Here we are folks, nearing the end of 2023, and if I was to do a top 10 list of the best things (TV & Film) that I’ve watched this year, at least half the list would be Netflix Originals (crazy!). They really have been on a tear of late, especially with a string of quality adult animation/anime series. After finishing the brilliant Pluto a few weeks back I thought I’d seen the best in which the platform could offer, but a mere week or so later and bang, they go and drop Blue Eye Samurai.
I must admit that the name had me a little sceptical- thinking that it could be some white saviour rubbish like The Last Samurai (2003), but thankfully that’s not the case. I jumped onto IMDB to see what the “general” consensus was, and to my surprise it was sitting at a 9+ with plenty of glowing reviews and only a few review bombs from those sad lonely muppets out there.
Unlike a lot of other Netflix original animated series’ it’s not based on a manga or graphic novel. Amber Noizumi and her husband Michael Green are the show's creators and primary writers. Michael has writing credits on some solid shows and movies such as American Gods, Blade Runner 2049 and Logan just to name a few. Amber on the other hand, well these are her first credits believe it or not. I say that, as this is some of the strongest writing I’ve seen in a series for a long time. Even better than Pluto (still brilliant) which I was glowing about only a few weeks back.
The smartly written story focuses on a young mixed race warrior in Edo-period Japan named Mizu. Driven by rage and revenge, she will stop at nothing to get revenge against those who made her an outcast and took everything from her. Many other characters are introduced, and also have their own arc’s that of course intertwine with Mizu’s story. The character writing is brilliant. The main half dozen or so characters are complicated yet completely fleshed out. Even minor characters are given the sort of depth that you rarely come across- not just in an animated series, but in general.
Consumed by rage, Mizu will stop at nothing to get her revenge.
Not to be outdone though, the animation is also of the highest quality. It blows my mind just how good animated cinematography is these days, and the storyboarding and shot selection is what sets this apart from other high quality adult animation. The way in which the landscape is drawn and animated is breathtaking. The mountains, giant cliff faces and the use of fire, water and snow in particular is very effective.
The use of fire, water and snow in particular is very effective.
The animation is handled by the French studio Blue Spirit. I wasn’t familiar with any of their previous work, which looks to be mostly aimed at children which is weird considering how violent this show is. I know this is kind of a strange thing to say considering how shitty violence is in the real world, but the violence in this is quite beautiful. The most effective martial arts choreography is like a dance, and the action choreographers for Blue Eyed Samurai understand this. It is simply the GREATEST action choreography I’ve ever seen animated. Beautiful like a dance in parts, and then vicious and unrelenting in others. It is art of the highest calibre.
Along with the violence, there’s also a healthy dose of sex and nudity in this (gotta love a bit of on screen wang). Thankfully handled in a non jarring way that also compliments the screenplay. So basically the opposite of Shounen Anime. Decent/realistic sex scenes is something that’s AWOL from a lot of today's content which is a shame, because when it’s done well it can be oh so effective.
Terrific cast of voice actors as well. Some more known than others with cult faves like my boy Cari-Hiroyuki Tagawa (look him up!), Randall Park, George Takei and even Kenneth Branagh (he’s actually very good). It was the actors I wasn't familiar with though that probably stood out the most. Brenda Song as Akemi was terrific, and Maya Erskine who’s list of voice credits is super impressive- knocks it out the park as our tragically haunted antihero Mizu.
Along with the violence, there's also a healthy dose of quality sex and nudity.
Blue Eye Samurai may be set in Edo-Period Japan, but its issues/messages are topical, and a lot of the story's subtext can be related to current issues. It’s not overly preachy either, and there’s a lot of character development gone into the (on the surface) villain characters. There’s quite a lot of grey area, which I always appreciate.
Anyway, this is definitely one I could waffle on about forever, and I’m already at about 800 words so I better give it a rest. This is one of my strongest recommendations to date, so I hope that if you check it out you will enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks for reading.
Revenge is a dish best served red hot.
Bring on season two! Five out of Five stars.
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