Netflix Anime Series Wins Four Emmy Awards
As already one of the most critically-acclaimed anime series in the last few decades, Blue Eye Samurai is also well on its way to becoming one of the most highly-decorated shows as well. The Netflix anime series has enjoyed a perfect run during its 2024 Emmy Awards campaign so far, scoring four wins out of its four nominations at the 2024 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which were presented on September 7 & 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. On September 15, Blue Eye Samurai will look to continue its flawless success when it competes for the award for Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And Animation at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.
The Wins
On September 7, Blue Eye Samurai scored Emmy wins for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for production design, storyboarding, and lead character design, juried categories that are screened by a panel of experts, allowing the possibility of one or more entry winning an Emmy.
The anime series also won the Emmy award for Outstanding Animation Program, winning a hotly contested category by beating out other animated programs such as Bob’s Burgers, Scavengers Reign, The Simpsons, and X-Men ’97.
An Acclaimed Revenge Story
Created by the husband and wife team of Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, Blue Eye Samurai scored rave reviews when it premiered in November 2023 on Netflix, boasting a dual 96 percent critic and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes for its first season.
The series impressed critics with its “masterfully rendered animated adventure” and intimate story that explored explosive topics such as racism and vengeance.
The series also resonated deeply with audiences, earning a spot on Netflix’s Global Top 10 list for two consecutive weeks, as well as appearing on the Top 10 list in 50 separate countries.
Mizu
Blue Eye Samurai tells the story of Mizu (Maya Erskine), a mixed-race samurai on a quest for revenge against four white men whom she holds responsible for a lifetime of discrimination and hardship, one of which Mizu knows is her biological father.
Blue Eye Samurai is set in the 17th century, during Japan’s Edo period, a time when Japan closed its borders to the Western world on orders from the Tokugawa shogunate.
In this era, children born to “outsiders” are considered monstrous and are discriminated against, so Mizu hides her uniqueness by concealing her bright blue eyes behind tinted glasses and dresses like a man.
The Cast
As Mizu makes her way through life, she meets colorful charterers who help shape her world view as she trains and sharpens her fighting skills with the hopes of one day meeting her father, Abijah Fowler (Kenneth Branagh), a white man who has wreaked havoc on the Japanese countryside while enjoying the protection of a Japanese ally Heiji Shindo (Randall Park), who might just be as power hungry as Fowler.
As Mizu’s tale of vengeance plays out, Princess Akemi (Brenda Song), a woman whose father sells her off in marriage, attempts to discover who she is while she keeps an eye on securing her freedom.
