A Subjective Review of Netflix’s “Blue Eye Samurai” By Mr. Grande

I wasn’t really attracted by the title or the artwork when I first got introduced to “Blue Eye Samurai” on Telegram. I’ve never been fond of a Japanese-styled anime with “Princess Mononoke” and “Spirited Away” from Studio Ghibli being the only exceptions. I decided to give “Blue Eye Samurai” a chance since I had nothing new watching ever since I finished “Castlevania Nocturne” and this decision is honestly one of the best I’ve taken this year with regards to my cinematic endeavours.

“Blue Eye Samurai” is a 17^th-century Japan styled animated series produced by Netflix and was released on November 3, 2023. It currently has just one season so far though there’s a huge possibility for subsequent ones.The plot follows the story of Mizu, a biracial female born from the “unholy” reproductive union of a Brit male and a Japanese female. At a time where Japan has been sealed off from the outside world, Mizu is seen as a monster and demon, spending much of her childhood in hiding or being chased and beaten. There were four white men at the time of her birth and believing one of them to be her father and the cause of her torturous childhood (including the death of her mother), Mizu sets out to kill all four of them in a bid of revenge.

What really makes “Blue Eye Samurai” a pleasure to watch is its frequent and incredible action scenes. Mizu is a highly skilled Samurai and a very determined one at that. She’s really hellbent on achieving her aim and lets nothing stand in her way, be it skilled assasins, trained guards, psycho monkeys, moral decisions and whole armies. Each battle scene leaves you with a thrilling feeling and amazement at how Mizu always overcomes intense battles whenever the odds are stuck against her. The action choregraphy ranks among the best I’ve ever seen (please note that I’ve not watched much animated series as compared to some people).

Another appreciative feature about this series is the well-developed characters that are voiced by an extremely talented cast. Mizu, voiced by Maya Erskine, is the titular heroine who has viewers rooting for her in almost all decisions she takes. Sir Kenneth Branagh as the suave and nonchalant villain, Abijah Fowler. Darren Barnet (Paxton of ‘Never Have I Ever’ fame) voices the character of hot-headed but morally upright Taigen. Princess Akemi who refuses to be a victim of circumstance but decides to fight for the right to choose how to live her life is voiced by Brenda Song.

I loved the cinematography and the portrayal of ancient Japan as it reminded me so much of one of my favourite offline android games, named Ryuko. The design of the buildings, the shrines, the trees, variety of weapons, soldier armours etc were extremely similar and brought a sense of nostalgia whiles watching it. To be really honest, the similarities between this and Ryuko was what increased my eagerness to watch this to the end as I really didn’t expect to be impressed when I began watching.

I would really love to talk more about the musical background and instruments made present but like I stated earlier, I don’t know much about Japanese anime to decide if the soundtracks were historically accurate but what I can say is that they helped make me fall further in love with Japanese culture (ancient of course, lol).

I had just one qualm about the entire series and that’s the plot armour granted Mizu. I mean, no regular human should survive the sort of injuries and falls she suffered in the various battles she faced. Being stabbed and slashed at multiple time, falling from a high cliff, and even walking gingerly and normally, albeit with a little stumble, after being shot in the thigh with an arrow and a sharp object piercing through her ankle. Either her biracial genes seemingly made her superhuman or I’ll really love a taste of the herbs her apprentice Ringo used to boil for her. She not only healed rapidly from injuries but there were absolutely no scars on her body whenever she was shown naked. Not even Batman heals that fast.

All in all, “Blue Eye Samurai” is a series with a very good and engaging plot, interesting well-developed characters, a visual treat and action-laden. It’s definitely a thrilling ride for both anime fans and neutrals. I give it a solid rating of 9/10 and honestly can’t wait for a second season to be released after that suspense-filled finale. I recommend it to all movie lovers to give it a try.