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A mix of «Squid Games» and «Shogun»: a first look at the new Netflix series about the deadly battle of the 300 samurai

Published by Kateryna Danshyna

Netflix has presented a list of Japanese content for 2025, and among other things, showed the first frame of the series Last Samurai Standing, which is boldly described as «Shogun’s meeting with Squid Game».

Last Samurai Standing is a drama about 300 samurai warriors who gathered at Tenryuji temple in Kyoto, tempted by the promise of a 100 billion yen prize. The series stars Junichi Okada, who also served as the series’ producer and lead choreographer.

«When most people think of samurai, they think of this very glamorous period in Japanese history,» says Kaata Sakamoto, Head of Content, Netflix Japan. «But many people don’t realize that at the end of the Edo periodThe period in Japanese history from 1603 to 1868. It lasted from the founding of the Tokugawa shogunate until its liquidation and the restoration of direct imperial rule. The name of the period comes from the city of Edo, the main residence of the shoguns and the political and administrative center of Japan in the 17th to mid-19th century. the samurai lost much of their luster and power. Last Samurai Standing tells the story of what would happen if these warriors — the toughest and best in Japan — suddenly became ordinary people and had to fight for their lives. Imagine that Shogun met the Squid Game».

Recall that «The Squid Game» became the biggest hit in Netflix’s history, and the second season, which debuted last year in Decemberdespite conflicting reviews, beat records of views. The third seems to be in post-production, as We recently saw the first footage and set the premiere date for the summer of 2025.

The second season of «Shogun» is also on the way — the script is complete, and the creators are teasing «a shocking first episode» and filming this year. The first season, which aired last year on FX, brought the creators and cast a slew of prestigious awards —four «Golden Globes»іa record 18 awards at «Emmy-2024»including Best Drama Series, as well as recognizing the acting work of Hiroyuki Sanada (Toranagu), Anna Sawai (Toda Mariko) and Tadanobu Asano (Kashigi Yabushige).

Other Japanese premieres announced by Netflix for 2025 include the third season of «Alice in Wonderland» (September), a remake of the 1975 cult Japanese film Bullet Train Explosion (April 23), and the violent revenge story «Demon City», which adapts the manga by Masamichi Kawabe (February 27).

Source: Variety