Journey of 1000 Miles Starts With A Bowl of Soba
The Netflix animated series, Blue Eye Samurai, should hit the ears with a certain degree of familiarity, given its positive reception since its launch in November of the previous year. This level of attention got me asking, as I’m sure it did many others, what all the fuss was about, but let me say without a moment's hesitation that the fuss is well warranted, and Blue Eye Samurai after one episode had washed over me with its influence so as to reawaken the fond memories of similar offering consumed in the past.
I think it’s safe to say that no warrior class possesses the same aura or popularity that the samurai do. One need only to look at some of the absolute bangers that have been released both locally and abroad in the days gone by to reinforce the claim better. Warrior codes, demon masks, gorgeous katanas, and ritual seppuku have all magnified the myth of these elite warriors and weave their way through this particular offering with the fine balance of a newly forged blade. OK, enough with the foreplay and straight to the story, a story that begins with a bowl of soba.
Our Blue Eye Samurai in question is a young lady by the name of Mizu, although viewers would be forgiven in thinking that this slender and strong woman is in fact a young man rocking a pair of amber glasses,but this comes as a result of having been forced to hide her gender as a means of protection in her formative years. Regardless, set in Japan during the 1600s, the country had closed its borders to the outside world, thus making the very thought of foreigners an unsavory and downright unpleasant thought. However, before this went into effect, four ambitious/greedy and arrogant men would first enjoy the comforts that Japan provided, and Mizu would come to be the result of several unsavory conquests from these travelers from distant lands. With round blue eyes casting a light on her mixed ethnicity, her life would be one terrible struggle from one moment to the next.
With the passing of her main caregiver, Mizu would find sanctuary in the abode of a master blacksmith, whose visual impairment did not hinder his command over the steel and the flame. Mizu would consume the wisdom of his years like the hungry furnace that they stoked and would come to not only learn to make the blades but learn and live in the way of them too. If the katana was seen as the very soul of the samurai, then Mizu and her master found themselves as forgers of souls, and it is indeed Mizu’s soul that is forged through the fires of adversity, heavily stoked by the desire for revenge on the one that had begotten her.
Setting off on the journey with her distinct blue blade forged from the metal of a meteor, Mizu would pick up the first of many breadcrumbs to her adversary in a humble soba restaurant, where one particular flesh trader would flash a foreign pistol, thus alerting our protagonists to the possibility of foreign dealings. With a heading given, Mizu would set off to find more clues to the whereabouts of her adversary, joined by the large soba cook with no hands who had served her the incredible meal that acted as a significant first dominoe to the journey ahead. Said cook's hope would be tied up in playing a positive role in Mizu’s path to revenge and discovery, thus creating a path for himself too. Now yes, I feel like the seasoned viewer will know as well as anyone that the path to revenge is hardly straightforward, easy, or even worthwhile, so what exactly can a new story on revenge furnish us with that has not been consumed 100 times of asking?
The Making Of An Onryo
I suppose therein lies the rub, as they say, but said rub is a challenge that this series is more than up for, and any and all skepticism is cut down like the many adversaries that Mizu is forced to dispatch to reach her goal. The series creates magnificent bridges between the past and Mizu’s present, the years of neglect, abuse, and torment beautifully and skillfully framed as a raging storm that casts an ominous shadow over any backdrop that Mizu inhabits. Additionally, creators also do a great job, all things considered, of driving home the effective fact that Mizu is not merely the most important character who collects a series of side characters on her journey, but that she is also a bit part player in the journeys of characters such as Ringo, the determined noodle cook who knows first hand (no pun intended) what struggle and strife is, what it is to be counted out, doubted and generally despised. Samurai Taigen, a proud samurai desperate to win back his honour from Mizu after a dual, and pursue greatness for himself by marrying into royalty. Or Akemi, the stubborn princess desperate to free herself from the golden shackles manifested as royal expectations which hampers her attempts to live life on her terms.
Each character is almost like the ghosts from A Christmas Past to Mizu’s Ebenezer Scrooge, positioned to show her the various shades of suffering and perseverance, to show her the forms of loyalty, and ambition mixed with anguish, and to teach her humility whilst opening small cracks that shines through with the lights of hope. These phenomenal characters augment the strength of this story and are further complimented by skillful editing which so beautifully juxtaposes the cold and conflicted depth of bad memories with the gorgeous animated landscapes which suggest a brighter future for these weary travelers. All of this is said without even making mention of the scintillating fight scenes, the maniacal plotting of our antagonists, or brilliant pacing which ensures that the backdrops which inform the beliefs and desires of the main characters are given their full day in the sun.
Yes, we’ve been down this road of revenge with many others before, but Blue Eye Samurai produces a well-polished effort that underscores it’s action, animations, and character chemistry with a thoughtful lens towards the ancient and prevailing problems with colonisation, and the greedy individuals, whether foreign or local that had helped it take root and bloom into the oppressive systems and dynamics that we see even in the present day. As such, there's a depth to Blue Eye Samurai that sets it apart from similar offerings and makes it an original and exciting viewing experience for both the experienced samurai savant and the casual passerby alike. I do, of course, request, for the love of all that is good, that this offering be experienced with subs over dubs to allow a fully authentic experience of this remarkable work of Japanese fiction.
