This animated series tells us in 8 chapters, of 45+ minutes each, a raw story about racism, segregation, betrayal, prejudice, sexism, love and, above all, revenge.
This series follows the hero’s journey of Mizu, the protagonist, an exceptional swordswoman; who, throughout the story, we see fighting to fulfill a vow of revenge against the ‘white men’.
At the time I was born, there were four white men in all of Japan. Men who traded in weapons and opium and flesh. One of them took my mother and made of me… a monster; a creature of shame. I do not know their names; but I do know their fate: they will all die by my hand. I have vowed this.
Orphaned from an early age and hiding her true gender from the world, Mizu survived for a time on the streets of her native village, Kohama, eating from the garbage and being a victim of violence, segregation, and racism; at a time when the stigma of being a ‘half-blooded’ was a comparative to being an Onryō (a demon); her mixed ancestry seen at a glance: rounder eyes and, above all, her blue eyes. Until one day a meteorite, which saved her life, leads her to stay with a blind sword maker, who basically adopted her as his son.
To fulfill her vow, Mizu trained tirelessly to carry out her revenge.
”I must become the greatest swordsman alive’.
When her caretaker, Sword father, surprised her training with the sword, she revealed her shame.
‘Forgive me. I’ve kept form you a secret. One everyone else knows as plain as my face, but you do not […] You are blind and so cannot see the shame of my face. I’m made of mixed metal. No amount of hammering can remove my impurity’.
Years later, Mizu left where she grew up with Swordfather to begin her ‘white men’ hunt.
This French-American production certainly knows how to tell a good story. With the characters, incredible scenery, excellent soundtrack and masterfully choreographed fight scenes, Blue Eye Samurai has so far won 6 Annie Awards and 4 Emmy Awards.
If you are a fan of this kind of stories, or just want to watch a new series, Blue Eye Samurai is a perfect option to spend an afternoon with your friends. Of course, this series is not intended for an underage audience; with nudity and explicit sex scenes, graphic violence (torture, blood, gore, dismemberment, executions, etc.), drug use, in addition to the sensitive topics addressed in the story, this animated series is exclusively for an adult audience.
Fuentes:
https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/blue-eye-samurai-release-date
