‘Blue Eye Samurai’ Trailer Promises a Bloody and Brutal Journey of Revenge!! Check It Out!!

In just under a month, Netflix‘s new animated original series Blue Eye Samurai promises to take viewers on a bloody and brutal journey of revenge paved with gorgeous animation. Set in Edo-period Japan, the series is billed as a classic Samurai tale that follows a mixed-race sword master in disguise who seeks vengeance against those responsible for killing her mother. A new trailer shows off the stunning visuals from the animation studio Blue Spirit that adorn a tapestry of violence.

Set to a cover of Metallica‘s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” the trailer does everything it can to make the titular Blue Eye Samurai appear as something more than human. In the eyes of the people she’s pursuing, Mizu (Maya Erskine) is a demon capable of tearing through soldiers like paper. Even she admits she’s become a monster. She recounts her tragic past, remembering the men who ripped her mother from her including the ruthless Abijah Fowler (Kenneth Branagh). Since that moment, her steely blue eyes have been fixated on murder, and she’s honed her skills with a blade to be able to best any foe. It all culminates in one haunting shot of the samurai lurching forward in an almost inhuman manner with blood-soaked clothes, flames to her back, and a look that spells death for anyone on the wrong side of her sword.

Blue Eye Samurai takes place in a deeply misogynistic time and society, believing it’s a woman’s purpose to be practical and that revenge is not something they are afforded. Mizu fights that notion, dueling men who believe they are her greater against gorgeous sunsets and crashing waves, dispatching them in large groups, or catching them off guard with a swift and final stab to the throat. It’s hinted that there’s more to her than just a stone-cold killer, however. The series will likely explore who she is deep down and how the people she meets shape her as she fights against patriarchy and prejudice. Of course, each brutal action sequence brings a mix of 2D and 3D styles for dynamic animation while the art gives the feeling of a painting with visible brush strokes.

‘Blue Eye Samurai’ Brings Together a Dream Team

Beyond the stellar animation, Blue Eye Samurai offers a team worth getting excited over headlined by writer Michael Green who previously penned Blade Runner 2049 and Logan as well as Branagh‘s modern Agatha Christie adaptations including the recent A Haunting in Venice. Green also co-created the series with Amber Noizumi who has previously described the series as “an Edo-period tale of revenge – Kill Bill meets Yentl.” Erskine and Branagh are part of a loaded cast featuring George Takei, Masi Oka, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Brenda Song, Darren Barnet, and Randall Park alongside supporting cast members Stephanie Hsu, Ming-Na Wen, Harry Shum Jr., and Mark Dacascos.

The samurai epic is just the latest jewel in Netflix‘s crown of animation which received a huge boost this year with some major hits including the long-awaited and excellently-animated Nimona. Drop 01, the streamer’s first-ever animated showcase, gave a sneak peek at a wide range of new series to come back in September, assuring that the service’s push for high-quality adult animation wasn’t slowing down any time soon. Among the projects shown off were the recently-released Castlevania: Nocturne, Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, Devil May Cry, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and the Astro-boy spinoff PLUTO.