feature film when done haphazardly. Oni: Thunder God’s Tale is a series in which every character, even the more terrifying ones, are crafted from some of the loveliest molds and look as though you could reach out and scratch their fuzzy heads. It’s a comfy story that feels familiar, like slipping under a warm blanket, with a protagonist you feel good about rooting for. It might revolve around some traditionally “creepy” monsters out of Japanese folklore, but at its heart, Oni: Thunder God’s Tale is all about growing up and learning about yourself.

ONI: THUNDER GOD’S TALE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Thunder rumbles and rain pours down as we watch a thunderstorm on a hilly mountaintop. In moments, there are colorful butterflies flitting around in darkness before the camera cuts to a group of three figures running through the rain. The Oni is coming, they warn, and Tengu, guardian of the mountain, stands his ground.

The Gist: Onari (Momona Tamada) is a young girl who lives in a village filled with creatures inspired by Japanese folklore, like the friendly Kappa (Archie Yates) and Tanukinta (Charlet Takahashi Chung). While all her classmates have grown to inherit amazing abilities from their parents, Onari has yet to see any growth or abilities from her seemingly bumbling yet totally adorable father, Naridon (Craig Robinson).

The children of the village, or the Kami, are expected to grow up and inherit these powers, or “Kushi” to fight off the powerful Oni, a massive monster that threatens the village’s livelihood as they know it. Onari yearns to join her classmates, but her teacher Mr. Tengu (George Takei) is reticent to let her do so as she hasn’t shown any blossoming abilities.

Onari finds out that her father is actually a thunder god, however, when her uncle Putaro (Omar Miller) enlists Naridon in the fight against the powerful Oni. With this revelation, Onari seeks to unravel secrets about her father and his lineage as well as her potential and the Oni that’s looking to come and turn her and her village’s lives upside down.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Though Oni: Thunder God’s Tale employs a distinct visual style, it has Studio Ghibli blood running through its veins. You’ll flash back to movies like Kiki’s Delivery Service or My Neighbor Totoro, both equally exciting and accessible films with similarly arresting visuals, though Ghibli typically deals in traditional animation.

Our Take: Oni: Thunder God’s Tale is the beginning of a compelling tale about a young girl who has to learn to trust in herself and those around her to accomplish a seemingly insurmountable task. We’ve all been there a time or two: someone we love or look up to has disappointed us. In Onari’s tale, she believes her father doesn’t exactly live up to expectations, either those she’s placed on him or those from the villagers she lives with. Watching her grow and evolve and learn to accept her father for who he is and not what she wants him to be makes for a wholesome viewing experience, especially when Onari has to learn not to go with what the popular crowd says and listen to her heart instead.

Though the series is painted as your typically family fare, there’s a lot more to it that anyone can appreciate, whether it’s a young child entranced by the cool character designs or an adult looking for a fulfilling little fable about recognizable figures from throughout Japanese folklore. The first episode goes a long way to establish a relatable cast of characters, a thunder god with more powers than you can imagine, and a caring young heroine who’s willing to look past herself and learn from her father even when he isn’t what she expected him to be.

Sex and Skin: None here. It’s as wholesome as action shows come, almost like Charlie Brown meets anime and stop-motion animation.

Parting Shot: Though Onari has been feeling dejected about her father’s apparent lack of powers, we finally see Inaridon’s true potential as the pair dance around in the sky summoning lightning and banging a drum as the clouds gather.

Sleeper Star: Archie Yates embodies a heartfelt and tender Kappa, who essentially passes out whenever the water in the dish on top of his head empties. That’s more often than you might think. Yates made a big splash in Jojo Rabbit as Jojo’s friend Yorki, and he’s just as loveable as Kappa here, with a sweetness that permeates his every line, especially when he gets scared.

Most Pilot-y Line: While speaking to a classroom full of young and impressionable creatures, Mr. Tengu (George Takei) has a terrifying warning: “The Oni will come from the Modori Bridge, the only entrance to our forest. Every Kami, young and old, must work together to defend our mountain from the Oni. I’m counting on you to develop your Kushi for the coming of the Demon Moon!” Looks like we just found our major conflict for the entirety of the series!

Our Call: STREAM IT. Oni: Thunder God’s Tale is a beautifully-animated stop motion affair that features a cast of characters you’d swear you could reach out and touch. While its subject matter is far from cozy, involving supernatural powers and taking down a demon, the Kami themselves are, and they’re incredibly easy to root for. Onari is a fantastic heroine, and though she believes her father is the one who needs to live up to her expectations, it’s Onari who ends up changing to live up to ours in a spectacular coming-of-age tale that audiences will love. And the stop-motion doesn’t cease to impress, either.

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s collecting retro consoles and tech. Follow her on Twitter: @MolotovCupcake.