An excellent work of adult drama and animation, Blue Eye Samurai takes significant inspiration from samurai films, Kill Bill and even Yentl. This brutal revenge story is set in Edo-era Japan, a time when the country was strictly closed to foreigners from the outside world.
Mizu (Maya Erskine), a biracial swordsmanship master, is bent on revenge to kill four white men who resided in Japan when she was born. Her journey is filled with challenges, stemming from a life of marginalization in every aspect of Edo Japan. Not only did she hide her gender by living as a man, but she also hid her eyes behind amber glasses—her identity was nothing but a curse throughout her life as she was considered a monster due to her mixed-race heritage. At its core, Blue Eye Samurai is a series about the balance between life and death. The production direction captures the edge of life with story, atmosphere and technical details that elevate this awe-inspiring and bloody revenge thriller into a cathartic release about identity.
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The animation style is a unique foray into what I see as the next real creative direction with this hybrid 2D-3D model. We’ve seen similar styles in recent years with the likes of Arcane and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse, and Blue Eye Samurai wholeheartedly earns its place by celebrating artistry. inside. Not only does this series have beautifully drawn textured visuals, but the action sequences demonstrate a full understanding of movement in 3D and the inspirations of incredible samurai and Western films such as Kill Bill, Lady Snowblood and Once Upon A Time in the West. In fact, Blue Eye Samurai used its entire stunt department to choreograph the fight scenes alongside Sunny Sun, the stunt director, which is almost unprecedented for an animated series. The end result is clearly storyboarded action sequences that animators can translate directly on screen. It’s exceptional visual direction, both from an artistic and production standpoint, is incredibly impressive for the animation industry. Jane Wu, supervising director/producer, and the entire creative team deserve a lot of credit for this work.
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Speaking of even more unique parts of the animation, Blue Eye Samurai also uses wardrobe for character design and setting selection. Many of the kimono patterns were found from extensive research into Edo-period Japan, and many of these details were something the creators and executive producers, Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, were excited about at the time. More information on incorporating details and direction can be found in our recent interview. In short, the end result is a series of intriguing details in the setting, such as dining and clothing styles, which the creator’s fondness for all speaks for itself.
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Blue Eye Samurai has an incredible voice cast, with many Hollywood A-list actors such as George Takei (Seki), Brenda Song (Akemi), Masi Oka (Ringo), Kenneth Branagh (Abijah Fowler) and Randall Park ( Heiji Shindo) among them. My personal favorite character. The entire cast has naturalistic voice direction, and Maya Erskine’s direction of Mizu perfectly showcases a natural rhythm befitting someone who has suppressed her identity in throughout life. There was a deliberate choice for the cast to speak freely and naturally, with modern accents and all, to emphasize the themes of self-acceptance and cultural fusion present throughout this series.
Above all, many aspects of the music fully demonstrate the cultural blend of Eastern and Western influences. The soundtrack is very character-oriented, as some scenes feature prominent Japanese orchestral arrangements, while other parts are more character-oriented. a combination of Western and Eastern music. In some cases, the music really elevates the action sequences with some clever movie references like Kill Bill, while also driving the emotional story about embracing both halves of one’s self. me.
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Overall, the writing took me to a space where the film allowed the viewer to grasp and understand the many aspects of feeling marginalized through the characters of Mizu and Akemi. Mizu, driven by a desire for revenge, shows rage but also tells the hidden story of self-acceptance needed to completely transform her path into a personal masterpiece, a quest that almost beautiful yet violently pure revenge. Akemi’s story is one that really highlights her royal life with her fight for freedom and is a clear tie-in to the lives of Mizu and other women in Edo Japan. An interesting aspect is that several scenes that take place in brothels and the use of sex throughout the film are handled in a way that reflects the attitudes of the time. This is perhaps another example of historical research elements illustrating how people lived during the period, and this aspect is central to the themes of marginalization, gender and identity, heightening many of the struggles of the characters we see in this series. In a sense, this show’s script could work as a live action drama, showing how many strong individual elements there are but together form an incredible sequence.
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Blue Eye Samurai is a great series that shows care in every aspect of this show. There is an understanding of the elements that present themselves and the artists involved to form the visceral blend of “East meets West” in this beautifully acted series. It is that artistry that represents the fusion of life and death, adding so much life to this series that makes the tension of death so captivating to the viewer.