Blue Eye Samurai

Blue Eye Samurai is an adult animated action television series created and written for Netflix by wife-and-husband team Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, with supervising director and series producer Jane Wu. It was co-produced and animated by French studio Blue Spirit (company). The first episode of Blue Eye Samurai was released on November 1, 2023, followed by the entire series on November 3. The series was renewed for a second season on December 11, 2023.

Premise
During Japan's Edo period (17th century), half-white half-Japanese onna-musha (female warrior) Mizu quests for vengeance against four white men, one of whom is her father, who illegally remained in Japan during the closing of its borders by the Tokugawa shogunate.

Main

 * Maya Erskine as Mizu, a female mixed-race blue-eyed bushi. Her experiences of discrimination as a mixed-race Japanese child have left her cold, bitter and vengeful. Forced by her mother to disguise herself as a boy so as not to be found, she chooses to maintain her disguise into adulthood to pursue her path of revenge more freely.
 * Masi Oka as Ringo, an optimistic, handless male cook who idolizes Mizu. Despite Mizu initially not wanting a companion, she later tolerates Ringo. He proves surprisingly helpful and loyal to Mizu.
 * Darren Barnet as Taigen, a promising but arrogant male swordsman of humble origins. He is in love with Princess Akemi and harbors a strong resentment towards Mizu, which has lasted since their childhoods, and later seeks revenge after being humiliated in a duel which cuts off his engagement with Akemi.
 * Brenda Song as Princess Akemi, the pampered but strong-willed daughter of a nouveau riche lord. She is in love with Taigen and resents her father's control over her and seeks a life of independence.
 * George Takei as Seki, Princess Akemi's male tutor. He sympathizes with Akemi's situation and later takes steps to ensure her freedom.
 * Randall Park as Heiji Shindo, Fowler's nominal jailor and accomplice.
 * Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Master Eiji, a blind swordsmith who raised Mizu. He was the first person to show Mizu kindness, partially because he cannot see her; as a result, Mizu holds deep respect for him, referring to him as "Swordfather".
 * Kenneth Branagh as Abijah Fowler, an Irish smuggler who is allied with the Shogun, in secret defiance of Japan's Sakoku closed-door policies. He plans to overthrow the current Shogun and replace him with a leader who will open Japan to outside influence.

Recurring

 * Stephanie Hsu as Ise, a prostitute.
 * Ming-Na Wen as Madame Kaji, a cunning and savvy madam.
 * Harry Shum Jr. as Takayoshi, the Shogun's second son.
 * Mark Dacascos as Bloodsoaked Chiaki, an assassin and the leader of the Four Fangs gang.
 * Orli Mariko Green as Young Mizu
 * Judah Green as Young Taigen
 * Patrick Gallagher as Lord Daichi, Akemi's father.
 * Ann Harada as Mama, Mizu's unnamed adoptive mother. Although Mizu initially believed she was her biological mother, it's later revealed she was merely her maid who was paid to care for her.
 * Byron Mann as Mikio, a disgraced samurai who was married to Mizu.

Supporting voices are provided by Gedde Watanabe, Patrick Gallagher, Eric Bauza, Clyde Kusatsu, Keone Young, Brittany Ishibashi, Holly Chou, Marcus Choi, Amber Noizumi, Mark Dacascos, Matthew Yang King, Jane Wu, West Liang, Alain Uy, Takaaki Hirakawa, Sherry Cola, and Christine Ko.

Production
In October 2020 it was reported that Netflix had greenlit production of the series, with creators Green and Noizumi acting as writers, executive producers and showrunners, with 2D/3D-hybrid animation by French studio Blue Spirit. They wanted it to "look like a moving painting" with character design drawn from bunraku puppets. Inspiration was taken from the character Zatoichi, the "Man with No Name", and the works of Akira Kurosawa. The creators have stated their aim to make three or four seasons, and a possible spinoff.

Episodes 1-7 have an aspect ratio of 16:9, with episode 8 changing to a more cinematic 2.35:1.

On December 11, 2023, the series was renewed for a second season.

Release
The first episode was released as a "sneak peek" on Netflix's YouTube channel on November 1, 2023. The entire series consisting of 8 episodes premiered on Netflix on November 3, 2023.

Netflix released a special version of episode 6 on its YouTube channel on November 14, 2023, featuring a largely black-and-white palette and an altered soundtrack.

Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% critic rating with an average rating of 8.4 out of 10 based on 24 reviews. The website's critics' consensus says: "Visually dazzling while paying deft attention to character, Blue Eye Samurai is a masterfully rendered animated adventure." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 88 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".