El último samurái en pie

Last Samurai Standing is a Japanese live-action television-series co-written and directed by Michihito Fujii, and adapted from the novel of the same name written by Shogo Imamura. Set during the Meiji period, Shujiro Saga (Junichi Okada) is a former samurai who enlists in a challenge to win ¥100,000 with a personal objective towards saving his sick family and villagers. As the rules are unveiled, Saga discovers that he has entered into a fierce game of battle royale with 291 other warriors whom are seeking to inherit a grand reward.

With grandiose production design from Miyamori Yui, who relies heavily on practical effects as opposed to CGI, transports the viewer into 19th century Japan to deliver a fully authentic experience. Whilst Junichi Okada, who not only serves as lead actor and co-producer for the series, contributes groundbreaking and intense stunt choreography that have the audience on the edge of their seat as we witness one of the best action-oriented crowd pleasers unfold right before our very eyes.

Supplemented with well rounded performances from the main cast members including Junichi Okada and Yumia Fujisaki, as the disgruntled ex-samurai who brings it upon himself to become the protector of Futaba Katsuki, a courageous teenage girl with her own goals to complete the competition. On one hand, one only wishes that additional characters would have been more fleshed out to garner more emotional resonance as this usually is the main flaw surrounding survival game series'. But the television-show is compelling enough that we can overlook certain inconsistencies as the show-runner builds anticipation for a follow-up season.

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Last Samurai Standing, from the ever-controversial Netflix slate, throws honor into a meat grinder. Set in Japan's Meiji era, when swords were being traded for suits, 292 fighters enter a brutal cross-country death match. Shujiro Saga, a fallen samurai played by Junichi Okada, isn't chasing glory. He's fighting to save what little family he has left.

The swordplay is fierce. The plot twists hit hard. And beneath the action, the series asks deep questions about morality, loyalty, and survival in a rapidly modernizing world.

Visually, the show shows its seams. After the cinematic elegance of Shogun, this production feels thin and theater-stage simple. AI-slicked Kyoto looks more like a sketch than a lived-in world. Still, the energy and emotion keep the story alive.

With only six episodes, it's easily bingeable , the kind of show you'll burn through in a weekend, especially if you're craving a sharp, bloody departure from prestige polish.

In the lineage of 13 Assassins, Rurouni Kenshin, and Battle Royale, this is a gritty, old-school samurai slasher. With familiar faces like Junichi Okada and the ever-enigmatic Masahiro Higashide, it delivers both nostalgia and intensity.

Verdict: A fun, blood-spattered brawl. Part survival game, part period reckoning. Think Battle Royale with a katana and a conscience.

The scenes really bring to mind those 1970s Japanese movies - like Kurosawa's 12 Samurai - while also giving a slight nod to The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise. Yet despite these influences, it still feels like an original version of what it is meant to be. The acting is good, the framing is excellent, and the action is engaging.

Its only weaknesses are the lack of depth in some of the characters, and that the story logic is weak in a few places, sacrificed for the sake of making the plot more appealing. Considering its budget and the production team and actors, I think it is even better than Shogun, and it feels like a fully Japanese and very likable work.

Last Samurai Standing is one of the better action series I've seen this year and I'm not being hyperbolic. It takes place in the late 1800's where 292 samurai warriors get together for a battle royale for 100 billion yen. Every fighter gets a wooden tag and it's their job to get the others tags by any means necessary. The last survivor reaching Tokyo wins. This show was so good that I binged through all 6 episodes in one day. I really hope they make several more seasons of this.

Imagine taking squid games and Alice in Borderland setting it in old Japan. That's kind of the premise of this. It takes a bit to get going and figure out who the main characters besides the man slayer would be, but once it does, it sucks you in and you can't stop watching. The fight scenes are epic, the pacing good, and the scenery beautiful. I'm not sure how historically accurate they are, but the sets are pretty. There were a couple of characters, I wish I could have seen more of, one or two that I saw too much of, but those are minor issues. I also wish it was more than six episodes. If you're looking for a day to binge a show, try this one. It was great!