"On the small screen, however, look for Netflix's "Last Samurai Standing," which features similar elements weaved through a story inspired by the end of the samurai class era. The series, based on Shogo Imamura's manga series Ikusagami, continues the streamer's trend of live-action manga adaptations such as "One Piece," "Yu Yu Hakusho," and "Parasyte: The Grey." "Last Samurai Standing" is a new peak in the subgenre, standing out as one of the best action TV dramas of this year."
"The six-episode first season unfold largely through the viewpoint of Shujiro Saga (a compellingly solemn Junichi Okada), a former coveted assassin to government officials, which earned him the nickname "The Manslayer". "Kodoku," the series premiere, starts at the exodus of the Boshin War at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi. Imperial forces and their guns and cannons defeat Shujiro and his fellow samurai there, making samurai obsolete."
Netflix's Last Samurai Standing is a six-episode live-action adaptation of Shogo Imamura's manga Ikusagami, set during the Meiji Restoration as the samurai class collapses. The narrative follows Shujiro Saga, a former government assassin nicknamed "The Manslayer," who survives the Boshin War and later endures PTSD and personal loss during a cholera pandemic. Shujiro receives an invitation to a Tenryū-ji temple tournament offering 100 billion yen, where 292 warriors — from samurai to archers — compete. The series combines social commentary about a dismantled caste system with grisly, entertaining action, echoing Battle Royale's survivalist themes.
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