Netflix’sโฃ Last Samurai Standing Origins โLie in Popular โJapanese Novels,โฃ Not Manga
Los Angeles, CA – The new โคaction-drama Last samurai Standing, currently streaming on Netflix, is drawing viewers in with itsโค intense fight โคchoreography and historical setting. However, the series โขisn’t based on a manga as someโค may assume;โ it’s a live-action adaptation of theโ novels Ikusagami (“the god of war”)โ by acclaimed Japanese author Shogo Imamura.
The adaptation was โspearheaded by actor Junichi Okada, who starsโข as the lead and also โserved as a producer and action directorโ on the six-episode series. Okada envisioned a way to popularize theโ historical action genre globally and found the source material in Imamura’s work, believing it โpossessed the potential forโค compellingโ action, drama, and social commentary that would resonate with โmodernโฃ audiences. “I โwasโข thinking about ways to makeโฃ this genre โคpopular, not only in Japan, but around โthe world,” Okada โฃstated onโข Netflix’s promotional website. โข”I saw a lot of potential inโฃ terms of action, drama, socialโ commentary and entertainment, but I knew we โขcould go โeven further.”
Imamuraโ himself was enthusiastic aboutโ the โproject, revealing heโ had Okada in mind while writing the Ikusagami โ novels. “I wrote Ikusagami with the goal of creating aโฃ historical novel that couldโฃ be enjoyed worldwide,”โ Imamura shared on the platform. “When Netflix approached me, I was delighted.” Last Samurai Standing is now โขavailable for โขexclusive streaming on Netflix, alongside a wide range ofโค other series.