Some bullying language – for example, students at school make fun of Onari's dad, calling him a "weirdo. Some language may be deemed "gross" -- in one scene, Onari says, "Your farts are stinkier than natto."
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
Listen to your inner voice. Talk about your feelings. Defend your people. Be courageous. Awaken your power.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Characters model positive behaviors like sharing, being true to self, and demonstrating courage even when afraid.
Diverse Representations
a lot
Japanese stories and myths are shared. The creatures of the village come in a variety of shapes, colors, and types. Each has its own powers and abilities. The voice cast is also diverse, featuring many Japanese-American actors.
Parents need to know that ONI: Thunder God's Tale is a series based in Japanese mythology. It blends stop-motion and computer-generated graphics to create a visually stunning viewing experience. It addresses important social emotional skills, like talking about big feelings. This is especially important because the main character, Onari (voiced by Momona Tamada), is still grieving the death of her mother. There's no strong language, but there are some gross displays like farting and burping in someone else's face. Expect some suspense, since Onari's village is preparing for an impending attack, as well as scenes with fighting and bullying.
The story is amusing without feeling childish or mean, it's light-hearted with a smidge of complicated sadness and mild suspense. The messages are lovely, from positive relationships to dealing with emotions, to the environment. Unlike many family films, all the characters seem like people, no cardboard cut out villain, nor generic sidekick. It manages to have a couple of twists -- one which I didn't expect -- a rarity in family films for me.
On two technical points the animation styles mesh nicely and the acting pulls through some subtleties.
The only minor complaint I have is that they leaned on the message a bit too hard.
Families shouldn't be afraid to show this to kids, life lesson involves, accepting differences and diversity in Asian culture of the folk lore kids stories. Learning a few Japanese phases from the animation, speaking of animation! It's like San-X animation rillakuma and Kaori for its stop motion CGI animation of clay, fabric and fantasy realism landscape. The voice actors in English and Japanese are perfect, I have yet to watch in other languages yet, last but not least, soundtrack is beautiful, if anything I learn from this cartoon, always give in your all! Btw all ages should see this!
What's the Story?
In ONI: THUNDER GOD'S TALE, there is an ongoing feud between main character Onari's village and the Oni. Onari (voiced by Momona Tamada) and her fellow villagers are awaiting the arrival of the Demon Moon, which is when the Oni attack their village every 100 years. Everyone in the eclectic village -- from fruits and vegetables to oddball objects -- prepares to fight by awakening powers within them that have been passed down by their parents. Onari is a bold young humanoid girl who's determined to defend her village, but because her mom has died and her dad is an outcast who doesn't communicate like everyone else, she doesn't know what her power is. Will she figure out what it is and how to use it before it's too late?
A beautiful story and a stunning portrayal of classic myths set this limited series apart from the rest. ONI: Thunder God's Tale is captivating, not only with its hybrid use of stop-motion and computer generated graphics, but with its positive messages about courage and knowledge of self. The show's sophisticated plot may be too heavy for the youngest viewers, but kids who are into mythology, fairy tales, or adventure will be easily hooked. Grown-ups will be invested by the sweet portrayal of the father-daughter relationship. The notable use of suspense will have the entire family rooting for Onari and her village -- and internalizing some positive messages along the way.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about courage in ONI: Thunder God's Tale. Can you be afraid and show courage at the same time? In what ways does Onari have to be brave? How does she overcome her fears to achieve her goals?
Describe the relationship between Onari and Naridon. How do they communicate with each other? How can you tell they love each other?
What is your power? How can you use it in your day-to-day life?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Stephanie Snyder
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
