Netflix has plenty of new and upcoming animated series including Castlevania: Nocturne, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, Devil May Cry, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix and more. One of the anticipated series, Blue Eye Samurai, is created and written by husband and wife team Michael Green (Blade Runner 2049, Logan) and Amber Noizumi. It follows Mizu, a blue-eyed, mixed-race swordmaster on a quest for revenge. Her background and looks already make her an outcast in Edo Japan, resulting in her disguising herself in everyday life.
There are many great stories of female warriors in the history of Japan such as Nakano Takeko, Tomoe Gozen and Niijima Yae. Mizu definitely feels like an homage to these women who have defied the odds.
“When you do the reading we did and the research we did, there was so much we wanted to include,” Michael Green tells Nerd Reactor. “And so much you’re influenced by, it’s actually hard to answer the question because we put so much into the soup of our brains and then just started writing, and then would check to make sure we give the scripts to experts to make sure we got things right as we could. It’s hard to point to any one particular thing. They’re definitely folktales, stories we read that seep through and probably chime through most loudly.”
Edo Japan was a time when if you looked different, you would be treated differently, especially if you were a foreigner. Mizu is a character that fits that bill by being a female warrior and having a mixed-race heritage.
“Well, I guess the struggles that she faces due to her mixed-race heritage and being a woman, I mean, those struggles are ultimately what make her who she is,” Amber Noizumi said. “I mean, those are what turns her into this warrior, this unstoppable warrior and she’s so laser-focused on the pursuit of her revenge. So I mean, throwing the obstacles in her way, one after the other and watching her overcome it, that’s her journey. I think that’s what makes a lot of us who we are, or at least partially.”
The animated series features plenty of blood and gore. Examples include sharp objects hitting someone’s eye or intestines spilling out of one’s stomach. The showrunners had fun with it but also wanted to make sure that it wasn’t gratuitous.
“We want to have fun with it, but also it all had to come from a place,” Green explained. “So like two fingers are chopped off, but those are the two fingers that touched a girl rudely. Mizu cuts off someone’s hand after he grabs her. So as long as it came from a visceral emotional place or gave us joy we went for it.”
“We didn’t pull any punches or slices as you will,” Noizumi added. “But we definitely tried to be judicious and not have you know, blood dripping down the screen every moment.”
Official Trailer #2 and Soundtrack Release
The new trailer for Blue Eye Samurai was released today along with the soundtrack.
The Blue Eye Samurai soundtrack is composed by Amie Doherty and is now available on major listening platforms.
Track List:
- Blue Eye Samurai (Mizu Suite)
- Stranger In Town
- The Heavens Throw Treasure
- A Young Edo Bride
- Thank You For My Ember
- Akemi’s Theme (Suite)
- The Art of Seduction
- Yaki-Ire Meditation
- Mind Our Own Soul
- Reborn
- Four Paths To Greatness
- Madame Kaji’s Teahouse
- Kinuyo’s Promise Fulfilled
- A Beautiful Beast
- Journey to the Ninth Level
- Flower Dust
- Fowler’s Conquest
- Melted Metal & Mizu’s Rebirth
- Revenge At All Costs
- Tedium of a Siege
- Floodgates of the West
- Guns to a Sword Fight
- The Great Fire of Edo, 1657
- From the Embers of Edo to the New World
- For Whom the Bell Tolls (performed by Emi Meyer)
About Blue Eye Samurai
Set in Edo-period Japan, Blue Eye Samurai follows Mizu (voiced by Maya Erskine), a mixed-race master of the sword who lives a life in disguise seeking the deliverance of revenge.
Blue Eye Samurai is created by Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, who also serve as executive producers and writers. Erwin Stoff is executive producer. Jane Wu is supervising director and producer. Blue Spirit is the animation studio.
Voice cast includes Maya Erskine (Mizu), George Takei (Seki), Masi Oka (Ringo), Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (The Swordmaker), Brenda Song (Akemi), Darren Barnet (Taigen), Randall Park (Heiji Shindo), and Kenneth Branagh (Abijah Fowler). Supporting voice cast includes Stephanie Hsu (Ise), Ming-Na Wen (Madame Kaji), Harry Shum Jr. (Takayoshi) and Mark Dacascos (Chiaki), among others.
