This is going to be one of those posts where I fully admit, upfront before the gods and everybody, that I have next to no background in this particular era of history, but this show is so gorgeous and insidiously has set up shop in my brain, so I can’t not bring it up on this blog. If you haven’t watched Blue Eye Samurai (2023-) on Netflix, do yourself a favor and give the first ep a go. If you aren’t sucked in by the end of those 45 minutes, you are made of stronger stuff than me.
I do enjoy the odd samurai flick, and I had a very, ahem, educational anime period back in the ’90s when it was impossible to find anime anywhere except for in the really weird aisle of the porn section at a video store, or more often, not in the really weird aisle of the porn section (I definitely learned some stuff), but beyond that, I’m a dilettante these days when it comes to both genres.
That said, Blue Eye Samurai doesn’t really fit in either, though it owes a lot to both. It’s an American-French-Canadian animated production, co-produced and co-written by husband-and-wife team Michael Green and Amber Noizumi (Green co-wrote Murder on the Orient Express, which explains Kenneth Branagh’s involvement in this production, now that I think about it), that takes place circa 1656-1657 during the Edo period/Tokugawa shogunate in Japan. The animation is new tech called 2D/3D, which I don’t pretend to understand, but which is responsible for two of my other highly recommended current animated favorites, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). The result is animation that needs to be seen to be believed, because words completely fail me in trying to explain it.
The story centers around Mizu, who is half-Japanese and half-European, and who has been the subject of a bounty since infancy due to mixed ancestry and a pair of hard-to-conceal blue eyes. Mizu is on a mission to kill the four white men in Japan who may be potential fathers, but the addition of a motley band of cohorts complicates things.
Lady Akemi is probably my favorite character in the show. I love a good self-rescuing princess.
I’ve reached out to one of my friends whose expertise is in Japanese Edo period clothing, so hopefully we will get a more fully-developed post about the costumes in the show. We just finished episode 8, and I think I’m going to start over again just to squeeze every last drop out of this season while I wait for the second season to drop (warning, loooots of spoilers for the first season in this link, so approach with caution!).
Have you watched Blue Eye Samurai (2023-)? Let’s talk about it in the comments!
NOT LA BLUE GIRL LMFAO!!!!! But anyway, Blue Eye Samurai was amazingly well done
I will never be able to scrub penis gnomes from my brain. I remember popping the vhs cassette in the player and immediately being relieved that my mother was nowhere around to see what I was watching.
I do kind of miss those days of clueless video rental clerks not really knowing what was going on and just assuming that because it was animated, it must be family friendly. SO MANY SURPRISE HENTAI MOMENTS.
“penis gnomes”
You sold me!
The animation technique used in Into The Spiderverse and here is, to my limited understanding of animation, made by combining 3D models with 2D details and textures. It gives the animation a more graphic look, compared to the more and more hyper-realististic CGI that was the trend earlier.
I hadn’t even heard about this series but it sounds really interesting! I really enjoy Edo period dramas, so I might have to check this out later. Also George Takei’s name in the cast brings smile to my face.
Thanks for the explanation! So, it’s kind of like high tech rotoscope?
Takei’s character is one of my favorites in the show. All the supporting characters are so well developed and multifaceted, and it just adds to the richness of the story. No one is totally one dimensional.
I lived in Japan and have an interest in clothes and at first glance, the clothes look pretty good. However, I am by no means an expert.
I wasn’t going to watch this because of the trope of blue eyes in Japan…..but now I am curious if they get the racism and discrimination correct for someone who is half Japanese and half not.
Racism and xenophobia is a central part of the plot, so yeah, I think it definitely gets addressed. 🙃
In the first 15 minutes I saw they addressed it head on and accurately! I squealed when I realised this looked pretty accurate (obviously they took artistic liberties but they are well thought out ones).
My initial take (I am seven episodes deep) is they did their research and did it well. People, places, and most customs appear correct, but I am more familiar with late Edo into Meiji period, and my gut is, since most people are familiar with that era, that’s what they are using for the basis of the clothing. Mind you, that’s only a guess and not something I would swear to.
So far, I am liking the series immensely.
It’s really, REALLY good, isn’t it? I am so excited it’s got a second season, but not looking forward to the looooong wait until it drops, lol.
You had me at Ming Na Wen!
I solemnly promise I will binge this series and write it up for you in January (I will be out of town for several weeks).
Based on the still photos you’ve posted, it looks quite good!
I’m going to leave you with links to a set of folding screens by Iwasa Matabei, c. 1650.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Iwasa_Matabei_001.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Iwasa_Matabei_002.jpg
I love you!!! Christmas wish granted! 😂
I just started watching it, the first episode is on Youtube in case people don’t have Netflix and want to check it out.
Gorgeous! Both in visuals and in storytelling. I love seeing animation used to tell a more adult story, and this one really packs a gut punch. Looking forward to the next season!
And uh, sorry you kept finding all the naughty anime! Not really the right of passage we wanted as kids!
It was definitely a rite of passage, though! LOL
Anime in my Frock Flicks articles?! Love to see it. I absolutely loved this show, being a sucker for samurai anime it was always going to be in my watch list. The realistic art style is great, especially with a female protagonist who doesn’t look like the usual leading lady in an anime, and the action- OMG!
Will you cover any more anime in the future? I’d love to hear your thoughts on things like Mononoke, Chevalier D’Eon, etc.
We’ve actually covered some anime/animated films in the past, though it’s few and far between. Kendra even did a post on the live action version of The Rose of Versailles, Lady Oscar, a few years back. I’m usually the one who does shows and films that are outside the normal “frock flick” standards (like all my superhero posts), but the tricky part is always going to be how whimsical the costumes are, versus historical accuracy. Sometimes there’s just not a lot to work with!
I will definitely check this out. Interesting period/setting and I love 2D/3D. Fascinating new technology and the works done with it so far have been incredible.
Don’t know if this is the place to mention, but if anyone’s interested in a great recent period anime, I highly recommend Inu-Oh (2021), a musical set in the 14th century. Strong story, beautiful art direction, and some of those songs are so damn catchy. One of the best opening sequences I’ve seen in recent years, animated or otherwise.
So do yourselves a favor and check that out as well.
Thanks for the rec! I’ll check it out!
I’m going to increase my Patreon donation in the new year and I was having a lot of trouble deciding what to request when I did so. I was toying with Blue Eye Samurai but I remembered past mentions that it wasn’t anyone’s area of expertise. Thrilled to see you mention it, although now I’m back at square one with a request. Honestly one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen from visuals to plot to voice acting. I had to stop Episode 5 (with the banraku/puppet theater play) at one point to announce to my husband that it was one of the most amazing episodes of TV I had seen.