You have to watch Blue Eye Samurai – and if you do choose to watch it, this is what you need to know about it.
It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I’m a massive fan of animation, whether for children or adults. I’ll watch the best Pixar movies, check out the best anime of 2023, or even wait painstakingly for Arcane Season 2 because it feels like I’ve been sitting around on that forever. Regardless, I love animation and will always believe that it’s a beautiful medium and form of art, not a genre.
So when I was told about this new show on Netflix called Blue Eye Samurai, I was interested. Many of my friends and online comrades said it was similar to Arcane in a way that catered more towards adults and had some of the best animation they had ever seen. I gave it a shot, and holy heck; it’s fantastic.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, here are my reasons why you should – and what you need to know before you watch.
Blue Eye Samurai Is About A Young Bushi (Samurai) From Two Different Races And Her Quest For Revenge
Alright, let’s start strong here with the story – with the name Blue Eye Samurai, I’m sure that most can quickly judge based on that title – and yes, you are right. The show is about a blue-eyed samurai.
But it’s more than just that. Taking place in 1600s Japan (the Edo period), when the country was closed off to the world, the story follows Mizu, a young woman who has had to pretend to be a man for most of her life to learn the sword so that she can avenge her mother.
Why is she avenging her mother? Because her mother was sexually assaulted by white men from England, who had illegally remained in Japan when the borders were closed, which resulted in Mizu’s conception. When she was born and continuing throughout her life, Mizu was faced with discrimination for her blue eyes, as she is considered a half-breed, so much so that she used special glasses to hide her eyes from enemies.
Despite this hardship, she makes it her life mission to find the man who raped her mother and make him pay for what he did. It’s the ultimate revenge story – and personally, one of the best samurai shows I’ve ever watched, even if Mizu is adamant about not being a samurai for most of the show since she’s anything but honorable at first.
Truthfully, though, that makes her such a great, complex character to follow, and you can’t help but love her journey.
Maya Erskine, George Takai, Brenda Song, And Several Others Offer Their Voice Talents
If you were wondering who offered their voice talents for Blue Eye Samurai, there are plenty of big names you might recognize. Maya Erskine, known for her starring role in PEN15 and her upcoming co-starring role in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, voices Mizu, the main character.
Aside from her, several other actors appear throughout the show, including George Takai (Star Trek), Brenda Song (Love Accidentally), Masi Oka (Hawaii Five-0), Darren Barnet (Never Have I Ever), Randall Park (Fresh Off The Boat), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (Lost In Space) and Kenneth Branagh (Oppenheimer)
Even with the main voice cast, there are even more guest stars, like Stephanie Hsu, Harry Shum Jr., Ming-Na Wen, and many more. There’s so much to love about them.
Blue Eye Samurai Has Unstoppable, Intense Action That Will Capture You For All Eight Episodes
Okay, this is something I will go into heavy detail about because, holy hell, the action in this is on another level.
While I’m not the hugest fan of the best action movies, simply because most of them don’t have the most compelling plot in comparison to many others, I do love action in most TV shows and animated series because it feels like it builds on the story rather than just being included to draw eyes to the theater. That’s something I love about Blue Eye Samurai.
The action does not stop. Not for a single second.
Of course, there are more tranquil moments of story-building and character arcs expanding, but the action is the main reason you keep coming back. Mizu is ruthless in the way she kills. She’s powerful, quick, and cunning, and while she’s not invincible (as you can see many times throughout the show), she always finds a way to get the job done.
I would relate Mizu to maybe Uma Thurman’s “The Bride” from Kill Bill. Somehow, she always finds her target – regardless, they will end up dead, no matter how injured she may be. Heck, if Mizu were in the Attack on Titan universe, she would be ranked up there with the most badass non-Titan characters. She’s that good.
If you love action, this is the show to watch. Trust me.
The Show Uses 3-D Models That Resemble A 2-D Animation Style
Something else I love about Blue Eye Samurai is that you don’t see this style of animation so often. It’s probably some of the most unique animation I’ve seen.
It reminds me a lot of Arcane, where there are 3D Models used, but the way the characters look doesn’t necessarily scream 3-D to you, almost like my favorite Spider-Man, Miles Morales, in the Spider-Verse movies.
But I think it’s just done creatively. It’s not necessarily Western animation style, as it resembles a lot of what modern-day anime might look like, but it’s also unique enough that it’s not in that category either. The animation of Blue Eye Samurai is something of its own and is worthy of praise.
Blue Eye Samurai Is An Adult Animated Series And Is Rated TV-MA
Yeah, Blue Eye Samurai is most certainly an adult animated series. Keep your kids from the living room when you watch this.
The series is rated TV-MA for a reason. Not only is the action pretty gory (blood just everywhere), but the show also isn’t afraid to address nudity or sex or any of those usually taboo subjects when it comes to animation. In fact, the show embraces those aspects in healthy ways and builds the story around them, which makes Mizu’s tale that much better.
Even so, this is not a show for kids, but that means you’ll get to enjoy it much more on your own.
It’s Already Been Renewed For Season 2
If none of this has convinced you to watch Blue Eye Samurai, the fact that -- according to The Hollywood Reporter, in December 2023 -- it’s already been renewed for Season 2 should.
Here are ten other Netflix shows that were cancelled far too soon.
I know that getting a Season 2 shouldn’t be a big deal, but it really is for Netflix. The streaming platform is known to cancel many great shows too soon, like The Get Down, The Order, or even the latest in 2023, Shadow and Bone (which I’m still salty about).
All of those had fanbases, but since they presumably didn’t do the numbers Netflix wanted, they got the boot. However, Blue Eye Samurai has the fanbase and received plenty of praise and views, even appearing in the Top 10 for a couple of weeks.
If you’re at all interested, please check out the trailer below just for a hint of the action and epic-ness you will get to experience:
Blue Eye Samurai is a show that only comes around once in a while. It continues to shake up the animation industry and offers a heartfelt and compelling story that draws you in from the first episode. No matter what, this series is one that I think will become one of Netflix’s best-underrated shows.
And hopefully, it’ll only continue to gain traction because I will be watching Season 2 with the rest of my Blue Eye Samurai buddies. I’m *this close* to learning to use one of those swords now.
