At Anime NYC, Netflix gave viewers a first look at its slate of adult animated series on the horizon—including the second season of its sleek, action-packed Japanese revenge epic, Blue Eye Samurai.
Co-created by husband and wife Amber Noizumi and Michael Green and animated by Blue Spirit Studio, Blue Eye Samurai is a 2023 animated series that dropped quietly on the streamer before blowing the minds of many viewers with its lavish art direction of period Japan and high-octane action. Set in 17th-century Edo, Japan, the story follows Mizu (Maya Erskine, known for Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Pen15), a mixed-race swordswoman who disguises herself as a man on a quest for revenge against her father. Along the way, she fights off hordes of fearsome warriors in a tale reminiscent of Kill Bill meets Lady Snowblood, with a sprinkle of Mulan and tons of other samurai film motifs from Akira Kurosawa and beyond, as well as the show’s unique flair for high-action spectacles thrown into the mix.
The featurette includes Noizumi, Green, and executive producer Jane Wu, who remind viewers that revenge remains Mizu’s primary mission. The only thing that has changed is her destination: London. With Abijah Fowler (Kenneth Branagh), one of the men she previously believed to be her father, held captive, Mizu plans to use him as a living map to lead her to her actual father. Mizu’s quest occasionally crosses over into the bigger picture of the political rigmarole of Japan—but for the most part it remains laser-focused.
Throughout the show, Mizu has persistently sought out the man she believed to be her father, driven by a desire to confront him for his role in her life as a “half demon” on top of the trope of white foreigners’ (and potential fathers’) insidious plans with the post-isolationist leaders of Japan, making her revenge all the harder to exact. As the featurette’s first half teases, season two will play with the course of sequential events by not showing Mizu running amok in London off the rip.
Seeing as how Mizu is wielding her sword on the way to kill somebody—likely after getting her reforged sword from her Swordfather (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) after the events of “The Great Fire of 1657″—there’ll likely be some breathing room before Mizu lets down her hair and boats to London to kill her dad. The second half of the featurette offers a glimpse of what that looks like, with Mizu joining a group of farmers as they invade a shadowy fortress and a hail of flaming arrows rains down upon them. Given that the Great London Fire occurred in 1666, it would be delightful to see if the show incorporates Mizu’s quest for revenge as a physical manifestation of her vengeful fury.
Noizomi and Green also confirm that Swordfather, Akemi (Brenda Song), Taigen (Darren Barnet), and Ringo (Masi Oka) will be returning in the second season, as well as some characters who viewers thought had died in the first season. Wu also emphasizes how the second season will further refine the show’s approach to utilizing live-action stunt crews “who know what they’re doing” as a reference for its fights.
Toward the middle of the featurette, Green and Wu take a moment to thank fans for their ardent support of the series, which helped drum up enough excitement to secure a second season. Seeing as how not many wonderfully animated shows get that chance, it’s no surprise that fans were nervous that the pendulum of Netflix not renewing a show for a second season would swing at Blue Eye Samurai. On the other hand, the show was pulling off action that looked so impeccable, Netflix’s official YouTube account uncharacteristically started dropping full episodes to capitalize on the hype.
“When we started Blue Eye Samurai, we had no idea if anyone would be interested in this, if anyone would think it’s fun, if we would even be allowed to make it,” Green said. “So we want to say thank you to the fans for showing up.”
Before its release, Netflix audiences were still enjoying the first season of Arcane, making Blue Eye Samurai a surprising addition to the streamer’s animated catalog. The show’s debut in November prompted viewers to quickly take to social media, advocating for a second season just weeks after it premiered. Viewers were determined to make their voices heard, expressing their desire for the story to continue and hoping it wouldn’t become another missed opportunity.
Netflix finally answered back a month later, confirming Mizu’s revenge quest was far from over. Given that the show won four Emmys, it’s a no-brainer to lead the charge for the streamer’s new wave of adult animation.
Speaking with Netflix in 2023, Green and Noizumi revealed they had already charted out a second season before its official announcement. In contrast to the first season, Noizumi and Green teased that Mizu will have to wrestle with how Londoners treat her. Throughout the first season, Mizu was treated like a demon because of her mixed heritage. To avoid further trouble, she concealed her eyes behind shades. This situation was particularly challenging for her as a woman in an era when the only ways to achieve mobility were through financial resources, marrying into wealth, or gaining prominence in the red-light district. The show effectively explored all these avenues throughout its first season with Mizu, Akemi, and Madame Kaji (Ming-Na Wen).
In the new featurette, Wu promises fans that their wait for the second season of Blue Eye Samurai will be as worth it as a feat only animation can achieve for its fights, just as much as for its story.
“This is a story that needs to be told, and animation happens to be a very good medium to tell the story,” Wu said. “I can’t wait to share what we have in store for Blue Eye Samurai season two. I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
Blue Eye Samurai season two doesn’t have a release date, but Netflix says it is “coming soon.”
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