A new trailer for Netflix’s upcoming six-episode period piece Last Samurai Standing throws some of history’s most revered warriors into a kill-or-be-killed contest for cash.
According to Netflix’s official plot synopsis, the story unfolds during the 19th century during the Meiji Restoration, under which samurai fell into poverty as the government rapidly modernized in an effort to catch up with first-rate Western powers. A group of “292 warriors, including Shujiro Saga (Junichi Okada), gather at Tenryuji Temple in Kyoto at nightfall, lured by the promise of a huge cash prize. Each given a wooden tag, they join a vicious game in which they must steal the tags of their fellow participants and reach Tokyo to win the prize money. Under the veil of night, the temple grounds are filled with unease and the presence of bloodthirsty warriors. When the signal is given to begin the game, the combatants launch into their relentless battle for survival.”
As depicted in the trailer, what ensues is a bastardization of the samurai’s fighting spirit, as Meiji officials organize a ruthless game that rewards kills with points on a one-for-one basis. The series’ tone is set when one samurai hacks into someone’s neck and timidly proclaims, “got the first point,” kicking off a massive melee. While mesmerizingly choreographed action sequences sell the show in the trailer, Netflix’s Tudum blog contextualizes the fictional story, which is based on a best-selling novel written by Shogo Imamura and illustrated by Katsumi Tatsuzawa. Tudum briefly explains the Boshin War, which was a clash between the Tokugawa shogunate military state and the imperial forces that ended the 250-plus-year Edo period and ushered in the Meiji restoration. It also defines samurai as the ruling military class of feudal Japan during the Edo period under the Tokugawa shogunate government.
The Samurai Standing will be available to stream on Netflix beginning Thursday, November 13. Watch the trailer below:
