Paid as Netflix Japanchampionship title for the year, Last Samurai Standing Set in 1878 Japan, the game gathers 292 fallen samurai for a survival game in which the last surviving participant wins a prize of 100 billion yen (nearly $656 million).
Japan Junichi Okadaformerly of the boy band V6, he stars in the series and also doubles as producer and action choreographer.
Along with Okada, writer-director Michihito Fujii (Journalist, Faceless) directs the series. Both worked together on the film. Hard daysin 2023.
Netflix initially approached Okada about co-creating a series that would involve “updating” the period piece to suit modern tastes. Okada agreed on the condition that he could choose some of the people he would work with, including colleagues such as Fujii.
Fujii added that he and Okada admired the late legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa (Rashomon, Seven Samurai) and wanted to pay tribute to his work through Last Samurai Standing.
He also admitted that the 2024 series Shogun has also developed a global interest in samurai and Japanese history, and he is inspired Last Samurai Standing to take advantage of this cultural moment when it premieres on Netflix on November 13th.
“I wanted to work together with Fujii-san, paying tribute to the culture of the period piece, but at the same time take on the challenge of updating the period piece. When I'm in my forties, I really want to dedicate my time to this,” says Fujii.
Making an antique for the present time
Okada also recalls his previous singing career in a boy band and says, “There was a song called 'Made in Japan' that I debuted with when I was 16. Even when I became an actor, I continue to think the same way, wanting to create something that is 'made in Japan.'
He links those ambitions to what he does now. Last Samurai Standingand said he was proud to be able to put Japanese culture and history, as well as the stories of the samurai, on the world map.
An adaptation of Shogo Imamura's novel Ikusagami. Last Samurai Standing It began during the Meiji period in Japan, in 1878, when the status of the samurai fell sharply. For centuries, sword-wielding samurai were the ruling warrior class in Japan's feudal society and were considered military elite and cultural icons.
Under Japan's new modernization laws, samurai were prohibited from carrying swords, and they became an increasingly impoverished and forgotten class of a bygone era. A mysterious invitation begins to spread, and 292 samurai gather at Tenryu-ji Temple for a tournament in hopes of winning a big cash prize.
Fujii was particularly interested in the story of the samurai's waning influence in society, and said there were parallels to modern times: the pandemic and now artificial intelligence have fundamentally changed the importance of some professions. He wanted to ask the question through the series: who are modern samurai?
Fujii says, “I realized that what could make a story more interesting, even though it's set in the Meiji period, is if it can be seen not just as a story that happened a long time ago, but for people to see it as their own story, in this current period. I wanted a young audience to watch it so they don't see it as something old.”
Looking at the film, television and streaming space, Fujii emphasizes that streaming is “a place for experimentation.”
“TV dramas have been around since before I was born, and movies have a long history. The only media that was created after I was born is the streaming platform,” Fujii says. “What’s exciting about streaming media is that it’s a place for experimentation.”
Creating Realistic Action
The multi-hyphenate Okada said that while he was initially only supposed to join as a producer, he was soon asked to also helm the action choreography, given his extensive experience in various martial arts, including jiu-jitsu, jeet kune do and shuto, among others.
“They asked me, are you going to be in it as an actor too, right? I said yes, although I wasn't sure if I could produce and act at the same time,” Okada said. “I've done roles as an action choreographer and an actor, but not as a producer, being a lead actor. But I decided to just jump in and give it a try.”
Okada plays the role of Soujiro Sagi, a once-feared legendary assassin who ends up joining the deadly game in hopes of earning money to save his sick wife and child.
Hideaki Ito (English)Umizaru), Kazunari Ninomiya (from J-pop group Arashi), actress Kaya Kiyohara (Love for dogs) and Yumiya Fujisaki (Parades) are also part of the cast.
What privilege did Okada enjoy wearing so many hats? He could have greenlit many of his stunts that the producer might have stopped because they were too risky or expensive.
“The one positive thing about all three roles is that even if it seems dangerous and impossible, I can shake it off because other people don’t have to take responsibility. For example, they usually ask, “What about insurance?” No one can take responsibility, so these risks tend to stop. But if you're a producer, I said, 'Well, Okada wants to do this, so let's do it,' and we were able to pull off a lot of situations.”
Okada adds that they were also able to work with longer takes since he did most of the stunts himself, drawing on his 20-year career in the film industry. He wanted to use as much real martial arts on set as possible and minimize the amount of visual effects needed.
“Because I do the action and the stunts, we can do a long take,” Okada says. “I have a lot of respect for stuntmen, but to hide something you have to shoot from behind.”
Fujii singles out the nightly meeting of the 292 samurai in the first episode as the most difficult scene he had to direct.
All the samurai were real actors – none of them were created using visual effects.
“It was really difficult for the crew, and we spent about three weeks organizing this shoot in the middle of winter,” says Okada. “Having a rehearsal of 300 people was not possible, so we had a group of 20 people and we made sure we were completely on board with what was going to happen and then we called the actors in. We put them in smaller groups, from group A, B, C to group G, and then we put them in the action scene.
“For example, we would say that Team A will have a certain energy, and then Team B will have to cross the border. Then Team C will have to fight here,” Okada adds. “There were a lot of small calculations with the people in the background to create these movements.”
Sources of inspiration
In addition to Akira Kurosawa, Okada names Shogun star Hiroyuki Sanada as one of his role models, along with the other bandmates he grew up with. His teenage years were not easy, and he often had questions about his career and personality.
“I didn’t have a father, and I was wondering what kind of man I wanted to grow up to be,” Okada says. “During the group activities when I was an idol, I also wondered how my career would turn out. I was also the youngest, so I was always wondering what I needed to say for other people to listen to what I wanted to do. But since I started when I was 14 years old, I have gained a lot of experience and set many other people as my role models.
“When I was an idol, many actors taught me and they encouraged me to continue,” Okada adds.
Fuji also praises Okada's “childlike spontaneity” in his creative thinking.
“Creators need to have a childlike mindset and humor, and I was able to discover that. [in him]”,” says Okada. “When we finished, we cried. We were a little embarrassed, but I think our friendship really deepened.”
