Japanese series Last Samurai Standing gives a stylish spin to the death tournament

Last Samurai Standing (NC16)

Now on Netflix
★★★★☆

This is a series some have called the “Japanese Squid Game” and the description is fair, though it must be noted that the South Korean dystopian drama (2021 to 2025) came after Battle Royale (2000), a cult survival thriller from Japan about teens trapped in a death match.

As the title suggests, this martial arts drama is set in the 1800s, at the twilight of the samurai era, a time of modern reforms that viewed them as dangerous relics of a bygone age.

Shujiro (Junichi Okada) is a former elite warrior mired in poverty, with a family to support. When a government call goes out for his kind to assemble at a temple, he turns up, only to be told that there will be a competition – those who slaughter other participants through seven stages between Kyoto and Tokyo will receive a life-changing cash prize.

Shujiro is a top swordsman, but for how long can he hold out against nearly 300 other fighters? He passes through seven stages of hell in a series marked by strongly choreographed martial arts action and brisk pacing, in a story that is just retro enough to remind viewers why samurai movies are so much fun.

Star Wars: Visions 3 (PG)

Now on Disney+
★★★★☆

Star Wars movie fatigue might be real, but on Disney+, bold creative voices have found a home in the story universe. The Emmy-winning live-action series Andor (2022 to 2025) proved that the franchise – the home of magical knights and cute androids – could also contain a smart political thriller.

Season 3 of this animation series returns to Japan, after a Season 2 excursion to animation houses from around the world.

The first episode, The Duel: Payback, created by Japanese labels Kamikaze Douga and Anima, showcases a rough, hand-drawn aesthetic that feels more alive than most recent Star Wars films. Its black-and-white scheme, livened with bursts of colour, tells the story of Ronin, a wandering warrior, and his battle against a corrupted Jedi Knight.

The series is PG-rated, so fans of the harder-edged animation action found on Disney+’s Predator: Killer Of Killers (2025, rated NC16) will be disappointed. But those keen on exploring Asian-influenced stories set in the space equivalent of the Wild West will have a good time.

The Asset (M18)

Now on Netflix

In this Danish crime thriller, Tea Lind (Clara Dessau) is a young police cadet given a mission far outside her expertise or experience: She is to infiltrate the inner circle of drug kingpin Miran (Afshin Firouzi) through his partner, Ashley (Maria Cordsen).

As they always do in these stories, Tea is swept into a morally grey universe where identity and purpose become murky, especially after she develops empathy for her targets.

Critics have praised the show for Dessau’s performance, but have noted that the show’s restrained pacing – typical of the “Scandi-noir” genre – might put off those who prefer Hollywood-style storytelling.

For those who like a slow burn, there are rewards, says a review in the news magazine Time, which calls it “a series that examines the emotional consequences of living behind a fabricated identity”.