The Drinker Recommends... Blue Eye Samurai
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- Tired of the usual garbage coming out of Hollywood? Tired of lame writing and unlikeable characters? Tired of THE MESSAGE? Then give Blue Eye Samurai a try on Netflix. You won't regret it.
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I can’t wait for season 2 but at the same time, I don’t want them to rush it. I want the same level of care that went into season one. It’s phenomenal. Truly peak artistic expression and storytelling.
you say that after u saw the last 2 episodes...wake up, it is horrible ending
@@sanji1259gotta agree, the last two episodes soured the experience for me.
Same goes to Arcane, I rather wait longer than see them destroy what's built.
dont want to sound naiv, but arcane will thrive even more...i saw the documentary, which was better than most shows! it is perfection@@kewins1234
@@kewins1234 This! 100% rather wait 4 years for good product. Because well they deserved that time.
You need to make more of these. Forget the garbage coming out of Hollywood and find the good stuff. You generally have good taste in film and so I’m interested to see your recommendations.
Beating a dead horse, this guy has legitimately interesting perspective, don't waste it on MCU / Starwars trash. It's dead. It isn't interesting. Move on.
Criticism and outrage naturally gets more attention, not expecting this trend to change anytime soon.
@@NIL0S resigning yourself to that is the only thing which perpetuates it. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.
And yet, even "Blue Eye Samurai" reeks of woke Hollywood shit. Even, thank god, it's not so much what is REPRESENTED on screen. But everywhere it gets praise it usually highlights the great work the (voice ) actress did and what an incredible talent the female director/writer is. While no one ever mentions, that a) the main work has been done by men! First, the real creator/writer a.k.a. mastermind behind it is Michael Green. HE knows how to bring great stories and characters to life and has a shit ton of credits to prove it. Jane Wu who gets lauded by the woke press has absolutely no credits to her name but is being treated like SHE is the great mind behind "Blue Eye Samurai".
Second, the main part of the principal graphic work has been done by a french artist studio (and that's the main reason it looks SO FUCKING GOOD!).
I hate to seem pety but it just really pisses me of how Netflix gets a little masterpiece done by (foreign) men and uses that to showboat that pink haired activist... sorry, just pisses me off.
@@richtifilmpalast5373 don't be sorry it is infuriating to know that. Just reading your expose made my blood boiled. It's really disappointing that all the praise goes to the person that least contributed to make this show what it is, not saying that she didn't do anything, but She didn't create the art that makes it visually appealing nor to the writing. Hollywood is rotten to the core and their agenda makes them rewrite history to their liking. It's really sad.
I love how her outfit doesn't change. She just sews up the damaged parts. In a way it shows the journey and struggle she endured to get the skills she has.
I noticed that too. Just like the scars on her body.
Probably the most realistic part of the show 😏
It’s also pretty much the Japanese philosophy of wavi sabi, which is accepting broken and imperfect things as beautiful. Which is lit.
I thought about that too, that might literally be why her character is so good, she is a quilt of her broken pieces...wow thats good@@strangeke7750
Like how she was a master with the naginata without any training?
The most surprising but rewarding part of Mizu's backstop was finding out that she wasn't just "too strong" to be a housewife but that she was a housewife for a time and she was happy. She could probably have lived out her life in that setting but it was her husband or possibly her "mother" who made that life impossible. I loved that the story left it up to the audience to interpret whether her husband betrayed her because he felt immasculated by being beaten by her in a sparring match or her "mother" who wanted her reward to buy more opium.
Also, I think it shows basically "the straw that broke the camels back". Mizu thought she finally achieved happiness, finding her mother again and a husband who liked her for who she was. Once she felt she was betrayed, there was no going back after the years of torment and isolation she experienced. Mizu both in the past and in the present (as she is killing the thousand claws clan) lost their humanity at that moment and became the monster that they get called (in the past she allows her mother to get killed then kills her husband and present she kills the young scared clan member and lets Akemi go). This episode was so good to show both how skilled mizu but showing her in a bad light...almost evil.
In the finale they imply heavily it was the "mother" who did it for the money.
Yeah, that scene was good
Felt she was ready to commit to housewifely, but husband was disgusted by her true identity, a trained killer, hungry for battle. He was wanting a simple life, and she was an exotic killer.
She felt betrayed by both mom and husband, and it was time to go back to her previous path of revenge. As the folk story had implied. It was a good mechanism for developing the story
actually I even wondered if that whole sequence was even real to begin with, because of how convoluted her stumbling upon her disappeared mother while injured seemed. Like how near death she questioned her choices, wondered how chosing a peaceful life instead of revenge would have been, only to realize (misguided or not) that it was doomed to fail anyway. Still tragic.
But yes, in that kind of story, the question "what if the hero would just say "f* it" and chill alone in some nice place" is almost always ignored.
The "nice" thing was it was not even open .. it was open on who exactly it was but that doesn´t matter... EITHER it was betrayal of the love of the mother or the love of the man.. so either way it´s fucked up..
Fun fact: Mizu means water in Japanese, hence the color or her eyes and the color of her sword's blade.
I was thinking mizukage
A blue sword?
Cool...
Hence the name, not the eyes. You got it backwards. Her eyes are blue because she's mixed race, a plot point of the series.
And hana mizu means snot. They dont have snot, my friend from Tokyo loves this word.
And her Hokusai hamon
With recommendations for both Godzilla Minus One and Blue Eyed Samurai, it warms my dead heart to see the Drinker end an otherwise abysmal year on such a positive note. 🍻
Both are bangers too imo. Perfect way to start winter break
Now all he needs to do is to watch Pluto, Scott Pilgrim Takes off and Wonka and he can finally end the year on a good note
@@Grudgebearer47 Scott pilgrim is bad. Pluto is not as good as blue eye samurai. It's boring at times. He'll enjoy more niche shows like heavenly delusion over that crap.
Who would have thought a Godzilla movie would be the best written movie this year?
@@samuraijosh1595 doesn’t heavenly delusion have an issue with cringy anime fanservice?
I mean if he doesn’t mind anime like ghost in the shell then he’d like Pluto, it doesn’t have to be as good as blue eye samurai to be considered watchable.
Scott pilgrim, I’ve heard it’s bad from people who dropped it after episode one, but the ones who’ve finished it tend to say it’s good. Idk I’ve never watched it but lots of my mutuals have.
Critical drinker's recommendations are ten times better than those provided by the mainstream critics. Edit: Guys this was a general statement, not directly just tied to one show!
That would be the globalist media.
He is superior to any of those other critics
Yep, literally never been let down this far.
I see that mediocre show recommended by many mainstream critics, same critics who barely discuss and appreciate anime and history media
@@yonatankuper1953They're of course backed by major corporations, this guy on the other hand is truly independent.
The animation is well done because they used a ton of live action reference. They acted out the fight scenes and animated off the reference footage. One of the producers wore period piece clothing for the animators and showed them how Japanese people walk, run and generally move within their cultured norms, and how that is influenced by the clothing they wear. There's a great behind the scenes vid here on yt.
I wish Berserk 2016 did the same😢
Did they basically use rotoscoping like in the animated Lord of the Rings from 70s?
@@100push-upsguy6 It is referencing not rotoscoping. Most animators use live-action references for their works to be able to create life-like and believable movements and it has been the standard way of character animations for many decades now.
@@PhrenSo768 Yeah but rotoscoping is a form of using live-action references
@@100push-upsguy6 no, referencing and rotoscoping are separate things. when you rotoscope you don't use anything as reference but straight-up trace over footage without modifying anything (apart from characteristics). When you reference, you only use it as a crutch for your work.
Fowler guessing her identity because her "bones break like a woman's" is some seriously dark and brilliant character development.
Yeah I didn’t catch it at first but that has some really dark implications
The look he gave when he realized, just wild to me
isn't Fowler a rainbow 🌈 brother??
@@aravindmuthu5748 nah he is just depraved
He has had a LOT of practice.
Honestly, when I saw this mini-series my biggest revelation was *"damn, I didn't think entertainment media had it in them anymore."*
I think I had that same thought when I first watched "Arcane"
Can't grade everything you see from by marvels new heap...Stan Lee is probably rolling in his grave
FYi, it's a continuing series, not a mini series. Season 2 has been greenlit.
I was even more impressed when I found out it was a western production
This is Japanese not stupid American media…they have cultural standards
It’s really crazy how recommends from “professional movie critics” never bring me the same excitement to watch something unlike The Critical Drinker.
Pro critics work for someone else. I watch guitar stuff, and when a big reseller reviews a big company's guitar, they'll gush because they rely on the ad money from that company. The self-employed YTer is free of that (but can also be a whore if desired, so still caviat emptor). Have a nice day.
Probably because the "professional movie critics" never dare point out flaws, that could end up getting them "cancelled" or #me2'd.
Luckily TCD has enough of a spine to say what he thinks, without catering to the sensitive bunch.
His last two videos baffle me. Blue Eyed Samurai and The Fall of the House of Usher are blatantly woke. Is he ignoring all the wokeness because he doesn't have content anymore?
@@n4ughty_knight probably cause, like he's said, he doesn't care about the skin tone or gender or sexuality of any character, he just wants a good story being told without preachy modern messaging
that doesnt say anything about professional movie critics, they like what they like and recommend other people go see it
it just says stuff about your own tastes
Watched it. Was woke as fuck. Got to be plastered to not see it .
This show went so much harder than I ever expected it would when randomly throwing on the first episode, loved it
Right? It's so good.
Why support Neflix though which is another website for anti-whiteness?
Same, I don't normally watch anime, I was bored one night and threw it on as something to play in the background whilst doing other things and before I knew it, it was 4am.
I'm so happy you found the time to watch this and I'm even happier you enjoyed it.
It's so good! I loved it.
I told multiple people to check out this series. Terrific show.
@DominicDaigle-ts7hz This is a link to some cheap-ass fuzzy-focus animal antics video. I broke my own rule about clicking on links and that's where it led me.
The whole series is incredible, but episode 5 'The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride', where Mizu's backstory is remembered as a Japanese puppet play, as an inter-cut flashback whilst she fights off a horde of assassins, is, in my humble opinion, a masterpiece.
oh that episode is probablt the best ...that and the scene in which she kills that deaf mute girl right after telling her she ll protect her.. it was a really gut wrenching scene
@@SuicidalSummerSnowWoman … how far she would go on her quest for revenge
Totally. This episode is a standout. Simply incredible.
The last episode was terrible. I don't know what happened to the creators of the 7 other masterpiece episodes.
Episode 5 was a legit masterpiece. You’re absolutely correct.
The note about how Mizu can be "outsmarted and makes mistakes at critical moments" is so well put. I was so worried early on she'd be another OP power trip protagonist, but right away they show that her past traumas manifest into her weaknesses that really help drive her character home. I honestly haven't seen character development (not just Mizu) this well done in a while!
What makes Mizu so much of a badass is exactly her persistency. She isn't some kind of flawless tactician or warrior of legend. She fucks up, makes errors in judgement but can power through it through determination alone. But it also shows how emotionally stunted someone would become by taking on this role. She is like a fierce lioness, a terrifying apex predator but one still at risk of more cunning hunters. The three other main characters also act as brilliant foils to her; all of them learn from eachother and bounce amazingly well from eachothers short comings, and by the end, you are genuinely in awe of the amazing arc they've crafted for this quartet of unlikely protagonists.
Lot of writers and producers play it safe or think their audience is dumber than they actually are. By writing to a broad audience you speak to no one. A unique and flawed but talented character is always interesting ever since Gilgamesh the Iliad and the Odyssey.
@@colers2366 Exactly this, and one of her flaws is that she will persist beyond reason and when it is no longer in her best interest, ie squaring off with Taigen when she was already badly hurt from her fight with the Four Fangs rather than just laying down her sword and asking if his honor would allow him to kill an unarmed injured opponent, and again by charging headlong straight into Hejii Shindo's incredibly obvious trap, then ensuring he dropped the ribbon, potentially sealing their fate had Ringo not pulled a fast one. Though I am curious if the sake barrel was an actual play by Hejii Shindo as we know he was attempting to doublecross Fowler, or if, as Taigen said, it was an obvious way to stuff her in a barrel and pile her into the castle to be tortured and die immediately without even the hint of a fight.
I was turned off becuase of the 3D animations, but man, never been so happy to be wrong. This animations art-style is gorgeous. Glad the Drinker covered this. Easily one of the brightest silver-linings that came out this year.
CGI in animation does seem to be improving overall at least. I've was impressed with studio Orange's works: Land of the Lustrious and Trigun: Stampede.
The 3D models still look terrible to me
@@nautdead3197agree. It looks completely shit.
The story and execution must be good from what I heard, but the animation choice i can't deal with.
It’s actually referred to as 2D animation, dude. Toy Story is 3D.
I'll be honest, as soon as I realized it was a chick, I stopped watching. Roll your eyes if you wish, there have been ZERO women samurai ever in history. There's a reason for that.
It won't shut up the people who say that Drinker hates things with female leads, even if it should. It's just proof that all we care about is a good story and good characters.
Even tho the idea of a woman beating even a single Samurai is just plain LUDICROUS.
@@toh6261I thought there were a few female samurai though?
The woke pretend older movies didn't have strong female characters. They did. Stars like Ripley in Alien, T2, La Femme Nikata,, etc, and even Leia and Marian in Indy drank that huge guy under the table. Even going back to the black and whites, plenty of strong women kept up the banter with their male counterparts. Females in film have long been strong. Not every one sure, but plenty of males are weak or evil too. The woke lie about the past to make it seem far worse than it was.
Looking forward to watching this. I definitely would have written it off assuming it was woke given the year and lead.
@@toh6261 Why exactly? Its nature vs nurture in this case, and I implore you to research a bit about the biology then just spouting off something that sounds true. Besides, its not like every samurai is some amazing warrior blessed by whatever japanese gods there are to the point where they are un-killable.
@@toh6261rubbish. There were female samurai. Rare, but it happened. Also many women, especially nobility, were trained with weapons. .
It seems so contradictory that a youtuber who frequently critiques wokeness in film and television is now promoting a show that has a 100 lb female sword fighter going to toe to toe with men who are almost certainly stronger than she and (many, i would bet) who are faster than she. Nothing but immediate breaking of immersion when I see her effortlessly block an attack from a guy who looks like he weighs 175 lbs. This may have a good story and good themes and good depictions of moral dilemmas, but the strong female antagonist angle is... not so inconspicuous, as usual. It's inescapable.
Many believe that what makes a "strong female antagonist" not enjoyable to watch is their often one-dimensional nature (i.e. a "Mary sue"). While that is undeniably true, it's also true that placing a woman in a warrior's role is reversing gender roles in a fundamental and unrealistic way. Women can be badass in fighting, as evidenced by female MMA fighters... but male MMA fighters will absolutely destroy them. Hands down. No exceptions, save for dumb luck or a very lopsided match up like a scrawny man and a brawny woman. Women are not as suited as men for war. Not even close. Everyone knows this.
I can suspend belief for many things, given a halfway plausible explanation. Super heroes. Alien races. High levels of radiation. A loosely explained magic system. But women being as strong or as fast as men, and more importantly, a female fighter being as strong and as fast as some top male fighters...? That has no basis in reality and no story teller cares to explain why. I'm just supposed to watch it and think nothing of it, as if there are many examples throughout human history, when there are simply not. It's like the entire show is attempting to gaslight me every time a fight breaks out.
So why is the main character a woman when women are widely known to be weaker and slower than men in any kind of competitive endeavor - and when men are widely known to be (generally, and on the extremes) far more violent, more competitive, more aggressive, etc? Would not a man character be a better fit and more relatable? And if so... then why is the main character NOT a man?
From the cowriter: "The reader would have to contend with their own presumption, that, “Well, clearly anyone who’s this badass must be a guy.” While the view of the first episode doesn’t really give that same experience, I think that was one of the reasons people found it a story worth reading. They had to contend with their own misperception, perhaps, in the read because they didn’t know she was a woman until the last page."
So they wanted to get super edgy, because obviously nobody has ever tried to make a woman badass... And making the main character a woman presented a new and interesting challenge during that time period... instead of just making the character a man.
Agreed 100%, couldn't watch more than 2 episodes of this nonsense
No idea why Drinker has started recommending absolute woke rubbish lately between this and House of Usher
@@nanakakitano9724if you’re getting upset at his take on this, where was your complaint with Arcane and Prey? Drinker is a hack for you guys and you fall for it every time. But once he actually likes something that’s woke or has “the message” you tune out, and that’s your problem? You let your hate of “the message” blind you from good storytelling because it’s not pandering to you specifically.
I tried watching this and couldn't make it past the first episode. I normally like your recommendations, not this time.
I made it to the third episode. Not for me. I did love Arcane, and tons of other anime. This felt inauthentic somehow. The pandering was strong, and the action didn't make up for it.
Thank you.
@@driakos Same here
@@driakos how lol vi literally defeats gaints when shes skinny af in ep 3
By the 3rd episode I was like, "finally, an original character!" This is exactly what Hollywood needs, original characters with their own story
The tale has been told before and therefore not original at all.
Dont jinx it.. they'll make a live action and mess it up
I don't care! Make it gay and put a chic in it!
It's just Mulan in Japan, surely?
@@AFMR0420 oversimplification, with that logic no modern idea is original
I believe it was episode 5 where you learn more of her back story and how she essentially became Oni like the story was being told. Definitely my favorite episode of the season and one of the best examples of how someone becomes obsessed with vengeance.
That one was heartbreaking,
That episode was masterful
Ep. 5 Needs an Emmy or the awards are pointless.
@@AlexHodgesYT Considering how much the Academy has let me down during Best Animated Film nominations and how the winner is picked, I tend to feel let down.
That episode genuinely broke my heart. I felt so bad for her, especially when Akemi said Mizu is incapable of feeling anything.
Episode 5 is a masterpiece in parallel storytelling. I was floored.
it was peak storytelling, the following episodes almost suffer in comparison, despite being amazing in their own right.
Episode 5 is amazing.
@@blackpaw29Episode 6 is kinda trash though
Wrong.
@@studentdebil1720 was 6 the one that literally only had action? Where she fought her way through that castle? I quit on that episode, but ill probably return with confirmation that the last 2 eps are good
How can you spend years raging against this "Message" of yours in films like Prey and Shang Chi because women can beat men and then just hand wave it all away? All you're doing is showing that you don't care about the points you've been shouting about. If they don't matter, then your whole grift is meaningless.
I'm guessing Netflix paid you for this review because this show sucks.
Nope other people seem to like it, guess you just have different opinion
@@Puggers22 tons of people like Taylor Swift, that doesn't mean she's a good musician.
@@bmbmw69 Again just people's opinions, not everyone is going to like everything
@@Puggers22 but this show definitely pushes the "message" that drinker is complaining about. Strong Mary Sue, able to beat men twice her size, evil white men, evil patriarchy, and even a trans woman. This show checks every box.
@@Puggers22You mistake opinions for judgements, because you are incapable of understanding the difference. Explains a lot.
Apparently the lead director of this show is a martial artist herself and in her own words she has a real pet peeve about martial arts being portrayed in accurately in fiction. So she has an active interest in making the fight scenes as brutal grounded, messy and realistic as they possibly could be.
and she did a damn fine job ; all the kudos/congrats is well deserved
I can believe that, almost none of the fight scenes are 'pretty' or simple. It really feels like the characters are fighting for their lives.
Well, someone passed on the silly mythological notions of the extreme prowess of the Samurai sword. That is indeed my only real criticism of this whole series. I cringe watching characters felling 8 inch diameter trees with a sword stroke. Or cutting through steel or iron rods as if they were twigs. Or cutting through a pistol. And then, when the plot calls for it, that same amazing blade is shattered by a lead ball from an arquebus. The same blade which held the weight of two adults wedged into a stone wall at a 90 degree angle without bending or breaking.
I guess I'm too much of a sword enthusiast.
That's pretty cool.
So basically, yet another female writer and director who need to write and see themselves in the lead character. At least it sounds like they did a good job and didn't make the female lead perfect and all men dumb. Kudos for that at least.
I cannot fathom how happy I am that you of all youtubers are talking about how amazing this show is. It deserves all the praise it's getting and more
Kinda of disappointed that it is not getting the criticism it deserves.
I was contemplating writing an email to Drinker myself, to ask him to give this show a go. So I am happy to see that somebody else already did that. This show was a pleasant find for me, so I hope more people give it a try, despite some questionable moments in the second half. It's a great fun
@@PatrickOMulligan Same, I can't see how people can't see it.
To me this show is just mediocre at max. Main character has an opportunity to get interesting story but we can't see even a single 'grwoing up' moment or the actual development. Every fight is extremely easy, no matter how badly wounded she is, she is always on top. Enamies who are presented to us as some n-level threat have been killed in 5 minutes and they don't use the chance to kill her (like in the final fight guy run away twice rather than killing her...)And in the end she decided to abandon everyone who cared for her because she needs to for her quest... to england. Also her amazing abilities have been never explained.
The story of the princess is like: 'ok, I'll do this and I'll never face the consequences, everything'll be fine'.
The fat guy has much more interesting story - learning that his disability dosn't make him less valuable. Or the samurai - learnig more about himself and that he is not invincible (sth which main protagonist is lacking a lot...).
it looks amazing, that is for sure, the music is nice (except the metallica moment... just why??? Why not to implement riff and bells into the more traditional japanese genre?). But the stupidity of handling the main character is just way, way to big...
I agree and somehow this isn't criticized for being w0ke. I guess the drinker is losing his edge.
I just cant watch anything action with female leads any more, hollywood has forced way to much bushit on us now im just disgusted by all the gender inverting, strong female movies/ tv shows that are comming out. Its quite annoying too because five years ago i didnt care wether it was a male or female lead. Guess their "message" made me cynical towards these things
Finally, a reviewer with a good audience gave this one a spotlight it deserves. Another good and extremely underrated animation I would recommend is "Pantheon"
There is an ever growing list under the surface of good western adult animation and that is absolutely in it .
You should check out Scavenger's Reign as well
@@rvantong What streaming service is it on?
@@UncreativeHandle48 It's on Amazon Prime
A female hero goes on a quest to defeat 4 'evil' white men... I don't think I have it in me for this trope anymore despite what the Drinker recommends.
100%. After seeing the trailer, I gave it a hard pass. It might be well-written, but it's about as woke as a blue-haired college freshman. No thanks.
were these comments AI generated?
That’s what I’ve been saying too. I watched the first episode and couldn’t continue. Action was good yeah but I can’t trust or commit to a series produced by Netflix about a strong female character beating up legions of male opponents all in the interest of taking revenge on the only white guys in the country who all happen to be evil. This is 100% propaganda that he normally rails against. It’s funny how people just go “oh the drinker said it’s good so it must be!” To be fair, most of the time the Drinker is on point but he does miss things and in my opinion this is a miss. This is ABSOLUTELY “the message”. It’s done in an anime, slick stylized manner buts it’s all the same bullshit pushed by woke companies.
@@alicjakempisty2729 nope, we're normal people who actually pay to watch good movies and shows.
@@Harzach-Hardcastle7685 sure Jan
Typically I am an anti cg-animation snob but i let my hair down for this one and was not disappointed. I actually enjoyed the art style very much. We might finally be entering an era where we finally surpass cell shading. Here’s to hoping. Hopefully they finally touch up Berserk so I can finally watch the rest of those. Or just get this studio to remake it!
CGI can work for a show if it's done well and it is consistant. Land of the Lustrious aka Houseki no Kuni is a good example for CGI that isn't actually that great if you measure it on bein realistic but fits very well.
Lol I’m the same. I can’t help but think how much better it would have looked if it was 2D.
CGI is art, it can be done masterfully and beautifully.
I would recommend you watch the Trigun Stampede anime by studio Orange which came out earlier this year. It's a full cgi animated anime but it's one of the best. The studio is probably the best at cg anime and I would recommend u watch their other shows as well.
Why, though? Arcane had a mix of both, and it was gorgeous. Spider-verse literally changed the landscape of animation with this hybrid of styles gelled together to create unique story-telling elements.
I had the same experience of wanting to pause the show sometimes just to admire how gorgeous the visual design was.
Yesss. I LOVED the shot of Akemi and Taigen on the bridge after she said she wanted to stay….and not run to a safe / quiet life with Taigen.
Burning / scary one side and peaceful/quaint on the other😍
I’m so happy you talked about how awesome Fowler is because he deserves way more attention. As you said, he feels like he could do whatever the hell he wants, whenever, which is such a terrifying concept. But coupled with great voice acting, terrific character design, a shockingly interesting motive and some great dialogue, DAMN. Or Hollywood might have just starved me for good villains I don’t know
Yea I don’t wanna sympathize to a Character which kills baby and put their bones in the Dungeon
Did they ever explain why the isolationist, technophobic, and genocidally prejudiced military dictatorship is the good guys and the technologically advanced democratic societies are a "corruptive influence?"
Genuinely curious. From what I've seen it's more of the same; western man bad. It's a tired refrain that doesn't make me want to give Netflix money; especially considering the blatant prejudice they display with their movies.
@@ireallycant4416objectively he is a deep, brilliant villain. I despise him for that exact reason but from a critical point of view, he is a horrific villain like the OP perfectly encapsulates- it feels like he can do anything An omnipotent calculating and ruthless villain. Wow
Makes sense that a sadist would enjoy it up the clacker. Totally unexpected yet..
@@ireallycant4416 You can like a character without agreeing with their actions. Why can't zoomers grasp this shocking concept?
It’s hard to talk about without spoiling a really good episode, but they show actually gives her a window in which she can set aside her revenge and rather than have her throw it away and carry bullheadedly on, Mizu actually embraces it, giving her a complicating dynamic of finding a scrap of joy that, for a moment, convinces her she doesn’t have to be on her quest for revenge and that her life can be more than a bloody warpath. The result of that makes her return to that quest even more heartbreaking and makes her so much more than a warrior; it makes her human because she reaches for joy rather than revenge and life makes it clear it won’t let her do that.
Well ya that episode makes a point of how if there's anything more painful than a lack of happiness, it's being given a taste of happiness only to have it abruptly taken away. It's great fucking stuff.
Lol this is such BS. The series is NOT that deep. But hey you guys keep on consuming this gender swapped crap.
Yeah I can't remember the last time I have seen that in other stories with similar dynamics. Because usually they consider it for a good minute but go back to the old path. (Not that it's bad or anything) but she really tried for it for a long time.
That was genius, giving her the chance to be happy and 'normal' then to have it snatched away.
I saw some comments on how he betrayed her because she wasn't the good little wife and he couldn't take it which in my opinion wasn't what scared him. He suggested they spar, he knew she was a warrior, what scared him was while he kept his blade covered she pulled live steel on him twice. And its completely in character for both of them
omg the drinker is starting to be brainwashed by.... *_THE MESSAGE_*
They're getting to him, there's no excuse for liking this nonsense
Womp womp
Just seen episode 4, i am done with Netflix. Sure, the animation is absolutely wonderful and it looks astonishing but the story is hideous, stupid and makes no fucking sense at times. What do you mean it's not a feminist power fantasy? It totally is.
It’s SO SO GOODDD. I fell in love with the world, the characters, the story, the look, everything. It’s both comforting and challenging. Lovely and disturbing (in a good way). Brilliant creators and actors.
I take it is dubbed?
Of course it's dubbed, all animation are except silent movies.
@@davethomas1641 Don't worry about that, just watch.
@@davethomas1641 It's a western animation. Wasn't made in Asia.
@@jovanfilipovic5115 much appreciated, didn't know that........
I tried and thought is was woke and lame
It is
Dude, it’s just another grifter like all the ones on UA-cam
Biggest gripe with the series was, how easily Mizu overcomes deadly wounds. Suspension of disbelief only goes so far and that felt just a little bit too off. It's good to show her her get wrecked, to not be OP, but it shouldn't be basically killing blows.
In the first episode, the flashback-introduced childhood bully monologues while he has her beat, and then inexplicitly walks away while exclaiming how she's gonna die (your sword was right up at her throat!). She then unshackles her training weights (and goes over 9000 in power level!!) and bests her kid-bully foe who, oh yeah, hates half-bloods and therefore can be expected to act like a Marvel movie villain.
This show fucking sucks and I don't understand why its getting dry-humped so hard.
@@foobazabar Correct take, this show is absolute trash
@@foobazabar This show has a lot of weak points, one of which you mentioned above. I think it has a lot of strong points too, particularly in episodes 5-6. I struggled through some of the parts that were either boring or too woke (i.e. nonsensical) for me, and ultimately found it a rewarding series.
I do think the current circle-jerk is a bit one-sided with people exaggerating the positives. Once you give it some time and people watch it multiple times, there might be more critical takes. Overall, I'd rate it a solid 9/10.
Strong points for me: story, character development, great facial expressions, and excellent sound effects. Visual quality is also up there.
Weak points:
1) Some fight scenes are plain ridiculous.
2) Any fighters who are not explicitly main characters tend to be weaker than NPCs in a video game.
3) Some of the characters are not properly developed e.g. Ringo oscillates between a goof-ball and an outright genius, Taigan can't make up his mind about what he wants, Akemi the princess is a brat and arguably a "woke" character who is both selfish and narcissistic yet somehow keeps getting her way. (Although in the end, Akemi learns to stop being a victim and take control of her life, so this can be yet another example of good character development).
@@OptimusPrime-vg2ti🤓
same, the part where she gets an iron spike through her heel and the next day she barely has a limp. You could chalk it up to adrenaline, but after awhile it gets a little silly, but I guess because it's animated most turn a blind eye?
The fight scenes are incredible, they’re fast, fluid, and almost feel superhuman, but still manage to pull it together into something that someone skilled enough could pull off.
Yeah, it's almost like watching old Jackie Chan fight scenes but animated
There were a couple times where I audibly said “that’s bullshit” like when she lands on the rock with one hand and then jumps up and cuts that dude in half but it honestly was so good that I did not care
I haven't watched this, but seeing two men get launched through a wall, then the female protagonist walk through, told me that this will still have those moments. I believe your assessment in general, though, and am glad to read that about this work. I also think my suspension of disbelief is more resilient regarding physical feats like that in animation over live action, so I wondered a bit about how well this would do if it was live action instead. All in all, though, good writing trumps all that, so it's nice to hear and read how well this series was done. Maybe I'll actually even watch it.
Honestly it's like Kill Bill. The fight scenes are so over the top, so ludicrous, and so unbelievable that they break the suspension of disbelief. However I didn't care when The Bride cut down the Crazy 88 because I was 100% invested in her journey and it was a blast to watch her get her revenge, and the same goes for Mizu. It also helps that this show is animated, and that the show states right away that this is the story about a literal Legend. Plus Mizu is just a fantastic character with a ton of development, especially in episode 5 which explained so much about why she's such an awful person sometimes.
First time I disagree with the Drinker. Blue eyed samurai is pure garbage, watch onimusha instead.
You hate women
Story is rather weak.
Too many unbelieveable or highly unlikely situations that tend to overwhelm once the last episode is reached.
Most of the comments are correct, but,
How does a foreigner at that time become the best swordsman in japan?
How many times did he have the advantage on Mizu, yet left the fight?
who comes up with this idiotic material?
Mizu's revenge arc become weaker and dumber as the story progresses, rendering the main character pointless.
Reminds me of Rey, no matter the situation, no matter how many gapping wounds, she finds a way.
Yeah Mizu is very reckless and gets saved often, but it makes sense she needs Fowler to find the other white men. The story is a little back and forth if she wants revenge or not. But everything else about the show is done very well. I'd still rate it highly.
I binge watched the whole season in one go. It was a really pleasant surprise. Everything The Drinker says I could repeat. Can't wait for next season.
Wow, the entire season! A full six hours! Sorry, i can't stand this ridiculous trend that will soon make movies and "series" indistinguishable
you obviously don't have a job to keep yourself busy
@@shermansheepherda8488 I have a good job, I don’t need to work much to make bank, besides my job aren’t about just putting hours into it.
and could it happen that it was a day off I used to watch a tv show?
@@muskyoxes nothing wrong with your way of doing things, and I no problems keeping engaged for six hours. Must admit, I took myself a break mid through, to cook myself a fabulous meal.
@@neanderthal- Was it noodle soup?
Oh yeah!
I stumbled across BES a few weeks ago and was already a drink or two in on a bored Friday.
The most surprising part for me was that the cross-dressing/woman-in-a-man’s world aspect was handled with care. I was intrigued by the character, who wasn’t some cardboard cutout woke-puppet, but had a difficult story to tell. Hell, I was even happy to overlook some of the annoying elements of the series just to find out where it was going next. To me, a compelling series is a good series by definition.
So it's about a girl-boss with daddy issues who can beat up grown men? Hard pass.
Really grasping at straws to give this a recommendation...
I still thought it was good, distilling to those points removes a lot of the narrative nuance, I think drinker is overhyping it a bit cause it does start out okay but episode 5 and 6 really cement the character I feel
@@carcarcool6262 The problem is that the points I distilled are the salient ones.
I'm done. I simply won't consume "message" propaganda when there's a lifetime of great books and movies I could read/watch instead. We need to stop coping and accepting this kind or rubbish.
Uh yeah, as long as the main character can get injured then its a believable story 😮💨
You are no longer credible.
How so?
Yep, unless he wakes up I completely agree.
Anyway, 50 kg woman, who trained without teacher and without competitons (only with waving a stick), fighting 90-100 kg warriors in full armor, who trained with teachers, other students and tons of competitions, is not very plausible.
Don't forget her superpower: a magical metal rock that fell from the sky that "no man could tame" which she made into a sword as an apprentice who could apparently only make decent kitchen knives. She then wields said sword, as you say, like a master of all schools of sword fighting because, plot.
Totally not a Mary Sue we swear! There's tits in this animation which means its has adult themes (le omg a prostitute had a kid with who wants vengeance I never seen that before).
it would only be a complaint if the show was going for realistic fighting
john wick was shouldn't have made it past the first movie and plot armor kept him alive and going until he actually needed to take a fatal wound
guts from berserk was raised as fodder for a mercenary as a child with no true high level professional training someone like a knight would receive yet he cuts people through plate armor and keeps going and cuts armored horses as well while being one of the few humans capable of fighting apostles
But it doesn't break your suspension of disbelief when you understand some of the martial arts genre that have been around for decades. And how often she DOES nearly die. Is it an exaggeration, yes - but the focus on how it took thousands of hours of training to be PRECISE with her technique that leads to her ability. It's the right technique that cuts through the tree, not the mere strength and force. When every strike is like hitting the sweet spot....you cheer for her because until you're halfway through the season, you don't really know what her ceiling is.
I think the themes around balance and allegories into sword making and impurities and strength....and wrapped around her determination for revenge allow it to be enjoyed instead of rolling eyes at it. Jedi's using the force to deflect literal laser bullets traveling at the speed of light we've accepted - I think we can accept Mizu is special and it's not because 'every female has it in her'.
With the crap we’ve been getting, I approached this with mid-expectations…. Needless to say, the fact I binged the first 6 episodes then forced myself to watch the last two later tells ya, I had similar enthralled emotions towards this amazing story.
From the characters, to the world, the animation and the music (a note I’m surprised you didn’t touch on), it was such a fun and emotional ride. I am looking forward to season 2
It just tells me that you were so desperate to watch anything because it was a woke shit show
@@n4ughty_knight Whatever dude, you're clearly desperate to find wokeness everywhere so you can play the victim
Yeah, music. They even had their own ‘musical episode’, like in all modern shows (I mean the one with classic theatre tale) and that was… perfect😮
@@n4ughty_knight strong female characters isn't woke ary sues that are perfect and have no flaws are ...misu is a very flawed character
@@n4ughty_knight Its not really woke, there's every reason mizu are force to become a boy.
eh, began watching it because of drinkers recommendation, but turned it off after ep1.
Dialogue is kinda stupid, pacing is draging, and i find the artstyle & animation kinda not working.
netflix produces 99% of stuff right on or under the mediocrity-line.
As soon as you mentioned the demographic of the bad guys, I was like "yep, Netflix".
You guys are becoming the Anita Sarkeesians of the other side, where instead of seeing characters all you see are races, genders, social status... Dont be like that.
@@NeroBurningRomeValid point but there's a point where only a certain race are vilified in most modern media and it's hard to ignore sometimes, ya get me or nah?
@@theblazingace3537 True, but having listened to the rest of the review it seems to actually be used as a vehicle for the story and setting, rather than THE MESSAGE
@@NeroBurningRome The difference is, Anita was paid to be full of shit, and he's right.
Also women could never beat real Samurai.
Like EVER.
@@thekingofchange1428plus it is historically accurate
As a japanese person and a person who studied movies... I did not like this tv show at all. Dull and so many plotholes+they speak english through the entire show. Some parts were good but to much plotholes ruined the show.
They're speaking English only for the audience, its obvious that within the fictional world they're all speaking Japanese...
Again you have ignored the Marxist messaging in this terrible show all because they packaged it nicely. Drinker this show is the epitome of woke. As many smart and observant people in the comments section have pointed out.
I don't get exactly why you keep doing this. But I have some very good educated guesses as to why.
How so
My girlfriend put me onto this show and boy I was shocked at how well it is. Character development, the writing, the animations. Definitely worth a binge watch
You have a based GF.
I’m trying to get my bf to watch this but he’s relenting
Ok i watched this show finally because u recommended it, ur usually not wrong but holycrap were u on this one. I dont understand how am i the only one to think this was terrible! Its full of bs the only reason u can say it meh is because the arts great.
Ringo was legit my favorite character. I love how he’s so sincere and humble, just looking for an opportunity to help others and be of service. Really exemplifies that whole “the meek shall inherit heaven” vibe
He was one of mine too! At first I found him kind of grating. I thought he’d be the telltale quippy comic relief character but he was dialed back enough to where he never seemed out of place and I eventually really grew to like him. I even laughed at some of his funny moments which I didn’t expect to
Everyone shines in their own way. Even the princess, who learns from the brothel madam on how to use her powers of feminity to seduce men.
Hes 1-note imo hes just a goofy
Sidekick that acts as a plot
Device.
@@elongatedmanforever1252 yeah, if you just read a plot summary of the show maybe
@@Windwalker88
Nah i just dont like it.
This show was just beautifully animated girl boss trash
Protagonist: Diverse Woman
Antagonists: Straight White Males
Yep, that's a Netflix show
This isn't anime. Couldn't get pass the 15 minute mark. IMO it sucks.
Then you cannot judge the show lmao.
wow so even the drinker can be human.This show was trash, Mizu is 100% a mary sue. She is a swordsman thats unmatched but received zero training from any swordsmaster.Remember that. Soooooooo maybe issues with the story like how would she know the gun in the first episode is quality european craftmanship??? She spent her entire life with a blind swordsman and I doubt either of them has even seen a gun before in their lives. That should have been her first time seeing one. I thought the back story of her husband was where we were going to learn about how she got to be so good with a sword but nope. Also every man in this show is trash. Taizo or whatever becomes likable later on in the show and ofcourse gets dumped because his lover wants to be great now lol. Yeah this was trash
And let's not forget before that part, Taigen wanted to be loyal to the shogun and restore his honor. Then he sees Akemi, the girl he cheated on, and wants to forego everything else.
She's not only a master swordsman, but also a master at grappling ninjutsu etc.
No way, this show is absolute trash. Imagine a dirty disney movie pretending to be Japanese with lots of woke crap snuck in. I watched a couple episodes and it was horrible. Shame on drinker.
This show is absolute girl boss garbage. If you like Mary sues than this is for you. First time I've disagreed with one of your recommendations. Remember when she suddenly had ninja tools and was super bad ass with them? Or she knew how to fight people with no formal training or sparring? Or how she was trained with a naginata suddenly? Girl boss stoic garbage.
It sounds neat, but it also sound VERY 2023 "The Message". Western civilization is bad! Feminism is good! Disabled people can do what everyone else can! Men are bad! Etc etc. etc.
Maybe you just described it poorly, but this sounds...tedious.
Yeah it's everything you describe, woke nonsense through and through
if I had a nickle every time Dante Basco voiced a character that went after the MC in a quest for honor, only to end up befriending and teaming up with said MC, id have 2 nickles, which isn't much but its weird it happened twice
But Dante Basco didn't voice Taigen, if that's what you mean. Darren Barnet did.
caught that!!!
Good to see Phineas and Ferb references are still alive
You talking about Taigen? he’s not voiced by Dante Basco.
I mostly agree with drinker's take but not this time.
This is a piece of cultural bastardization similar if more subtle compared to Cleopatra. It is embedded with heavy woke undertones that totally does not align with Japanese culture and history.
Any serious Japanese will find this offensive and an affront. And looking at the writer's track record I am not surprised.
No media that misrepresents/effectively takes a dump on another culture deserve respect
Japanese would find this offensive? on what level? modern day racism in the form of fear of outsiders is very much alive and lived cultural reality in Japan.
no idea what you are on about...try go living there for a change, you will learn quick.
Between this, Blade Runner 2049 and Logan, Michael Green is easily one of the best writers working today!
2049 was dull, boring and pretentious.
@@JabberstaxGalactic sized cope
@@AngryGoats555... you don't understand what the word cope means.
@@AngryGoats555
The other guy meant to say "you don't understand what the word cope means, toddler."
@BabaHugu No plenty of people think of 2049 when they hear Bladerunner.
2049 is a Cult classic in it's own right.
It's not some obscured forgotten movie like you want to make it out to be.
I love how so many of your audience tends to disagree with you with some titles, like this one. You can tell that most people don't take your opinion as a holy grail of truth and mindlessy agree with it, as it usually is with many other critic channels.
I personally hated the characters and the way they're written.
Ringo is (I think) supposed to be a comic relief character, but the humour never lands and he's just annoying and acts like a 12 year old. He should also be dead like 10 times already, but well, plot armour.
Well, Mizu is basically Rey Skywalker and I can't spot a difference. Training with weights attached all the time doesn't seem like something that could make you win a 1vs50 fight. She's not Guts with a 200 pound greatsword. She shouldn't be able to withstand injuries like Wolverine either. It's just not believable and there's only so much of disbelief I can stand before quitting the show.
Fowler is a drunk that sits in his castle 24/7. What exactly contributed to him being a 10x stronger warrior than any of his guards? Again, hardly believable.
The show had potential to be perfect, but made too many mistakes. It's like Arcane mixed with Shrek or other goofy movie, except it wasn't really supposed to. I expected way more realism and the show failed at delivering it.
If Arcane was written be these writers, Vi would have solo'd everyone and the show would have ended in episode 3. Or maybe Silco would be the only one capable of beating her. See how stupid this is?
I love how even more minor characters still have strong personalities, flaws, virtues and motivations. Akemi's manservant, Seki, genuinely tries to do his best to encourage the princess to rebel against social boundaries, encouraging her to read improper literature, escorting her when she runs away - but because of the vast array of privileges he enjoys as a man against even a royal woman (no one ever forces him to blacken his teeth), he doesn't comprehend the terrible and suffocating life Akemi is being forced into. It's a really good illustration of the gender based differences in society, _without_ grinding your nose into it.
Ringo is very badly written, most of the time he just feels like the prop they are using for the sake of representation
@@LuisSierra42 wrong, Ringo is the character they put on screen to lighten up the mood, he is the hopeful, goofy comedic relief character, that also has his own struggles, I would say he reminds me of the role Po holds in Kung Fu Panda but he isn't the protagonist xd.
@@LuisSierra42 Do you think? People point out his disability, sure, but he doesn't let it define him. He is definitely the comedic relief, which is an absolute necessity alongside a protagonist like Mizu, but he still shows himself to be kind, tenacious, loyal, and quick-thinking; he develops throughout the series, in an equal but different direction to the samurai.
So Seki is basically a feminist enabler. Ugh, this show gets worse every time someone tries to justify it. Wokism isn't about grinding stuff in your nose. It's about the content of the messages being portrayed. Before and during the Heian period, women had power too but it slowly changed because of Confucianism and the rise of the Samurai class. The show, however, down plays that into showing women as victims of the patriarchy without taking into consideration the context of the period.
@@Gaming_Legend2 I get that he's a comic relief but I have several grievances with how he's written:
1) He abandons his family to follow MIzu around. It's true that his family didn't treat him well, but they were the ones who raised him and gave him work given his disability. I would understand if he really doesn't love them but the show never mentions his family again and he never thinks about them either
2) Mizu was always very clear with him that she was not a samurai but after the incident with Akemi, he abandons her because she's not a samurai
3) Despite having abandoned her, Ringo conveniently appears right next to the lake where Mizu and the other guy fall into after their first confrontation with the big bad guy. Even if Ringo had been following Mizu around as she entered the bad guy's palace, he could never have predicted that Mizu would end up falling into that lake
Episode 5 - The Tale of Ronin and the Bride - is perhaps the single greatest piece of episodic entertainment ever produced. The interplay of symbolism between the puppeteer show, the past, and the present desperate and impossible battle that Mizu's finds herself in demonstrates a command of artful storytelling rarely seen in today's attention economy. The fantastic twist at the end which reveals which puppeteer character Mizu actually is - punctuated by the one of the most stunning and brutal fight scenes in modern cinema - is an echelon of storytelling we are not likely to see again for some time. Bravo.
Intertwining facets from her past experiences and how she became experts at certain weapons into the 'in the moment' fight scene - which called back to episode one and set the stage for the next episode. Must agree, Tale of the Ronin is pure genius. Beautiful and violent, tragic and disarmingly sweet (So is KB as Fowler; I couldn't believe it was him - truly terrifying). Just wow.
As a woman, it just feels so good to see a well written and executed strong female lead :'). I wouldn't be saying this if Hollywood didn't churn out a hundred let-downs every year, it's kind of like finding a unicorn.
I mean... Wasn't that the same as before?
There are always way fewer good movies than bad ones? So nothing really changed aside from outrage culture would want us to believe?
Frieren is an excellent show with a far more interesting female lead; reminds me of lord of the rings.
Hollywood is just dying and I say let it
You should check out Arcane. It's another Drinker recommended gem with some strong female leads
If you want to see a well written powerful female protagonist then please check out the recent anime "Sousou no Frieren". It's incredible.
the series is just so overrated. like no way it deserves 8.8/10. more like 7.5 would be best. like how to hell can she dodge a freaking bullet in the end. also the villain who is twice as strong as her couldn't defeat her due to plot. this is nowhere near ARCANE which is an actual masterpiece. there are so many inconsistencies in this show. its not a perfect show its just a average show.
Glad you noticed this one, the advertisements for adult animation that isn’t comedy is sadly not doing enough to promote shows like this one.
One of my favorite scifi authors, Monalisa Foster, recommended this for the same reasons the Drinker recommended. An "I'll check out the first episode" turned into "why is it daylight". Highly recommended. If you know your history of cities burning you know where the next season is heading.
That would actually be interesting, after burning the largest city in the world down, Mizu causes the London Fire 🤣😂
So it's historically accurate also?
@@TheRayfield77 if you think an unstoppable female warrior in 19th century Japan is “historically accurate” then you are sorely misinformed haha
Lol
@joebeast15 it's amazing watching all these guys in here who regularly complain about gender swapped roles PRAISE a gender swapped role.
The series was just gorgeous. Dialogue, sword work, voice actors. . .all captured for animation. An awesome story. I've been recommending it to everyone.
Not, the 4 white men? It's like calling white people the 4 horsemen! I'm sure this woke cartoon isn't taking shots at white people!
"This show about the side effects of racism against white people in edo Japan that shows very clearly that racism is bad and was written by a mixed race couple who very clearly are not racist against white people, is clearly promoting racism against white people" - you.
That's gonna be a hard pass for me. Not because it's a bad show, it probably is really good, but my brain has been fried so much by the girlboss trope, that i can't take it seriously anymore when i see some scrawny chick with a sword fight dozens of trained dudes with swords and wins. Funny thing is, 5-10 years ago i wouldn't have cared, but now i just cringe when i see something like this.
She is nothing like a 'girl boss' at all, don't let the ones pushing garbage identity politics poison the well for actual gems like this. Cheers
@@abelgonzalez158 No she absolutely is a girl boss, absolutely insufferable, I couldn't last more than 2 episodes of this blithering nonsense
Woke trash
The biggest issue I had was some of the injuries she sustains during the show are borderline superhuman.
Meh, I grew up on 80s action movies so I never care about realism in this regard.
Well apparently all of those injuries are only 2 which is stab wounds she manage it because she was helped by ringo and her mother
Pretty much 😂@@marcinkwiatkowski9926
@marcinkwiatkowski9926 I mean, I liked Commando as much as the next guy, but this woman has a LOT of blood lose, and passes out at least 3 times in a fight.
It's a common technique in anime to artistically put extra emphasis on the protagonists hardship which can then be translated into growth later on. And it is generally well accepted by the audience as in animation it is easier to suspend your disbelief.
Similar to how strong opponents are sometimes drawn to be several times their regular size in one scene just to convey their imposing presence in that moment.
I'm so glad this show has been renewed for a second season and people are starting to talk about it, I truly believe it's the best animated series of the year, and whilst the animation might not quite be on the level of spiderverse, I think the story might just beat it out
Do you really recommend this woke garbage? I was expecting more.
Sorry, you lost me at "mixed race", "she", and white men antagonists. Keyword "Netflix" was the final nail in the coffin.
I'm at the point where I don't give a shit about how "good" a show is, the problem was never just bad storytelling. I don't support subversive culture on principle.
Lmao you must have a pretty small range of media to watch if you rule out anything with women or white people who aren't always in the right. You should stop closing yourself off to everything
I absolutely love it when the Critical Drinker loves a show, it shows that there's hope
I always love a drinker recommends also look at him recommending a strong female character 😂 cheers drinker
A lot of people in the comments seem to miss the point that there is some element of fantasy about this show.😆
Unusually I disagree with the Drinker here normally I enjoy his recommendations but in this case no and here is why
1. the story is a little too slow paced
2. The idea that she(Mizu) can learn sword fighting from watching visiting Samurai is laughable
3. The dialogue is at times very American a few F bombs are dropped it doesn't fit that time or culture
4. Mizu walks into a renowned dojo and beats all the men there single handed horse excrement one or two maybe if she had serious TRAINING and skill
5. In fairness there was some good points to the series
Yeah I don’t understand why Mizu is so overpowered, so much to the point where it takes the audience out of the scene. She is far too superior to her adversaries not only with a sword but also on a purely physical level. I guess she is immune to injuries that should almost kill her.
Another girl boss extravaganza, I'll pass. However well done it is, I'm overloaded.
People's standards are so low, they'll rhapsodize over something just because it's slightly less woke than everything else. Even Drinker. Pretty sad.
I don't know, it looks like this story could have a protagonist of either gender for the most part. It isn't contingent upon her being female for arbitrary reasons.
@@steve-adams Female samurai is not very believable.
@@bigtechisbigbrother8690 It appears she hides her gender, so she has trained as a male up to some point. Perhaps I'm wrong. The suspension of disbelief would not need to be so great in either case, though. We all watch movies about super heroes after all.
They never really tackled the persistent and strong anti white message in the series though. They start out good and use Mizu’s mixed heritage to build sympathy for her, but somewhere in the first few episodes that drops away until at the end “whiteness” is considered full on poison without any questioning. Even the white villain disparages white people and equates being white with everything bad in the world. It left me with a seriously bad taste in my mouth and marred an otherwise excellent series.
Also girls could never beat a real Samurai 👍
it's japan pre meiji - dutch east india company is still in full swing and japan is even more racist than it is today
Agree, It is weird
I see what you're saying and I get it cause I'm white. BUT.. it is part of history, Japan, along with pretty nuch everyone else in the world, was extremely racist back then. Hell, it took 2 atomic bombs dropped on their asses to finally nellow down and start making anime
Fowler saw first hand what the British did to Ireland and it got so bad that he had to feed his own blood to his sister. Fowler experienced the industrialized violence first hand and instead of being better, he became worse.
Same thing with Mizu. She's literally never saw anyone white except Fowler and Fowler has first hand experience with the cruelty he was shown by his own "race".
Fowler fed his own blood to his sister, then when she died was forced to eat her liver. Literally all of it is in character and completely logical.
You are probably so traumatized by countless ulterior motives that your brain can't even think logically anymore. This show is actual art.
Personally I didn't really care for the series. Protag is a Mary Sue to the extreme, has way too much plot armor and rightfully should have died from various life ending injuries. Also, I don't want to be that guy, but a woman fighting against hordes of highly trained male assassins and warriors and always coming out on top.. it's just unrealistic. I get that swordsmanship is about skill.. but strength, stamina and endurance are a thing and cap at biological levels. Her frame alone is not a warriors frame, she is far too slender to be as strong as they depict her, and her solo training also just wouldn't cut it in the real world of life and death battles. Every coach or trainer will tell you: training alone will just cement bad habits and unnecessary moves into your fighting style. It just ain't realistic. A surprising miss of a recommendation from The Drinker. It's all good bro, keep on keeping on
Had a much similar feeling. Till it was revealed that she is a girl, i felt kind of emberasment for the creators. What is this nonsense? A teenage slender boy is a better swordmaker then anyone and a better swordsman than anyone, even without proper training, and can cut a gun barrel with a knife?
But when it was revealed this is actually a girl, all went to place. Of course, the strong female character is perfect from the start, better in anything that any male alive, it's a modern empowering movie where mary sue is a must.
I'm legitimately shocked you liked this. I thought it was interesting at first and very nice to look at. But so much of it was so up it's own ass. The main character is a huge Mary Sue who is instantly the best at everything. One of the side characters is just a dumb cartoon character who's mere existence disrupts the whole serious tone of the show. There are jarring moments where it wants to be a Tarantino film with weird out of pocket action scenes with surfer music. I was more interested in the plot with the princess than the rest of the characters. So much was predictable and laughable, particularly Mizu's goofy backstory with her temporary arranged husband who gets beat in a fight once and sells her out after a drawn out "look they're actually in love" sequence. This has so many elements from other Hollywood shlock, in spite of it's pretty packaging.
She gets her ass beat multiple times throughout the story, I wouldn't say she the best at everything. Almost every encounter she gets injured in some way or fashion. He'll, even her blacksmithing skills , which is one of the highlight moments of her character, takes time to actually understand. Her first encounter she nearly dies in bar, so I wouldn't say she's a Mary Sue. Although, she is a very much flawed character.
She's not really a Mary Sue? It's evident in her backstory that Mizu went through a pretty brutal, lengthy training period to develop her skills. We're introduced to her in the present as someone who is obviously experienced in sword fighting, but we don't know why. It's not like she was some random girl who magically became an excellent swordsman overnight. She was also thrown many foes who threatened her abilities, and like Drinker said, would overpower her in many ways during a fight. I also think Mizu's backstory was pretty solid for a main character, so I'm curious to know your thought process on that. No hate or disrespect. Just wanted to offer my take :)
Japan irl wasn’t wholly shut off from the outside world during this era. Nagasaki bay had a man made island that the Dutch used to trade with the Japanese. The tokugawa shogunate kept foreigners mostly out because the government maintained power by keeping the various domains across Japan divided and easier to maintain control. Allowing western influences in would’ve likely led to back room deals between domains and western countries to overthrow the government. When the Perry Expedition forcibly opened Japan, this actually kinda happened. A couple clans who had historically rebelled against the shogunate allied with the British to supply guns and munitions leading to the Meiji restoration.
It’s funny how the name of the guy who forced Japan open was named Mathew Perry. Guess Japan had a lot of ketamine
Perfect example of “strong female character.” This could have been a perfect vehicle for “the message,” but instead they’re just telling their story, no preaching. Just perfect show in my opinion. So glad you watched and enjoyed it. Take their time for second season.
It did but it was overshadowed by a good story, sadly this might make Hollyweird think they have a win like they did with wonder woman and make pt2 going full woke and then destroying the series
It's got strong feminist messaging and that's part of what I like about the show.
@Nisikaa_ me too but it's always at the cost of the men being idiots and tyrants always and also the white men being evil narrative is getting exhausting
@@yprandoe2702Fowler was incredibly clever. His japanese right hand man was as well, but to a lesser degree.
The show regularly depicts the racism and xenophobia of the Japanese people. It does not just depict the white people alone as being evil.
Next season will be in London. I'm betting there won't only be evil white men characters.
In fact, as a whole, I'm predicting that it might possibly be the case that, in regards to the last 2 targets that Mizu has, the show will depict at least one of them in a sympathetic light. And Mizu might have a character arc in which she spares one of them.
Akemi's father is depicted as being very evil as well. Like at the very least 90% as evil as Fowler. And same power ambitions.
And it also depicts honourable non-tyrant men as well.
If you're a doing a show on Japan and themes of western colonisation and expansion, then it'd be whitewashing history by not having any evil white men.
The arrival of US Commodore Matthew Perry's squadron of four war ships from the US Navy into Tokyo Bay on July 8, 1853, forced Japan to open it's borders.
And the 17th century is certainly not a lacking century in it's capacity for having evil white men.
But the show takes a nuanced view on this. Fowler even says that the only difference between him (and the British) and the Japanese is that his people designed better tools to kill people.
But what can it teach me about racial and gender equity?
So I tried watching this with my wife who is a huge anime nerd (I typically don't like anime). She made me turn it off after 15 min. As soon as the main character came on the screen she said "this better not a be a chick"... well it was a chick which is totally absurd for being set in 17th century japan. Why are people praising this so much? It's so stupid to make her a female instead of an actual male which would have NEVER HAPPENED... Should we go back and give this another try>???
I mean if you're worried about the show presenting a version of fuedal Japan in which sexism didn't exist, you certainly don't have to worry
Well if you gave this a shot you have to give Sword of the Stranger a shot as well, since it's in my humble Opinion even better and quite similar in tone and story progression.
Thank you for this! Just saved it to my bookmarks on crunchy roll.
For East Asians like me this cartoon looks woke. I'm not interested in seeing wmaf mixed raced shows. Not for me, but for white and woke westerners I guess.
I am geniunely surprised by how little buzz there is around this fantastic show. The story is great and is the voice acting and the animation is top notch from start to finish. This show is also a massive middle finger to modern hollywood's potrayal of "strong female character'. I binged this show in one day and I heartily recommend it.
I've seen quite a bit of buzz about it
The story felt way too style over substance to me. Takes more than repeated metaphorical nut kicking of the characters to have meaning.
Pros:
- looks good
- somewhat empathize with characters due to tragedy shown (sometimes overblown)
Cons:
- Very melodramatic.
- No good overall message. Just a crap world with a bunch of crap characters and nothing to justify any of it really.
- a lot of fights fail to suspend disbelief even within the world and use of animation over filming real life stunts.
- Even when it tries to go dark (episode 4 and 5 with sparing one child but then killing another) it fails to put the petal to the metal:
Killing a separate child and complete dropping the first form the story proves nothing about her character change. Making it a different person that actually took up arms against her does not carry the same wait as if she had approached the original child that likely thought they were doing the right thing ratting her out and was otherwise innocent but still got in her way of revenge.
-Still seems to be woke but just fools people that it isn't because Mizu kinda struggles a little bit. Fails to use her character to actually have a positive message imo. This show mostly just seems to imply that Japan is a shit place in this story with shit people and not worth saving which to me seems like a failure in using this world.
I will be honest, the animation is Meh. Its not that its bad just Meh, nothing special. The art is also pretty standard in modern day as well.
As i watched this whole video i just kept waiting for the part where he let us in on the Joke. However nope, The Drinker actually seems to like this garbage
I attempted the first episode but everything about it was harsh on my eyes.
So glad Drinker talked about this show. It's a massively underrated masterpiece. It's without a doubt, one of the best shows of the year.
Underrated? How can something be underrated when every critic has the same consensus?
@@LordFindecano true, underrated in terms of general audience awareness. It barely spent anytime on the Netflix top 10.
@@SOLIDSNAKES35 it got renewed anyway
Sorry Drinker. I loved the art, but I turned it off after 20 minutes. It just felt like every Hollywood trope from 2023 put into a feudal Japanese setting. That, and weirdly the characters look subtly Chinese instead of Japanese. It was weird cognitive dissonance as I tried to get invested in the show.
I guess it shows that I can disagree with the Critical Drinker on occasion. Sometimes, one of us has to be wrong. LOL!
Saw this video on my list and figured I'd "give it a go" before I watched your critique. I'm 10 minutes in and can hardly stand it. The animation makes me feel sick and the story so far is eye-rolling (its been 10 minutes, I realize I'm not even starting and hope its a sort of bait-and-switch).
I can maybe get over the uncanny valley CGI animation if its an interesting story. I'm gonna give it at least the one episode before I watch your review. Feels like Netflix trash to me though.
Finished the episode. Won't continue with the series: is Netflix trash. You've seen this samurai anime before and its been done better. This time it looks like amateur rotoscope and has T&A, yay. Time to watch this video and see what you thought was worthwhile. One episode isn't giving it much of a shot but I, like, fucking hated this.
@@foobazabar Drinker went turbo r-tard mode on this review, no idea what got into him
I mean..I gave this a chance. It was alright, but I couldnt finish it because..the whole premise was. The main badass female character was she needed to get revenge on her dad..because he was white? Im not sure if thats the exact point at the end, but 4 episodes in that is the premise were given. She wants to kill her dad because "he made her a monster" and the only reason I can gather is because hes white..so her being mixed race is the only thing making her a monster...it just fits all the check boxes for the anti pale male hollywood message thing. Female badass who kills countless men with no real challenge to take down the straight white man who commited the monstrous crime of...birthing her?? Sorry it was okay, but I was bored through most of it anyways, and once episode 4 didnt offer anything deeper than her revenge was to kill all the white men in the country..because they were all around when she was concieved..thats not even revenge thats just kill all the white men is the quest..sry I gave it a shot based on your reccomendation..but all I see is the same "message" wrapped in a slightly better show. Just seems like an attempt to not preach the anti male pale agenda..but write as the protagonists inquestionably noble duty, by placing it in the one time period that almost treated being a white man as such a crime as todays age..ancient Japan. More clever, but couldnt it have been something other than "ive gotta kill all the white men who were alive in Japan when I was born because one of them must be my father" So just because ONE of them could be her dad...shes got to kill all of them? I mean come on...how am I supposed to get on board with this. Shes totally reasonable and merciful in every other case in the show, but her logic in this is ..if I kill all the white men I'll get the revenge for me being born...half white? If there was something that turned out that ALL the 4 white men somehow ruined her life thatd be one thing but I was honestly too bored and offended when 4 hours in I wasnt given any reason to think this "revenge" quest was more of "kill whitie" quest.
I would guess he is pandering to his woke audience that he has garnered over the last couple years or he is getting paid off.
Right. Shouldn't she be seeking revenge against the people that actually discriminated against her? Seeking revenge against "the whiteys" is totally unjustified and her journey makes no sense.