Blue Eye Samurai is an adult action animated series by Amber Noizumi and Michael Green and animated by Blue Spirit, a French Company. It is a Netflix anime that is set in Edo-Japan and features Mizu, who is a blue-eyed samurai who is on his journey to explore Japan for vengeance. It has been a hit-off as an anime among all the fans for its masterful story-telling. If the plot isn't enough, let's see the top ten reasons why this series is one of the best anime to watch.
1. The Story
The story of Blue Eye Samurai that was inspired by the writer's daughter, who has Blue eyes. Following her thoughts, she forged the story of Mizu, a blue-eyed kid in a world where it is not a virtue. She is an interracial woman who is considered the daughter of a white devil. When she was born, there were only four white men in Japan, out of which one was Mizu’s father, who she blames for all her bullying. By hiding her identity, she plans to kill all four of them in revenge. The story is about her character development from her stoic nature to someone who fights for the people she cares about.
2. The Suspense
Cliffhangers and violent shock scenes shine through as a highlight of the series. There are countless moments that have the audience edging towards their seats, wondering how the scene will go down. One of the battle scenes is where Mizu is on the edge of a cliff and has to fight several men to make it out alive. Or when she gets attacked by assassins while planning her final attack. There are way too many suspenseful scenes, and the series has plenty of them to keep the audience hooked right from the beginning.
3. Hidden Messages
Beyond their excellent battle scenes and animation, the series shares many important messages through its prose. One of the most important messages is that if you choose to rise above and indeed believe you are invincible, you can overcome anything. Each side character's arc on their own delivers an important message. Mizu’s self-acclaimed helper, Ringo, shares how having a disability doesn't stop you.
4. Game-Like Animation
Given that the plot, graphic battle scenes, and gory are included, what’s great about the anime is that it takes everything good about top-rated video game animation and utilizes it in the show. The battle scenes of slicing off body parts, classic blood splutters, and mountains of dead bodies are all choreographed in a way that does not feel dragged out. It also has several traditional animation styles, like Japanese bunraku puppets for telling a story and hybrid animation.
5. Action Fight Scenes
The fight scenes in the anime are a masterful testament to how these scenes can become mere fillers in the story. These scenes are well choreographed and are skilfully timed, which has the fans looking forward to watching them even if they don’t enjoy the gore.
6. Inclusion Of Special Needs Characters
Blue Eye Samurai breaks through all the stereotypes by featuring a special needs character as one of the protagonists in the story. Ringo is a noodle maker who is born without hands but has the gift of optimism, which makes him believe he is destined for greatness. This leads him to become Mizu’s sidekick, intertwining their stories to be able to deliver a message.
7. Comedy Where It Fits
Mizu’s revenge is prone to becoming repetitive and monotonous if not for the smartly sprinkled comedy scenes. Taigen and Ringo, the side characters, take away the darkness of the story and add much-needed humor to the anime. They both go through a narrow mountain to encounter the enemy, where Ringo is left to deal with the enemy’s man, who didn’t talk. Later when he finally speak Ringo goes silent, and when he recovers from the shock, he asks the man if could talk.
8. Gender-Neutral Main Character
Mizu, the main character is a female but her journey adapts the identity of a man. Through the anime, she is perceived as a man by everyone who is around her. This isn’t suppressing feminists in any kind of way, but rather as one of the things she is rewriting about her fate. The audience believes Mizu likes to be seen as a man and doesn't shy away from owning up to her character. While gender neutrality isn’t played out explicitly, it is pretty obvious.
9. Accurate Description of Edo
The show is set in the post-Sengoku, Edo-Japan period, where they had a strict isolationist policy. This policy banned the movement into and outside Japan. While the audience won't ever have to experience such an era, this show does a beautiful job pulling out this century and into the works. It accurately depicts Japanese society, its patriarchy, its prejudices, and the importance of honor.
10. Enemies-to-Friends Trope
Throughout the series, Mizu and Taigen’s subplot has plenty of interesting events. At an early age, they began as rivals. Taigen is seen mistreating Mizu and tries to fight with her to prove his self-worth. As the story goes on, however, the dynamic starts to shift. During the battle scene, we can see them quarreling, but their dialogues show a hint of respect for each other. Taigen character development is seen. When he regrets the way he treated her all this time.
