Reviews by Dennis D. McDonald

Like the Lady Snowblood film directed by Toshiya Fujita, the Blue Eye Samurai series on Netflix is a tale of rape, revenge, and bloody violence centered on a female assassin who seeks to avenge the brutalities inflicted on her family.

Both are “road pictures” set in old Japan where considerable time and energy are spent following the characters' journeys, mostly on foot. Both narratives involve skullduggery in high places and feature extensive blood and gore. However, Blue Eye Samurai is much more explicit given its release in 2023; Lady Snowblood was released in 1973.

The primary difference between the two is that Blue Eye Samurai is animated, not live-action. This gives it certain advantages over Lady Snowblood. For example, the series boasts intense motion and fight choreography from multiple angles and employs modern CGI techniques to create action sequences impossible in the early 1970s. Also, the rendering of natural landscapes and clothing in Blue Eye Samurai are gloriously detailed, beautifully lush, and painterly.

Snowblood is a live-action Japanese film from its era. While its fight choreography may not be as elaborately rendered as Samurai, it remains impressive. Its photography and color, especially in a modern digitally remastered edition, are vibrant and striking.

Both are fantasies yet contain enough realistic detail to feel grounded in the real world despite their intensely stylized approaches. Samurai spans an eight-episode series which allows for more extensive character development that is significantly enhanced by excellent English language voice acting.

Which is "better"?

There are significant differences between the two that make direct comparisons challenging due to the different times and artistic media. Lady Snowblood is a product of its time. Appreciating it helps by considering that context. Blue Eye Samurai, on the other hand, leverages modern computer graphics and a much longer run time to depict well-delineated characters and a tightly woven revenge tale.

Which did I enjoy more?

Despite my respect and admiration for Blue Eye Samurai's artistry, detail, and superb production values, at its core it's a revenge tale centered on a monomaniacally focused main character whom I really wouldn't want to know. Plus, the series' unrelentingly grim focus on blood and revenge is stark and occasionally starts to feel somewhat numbing.

Lady Snowblood is a more traditionally structured film that shares many Blue Eye’s same themes but is much more tightly constructed given its much shorter run time. Both, however, are worthy of your attention.

 Reviews copyright © 2024 by Dennis D. McDonald

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