"House Of Ninjas."

How this unexpected gem became one of my favorite shows this year.

I went looking for a little light ninja viewing action because, duh, that’s the irresistible name of the Japanese language Netflix series — “House Of Ninjas.”

It delivered on that promise and then something slightly shocking happened — “House Of Ninjas” became complex, surprisingly deep, funny, incredibly well plotted, unique and, in a mere eight episodes for the first (of hopefully many) seasons, a riveting combination of world-building ambition with never a dull entertainment.

Didn’t see that coming.

What has stood out to me is the level of sophistication in the storytelling, what creator—writer-director Dave Boyle (who has made a career out of Asian movies and television series) and director-actor Kento Kaku (who also helped develop the story) have hidden inside and slowly release in what otherwise appears to be a light ninja romp.

It’s way more complicated and creative than expected and a very long list of recent American productions could learn a thing or 12 about how to tell a story like this.