nearly flawless 2023 samurai series – fresh from Japan.
This six-part action-drama follows the trail of popular titles like FX’s “Shogun” (whose second season is set a decade later) and Netflix’s own “Squid Game” (which lost momentum last summer), blending the former’s historical narrative with the latter’s tension-filled game mechanics, while carving out its unique character along the way. Based on Shogo Imamura’s manga bearing the same title, “Last Samurai Standing” unfolds in Japan in 1878 (during the Meiji period), where samurai have lost their prestige and plunged into dire destitution. Rendered unnecessary, they can no longer sustain themselves with the expert swordsmanship and martial arts they committed their lives to. They are gradually perishing as the sweeping cholera epidemic in the country swiftly claims its victims.
A glimmer of hope for those still living appears in the shape of a flyer that advertises a combat tournament named Kodoku. In this event, contestants must eliminate one another to acquire their numbered tags and traverse seven checkpoints (each requiring a specific number of tags to proceed) from Kyoto to Tokyo within a month to seize the ¥100,000 prize, which could potentially rescue them and their families.