After 'Blue Eye Samurai', Netflix's 'Last Samurai Standing' holds much promise

Fans of the jidaijeki genre might have a cause for celebration as Netflix is gearing up to launch its latest Japanese period series, Last Samurai Standing. The action-packed saga will premiere on Netflix on November 13.

A blood-soaked trailer, released by Netflix, gives viewers a sense of the epic scale and the degree of violence that a subject of this magnitude demands. From the first glimpse, Last Samurai Standing recalls some of the most iconic Japanese samurai sagas from Masaki Kobayashi's Harakiri to Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai to Kenji Mizoguchi's The 47 Ronin.

Based on Shogo Imamura and Katsumi Tatsuzawa's manga “Ikusagami”, the story centers on 292 samurai warriors competing in a deadly tournament for a prize of 100 billion yen. Set in the late 19th-century Meiji period, the series follows Shujiro Saga, a samurai entering a perilous game at Kyoto's Tenryuji Temple to save his ailing wife and child.

Junichi Okada plays Saga, who is faced with the difficult choice of participating in the game for the survival of his family.

Okada is also one of the co-producers and the action choreographer. He and his team worked with a combination of practical effects and CGI to make much of the convincing mayhem possible.

In an earlier statement, the actor said he is excited about being part of a series that should appeal not just to Japanese film and series buffs but also global audiences. "When Netflix executive producer Mr. Takahashi reached out to me, I was still acting in historical dramas. Back then, I was already thinking of ways to make this genre a hit, not just in Japan, but all over the world. I saw their potential for action, drama, social commentary, and entertainment, but I knew they could be taken further. That’s when I came across Imamura’s manga. It was written in a way that modern audiences could enjoy, and I was excited about the idea of adapting it.”

Directed by Michihito Fujii, Kento Yamaguchi, and Toru Yamamoto, Last Samurai Standing is co-produced by Kosuke Oshida.

Aside from Junichi Okada, the show's huge cast also features Yumia Fujisaki, Kaya Kiyohara, Masahiro Higashide, Shota Sometani, Taichi Saotome, Yuya Endo, Yasushi Fuchikami, Hiroshi Abe, and Hideaki Ito, among others.

Meanwhile, Netflix recently announced Season 2 of Blue Eye Samurai with an official teaser poster. A new season was highly anticipated, given the overwhelmingly positive reception to the first season. However, an official premiere date has not been announced.

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