Well, it’s the holiday season, I still have a busted leg, so I guess I’ll be watching a lot of TV and movies. And given that I haven’t written up any reviews in a while, expect a boost on that front for the next few weeks!
So… with 2023 almost done and dusted, yesterday I watched what might be one of the best TV shows I’ve seen this year. Easily the best animated one. BLUE EYE SAMURAI (Netflix) is an absolutely corking tale of revenge and redemption set against the vividly-realised background of Japan’s Edo Period in the 17th century. Japan has locked itself away in isolation from the rest of the world and all foreigners are banned from the islands. The protagonist of the story, Mizu, is an outcast – a half white, half Japanese swordmaster with their blue eyes marking them out for a life of discrimination. Mizu is hunting for the “four remaining white men” in in Japan, one of whom must be her father. And she intends to kill them all, to repay the curse of her existence.
It’s a gripping story, with a superb cast of brilliantly-written characters. All of whom come across as believable flesh-and-blood people, with motivations you can understand and emphasise with. It’s a million miles away from most of the awful Marvel and DC superhero movies of the last few years. It’s got strong female characters (who don’t just Mary Sue their way effortlessly through every task) but also strong male characters too, who are likeable and worthy of respect. Something that feels increasingly rare these days. It’s a story that has a lot of things to say about class division, the oppression of women in medieval societies and the toxic nature of racism and discrimination. But none of it is done in a preachy way. It’s all in the service of good storytelling, rather than coming across like a vapid HR Pamphlet about the importance of Diversity™ and Inclusivity™. It feels genuinely authentic and relatable.
But – haha – if all that talky stuff isn’t to your tastes, then there’s also some extremely violent, bloody and kinetic action scenes too. And the whole thing is just stunningly beautiful to look at. It takes visual cues from classic Japanese culture – from ancient watercolours and woodprints, to the cinema of Kurosawa and more. From snowy mountain fortresses to crashing Hokusai-inspired purple-tinged waves breaking in front of a burning sun setting in churning seas, it’s a visually arresting background for all the bloody mayhem and twisting storylines. The animation is superb, you really feel the emotion of the characters.
Created by Amber Noizumi and Micheal Green and directed by Jane Wu, the whole series is a triumph. Great writing, inspired direction and artistically faultless. Best thing I’ve seen on Netflix for a while. Oh – and just to drive home HOW good, I started watching it yesterday… and ended up binging the whole thing in one night. A late night, but worth it!
