Netflix is looking to keep their international success streak alive and well with Last Samurai Standing, which the team behind it assure is more than the shows it’s being compared to. Developed by Kento Yamaguchi and Michihito Fujii, the series serves as a live-action adaptation of Shogo Imamura’s manga of the same name, in which a warrior enters a battle royale in the hopes of winning the finances needed to help his sick wife and child.

Led by Junichi Okada, who also serves as the show’s creative director and action choreographer, Last Samurai Standing is already finding itself compared to the likes of Netflix’s Squid Game, given its central conceit of a challenge involving hundreds of contestants competing for life-changing wealth, and FX’s Shogun, with its period Japanese setting. Having premiered at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, the show is already garnering early praise, particularly for its large-scale set pieces and tight sword choreography.

In anticipation of the show’s premiere, Joe Deckelmeier interviewed Michihito Fujii and Junichi Okada for ScreenRant to discuss Last Samurai Standing. When asked about the comparisons to Shogun and Squid Game, the co-creator began by acknowledging the impact that the former has had on international storytelling, particularly thanks to Hiroyuki Sanada leading the cast and producing the series, calling the Emmy winner “one of Japan’s greatest actors“:

Michihito Fujii: He introduced Japanese tradition as he worked abroad, and he did his best. Squid Game is Korea’s answer to the death game genre, and it’s great entertainment that I have a lot of respect for.

When it comes to Last Samurai Standing, Fujii finds that one thing really setting the series apart from the pack is that it’s “a character drama” that happens to be “full of action“, recalling his and Okada’s early discussions frequently using the word “crazy“. Going into the Netflix manga adaptation with the goal of having “this never-before-seen type of action“, the pair went on to discuss the ways in which they could pull that off, while also adding “homages to other period pieces“.

Looking at the journey of bringing Imamura’s four-volume manga to the screen, Fujii, who has experience adapting things for the screen with the likes of 2019’s The Journalist, acknowledged that the processes of “adapting a novel to a movie and to a TV series are totally different“. Even still, the opportunity to get to partner with Netflix proved an enticing one, especially in order to faithfully translate Last Samurai Standing to the screen, as the binge-watch model can keep viewers hooked all the way through:

Michihito Fujii: I don’t want the audience to be bored for even a minute. There are elements of a road trip movie, there’s a death game, and there are more external elements. It’s not only action, but you also see the growth of the protagonist. Beside the protagonist, there’s Futaba, played by Yumia Fujisaki. You watch how she grows, what kind of destiny they have, and how they basically survive or die. There’s the human drama aspect, which we maintained as we were working on the script. It was a very fun time for me, personally. And if you can watch all the episodes, you’ll see the story still continues. And we do hope to continue.

For Okada, one of the biggest keys in approaching his multiple roles in the series was to ensure he was “respecting the original” material, as he wanted fans of the Last Samurai Standing manga “to be pleased” with the adaptation. Expressing his belief that the show “achieved” that accordingly, Okada went on to assure the original creator’s involvement in the show, explaining that, “Mr. Imamura has also been a big part of bringing period pieces to the current generation“:

Junichi Okada: He’s about my age, but through Last Samurai Standing, he had the idea of delivering the genre of historical drama to a younger generation. I have the same desire not to just do another old-fashioned period piece. I want young people to be proud, and I want this to be a trigger for them to feel proud of their culture. I feel much admiration for Imamura-san, who infused so much of the entertainment element into this story. To have Netflix want to do Last Samurai Standing together with me was an honor. They convinced me, and I felt it was almost fate for me to be able to get involved in the project.

Okada’s First-Time Producing Position Was “Confusing On A Daily Basis”, But That Didn’t Hold Him Back

ScreenRant: You’re not only leading the series as Shujiro Saga, but you’re also producing and designing the action. How did wearing all three hats change the way you approach each day on set?

Junichi Okada: When it comes to the action choreography and planning, I have already been involved in past projects, so I have worn those two hats at the same time. But when it comes to producing, this is really the first experience for me. It was confusing on a daily basis because calculating the budget is one thing, but I also have to understand everything that’s happening while producing. I think of it as contradictory at times because there are things that I wanted to do as the action choreographer, but from the producer’s perspective, they cannot be done. As an actor, I have to be purely focused on my role, but I have to be able to understand what’s happening all around. Sometimes it hinders my ability to concentrate on acting, but fortunately, I am actually quite skillful. [Laughs] With support from the cast and crew, I have been able to complete everything.

ScreenRant: You are known for doing your own stunts. What was the most difficult or dangerous sequence you insisted on performing yourself?

Junichi Okada: This time, we wanted to challenge ourselves. But at the same time, we wanted to create a faithful Japanese period piece. Of course, we learned from the previous period pieces, but I wanted to update our story, which was very important for us. We tried to capture everything in one take when possible, and at the same time, I wanted to really focus on the moment. One question was how much we were going to use CGI. We wanted to reduce the percentage of CG, which is almost the opposite of what’s happening in filmmaking today. We wanted to make sure Last Samurai Standing was big in scale, but we also wanted an intimate focus on the martial arts. We wanted to make sure the camera could capture all the free movements, even during long takes. We wanted to maximize all those elements, but most especially focus on capturing each moment, something that was always present in Kurosawa’s films. We wanted to make sure we captured something real in each take, so there were a lot of points that I had to look after. But the timing is very challenging, and it took a lot of teamwork to do all that. It was a continuous battle on a day-to-day basis.

ScreenRant: You’re a fifth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which influenced the swordfighting choreography here. How did you merge modern martial arts with authentic 19th-century Samurai combat?

Junichi Okada: In martial arts, breathing is very, very important. We have to think not from the brain, but more from the guts or the stomach. That is how we think. Of course, we have to think using the brain, but I have to feel with the stomach or the gut. We shouldn’t hesitate, and we should not be negatively impacted by external forces. As the leading role, Shujiro should not really hesitate, and he shouldn’t be influenced. The main character must draw people into the story, so he must express himself in a way that captures the audience. To play him, I actually researched how the body should move, such as how a Samurai would watch. The ratio between authenticity and cinematic action is maybe 70% to 30%; that is the ratio that I have kept. And I wanted to make sure, in certain moments, audiences see the real way a Samurai would walk, for example. This is the real part, but then the other part should be action. I was able to make that decision in each scene, which was really a strength for me.

ScreenRant: Shujiro enters the survival game to save his family. Can you talk about balancing his deep emotional arc with the physical demands of nonstop action?

Junichi Okada: My character, Shujiro, had a very sad experience in the past. He was raised with the sole purpose of fighting and experienced many battles, where he was hurt and suffered from PTSD. This is the path that he has taken, and now he has decides to participate in the game for the family. Also, as a Samurai, trying to save the girl is almost like saving himself. He’s not really aggressive, but knowing the sadness of the fighting as he proceeds throughout the game was an extremely important element for me. Because I am a Samurai, there has to be a weight to my role, and because he is the main character, there is a depth to his actions. I think having those two things already makes it a great story, but understanding his sadness is also a very important part. From the perspective of the action scenes, he becomes someone who’s not really willing to use the sword. When he decides to use the sword, and why, are important questions. What would it take to get him to the next level of liberation? I have been talking with the director all the way through to be able to get that right.

ScreenRant: You said that you want Japanese action to compete globally. Do you see Last Samurai Standing as a step towards redefining how international audiences see Samurai dramas?

Junichi Okada: Well, if that’s the case, I’d be very happy. The world is now becoming more filled with CGI, and there can be wonderful images created by it. But Japan has been creating drama more practically. Animation and manga have advanced, but when it comes to live-action, we’re not really yet to the level of Hollywood or other film industries. There are many reasons for that, but the question is how are we able to create, and what can we create? There has to be originality in each country. One unique element is the Japanese period piece, and another is the history of the Japanese culture. I want the young generation to really focus on this, and figure out how we can create beautiful art reflecting that with modern technology; something really cool and produced with intention. When it comes to Japanese culture, we have to redefine or update ourselves. That’s the question that I kept asking myself. I think by getting to the core of that question, part of it is answered through art. Film is art, manga is art, and even martial arts count. So, I think learning authentic martial arts is one real thing I can communicate to the rest of the world. And then I decide how I’m able to create after going through the process.

Last Samurai Standing’s Epic Scale Gave Fujii A Career-First Experience

ScreenRant: Last Samurai Standing is both brutal and beautiful. How do you find the right tone so it never tips too far in one direction?

Michihito Fujii: It’s a period piece, and it’s an action drama. It’s a battle royale, and there are a lot of elements, but I was working with Junichi Okada, who knows a lot of history and action. He’s a producer and the lead actor, while my role was to introduce intense characters from this world of fiction. How can I introduce appealing, attractive characters who are very lively? And I think I did my best.

ScreenRant: You reunited with Junichi Okada after Hard Days. How was your collaboration this time, especially since he’s also serving as a producer and action choreographer?

Michihito Fujii: Yes, he was the lead actor on Hard Days, and I was the director. Back then, we were able to strictly work on our jobs. But this time, we really worked together, fought together, worked on the script together, and worked on the action together. We were kind of like a married couple, or like a buddy cop comedy. We were always there for each other. If Junichi expressed something he wanted to do, as director, I tried to accommodate. And he also adjusted his performance to my wishes at times. I think it was a fantastic collaboration.

ScreenRant: The story begins with nearly 300 Samurai competing for survival. From a directing standpoint, what was the biggest challenge in balancing scale and intimacy across six episodes?

Junichi Okada’s Shujiro looking intense while aiming his sword toward the camera in Last Samurai Standing

Michihito Fujii: We had 300 people! I have had previous experiences shooting 300 extras, but this time they were all contestants. Everybody had a personality, and it was 292 of them against one of me. That was a first for me. I had to break down the characters as individuals, so that was very time-consuming. It was a very difficult task, and we couldn’t use extras because each one of them had to have their own philosophy. We had to establish why they were participating in that battle because that was the character drama that we wanted to portray. Because of that, we thought about each of their weapons, about how many were women, how many were international, and so on. We went through so many rehearsals and discussions, which was the most difficult thing to do.

ScreenRant: The Meiji era was a time of massive upheaval in Japan. How important was it to ground a series in real history rather than just an action spectacle?

Michihito Fujii: The Meiji period is a time of transition for Japan. We had people coming in from overseas. Instead of the Samurai style of tied hair, they started wearing Western clothing. What’s amazing about Shojo Imamura, the author, is that he finds a lot of things in common with our modern age. In the Meiji era, they had cholera. Currently, we have COVID. In modern times, we have AI. And in the past, people were also losing jobs because of modernization. I think modern audiences will be able to identify with this, so I took it as a positive thing.

ScreenRant: What was the most challenging sequence to capture on camera?

Michihito Fujii: The first sequence; the one-shot that I had to stage in the initial scene was a very difficult scene. You had to do construction on the actual location, and then we had to choreograph hundreds of Samurai, and make sure we had the timing for the canon and explosion. I had to visit the location many times. It’s a very impressive scene that revealed our resolve to perfect the action sequences. There’s always a possibility of injuries, but instead of relying on VFX, Junichi and I wanted to come up with genuine fights and make a convincing scene. That was a challenge.

Last Samurai Standing begins streaming on Netflix on November 13.