It took me a while to hear about Netflix’s Blue Eye Samurai.
Created by Amber Noizumi and Michael Green, I only became aware of it when a YouTuber I follow gave it a glowing review.
Hearing about its animation similarities to Arcane, which I loved, I decided to check it out and was rewarded with a compelling and thrilling revenge story.
The story is set in Edo period Japan, where the Shogun has expelled all white men from the country.
However, some do remain in the country illegally.
Hunting these men is Mizu (Maya Erskine), a samurai whose father is one of these white men.
Shamed for the blue eyes of their father, Mizu seeks their revenge and, oh, is that revenge bloody. 

I had heard Blue Eye Samurai was violent, but nothing could prepare me for the sheer amount of animated bloodshed I was about to see.
I would say the animation looks stunning, and it does, but the constant grizzly kills had me wincing quite a few times.
Not that I am complaining about that. 
Another positive, alongside the animation, is the characters.
Mizu is a relatable main character, and their past perfectly shows how they ended up on the violent path they are now set upon.
This past of theirs results in some truly fantastic episodes, like Episode Five, “The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride”, which is the best episode of the season. 

Mizu also goes through a lot of growth, as they often have to choose between their revenge and the lives of their allies.
These allies consist of Ringo (Masi Oka), a sweet handless man who insists on being Mizu’s apprentice, Tagen (Darren Barnet), a cocky swordsman who was once a childhood bully of Mizu’s, and Akemi (Brenda Song), a princess trying to escape the bounds of marriage to powerful men.
All of these characters are great and have their own arcs, especially Tagen and Akemi who switch perspectives by the end of the season.
Just as good is the villain of the season, Abijah Fowler (Kenneth Branagh), the white man Mizu hunts.
Terrifying, eloquent, and also gross, Fowler has many great scenes displaying his villainy, my favorite of which being when he attempts to make a bargain with God. 

Arrogant and depraved, Fowler makes for an excellent antagonist, although he unfortunately does suffer some writing issues in the final episode, when he has multiple chances to kill Mizu but just runs away instead.
The writing for this final episode was quite inconsistent overall.
There were great scenes in it but there were also quite a few rushed and poorly written moments.
Sadly, the last episode was not the only inconsistent thing about the show.
Another such thing is Mizu’s fighting ability.
In one episode, they go from being easily defeated by common thugs, to defeating a master swordsman in their very next fight.
It felt a bit jarring to see.

Still, the slightly inconsistent nature of Blue Eye Samurai did little to dull my enthusiasm for it.
The story is compelling, the characters and their arcs are interesting, and the animation is both beautiful and bloody.
I am already anticipating Season Two, especially since a new location was teased. 
If you have not checked out Blue Eye Samurai yet, it is more than worth your time.