Fans of Netflix’s most jaw-dropping animated series are in for some disappointing news
One of the breakout original animated series at Netflix was 2023’s Blue Eye Samurai. Praised for its storytelling, stunning visuals, and fight choreography, it received its second season greenlight to the joy of fans. Those celebrations may have to be put on hold.
Blue Eye Samurai crept its way onto Netflix with very little marketing, meaning it could have easily flown under the radar were it not so bloody fantastic. Those who knew about it quickly spread the word, and before you knew it, it had risen through the ranks to be considered one of the better animated projects that Netflix has ever produced. The show has received a score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer and audience score, proving it equally well-loved by critics and viewers alike. It has also won three Primetime Emmy awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation, with other awards still pending.
With such a strong love of the show, it was no surprise then when a second season was greenlit. This meant that viewers could release a sigh of relief as the show was not doomed (as so many have been lately) to head for Netflix’s execution box, littered with the corpses of so many unfinished canceled shows. However, (yes, there’s always a “however”) while a second season is coming, it isn’t coming anytime soon.
Mizu may be fast, but the show isn’t
The first season took over three years from the start of production to landing on our screens, so that should have been some indication as to just how long this animation takes to make. While talking with Collider, series creators Michael Green, Amber Noizumi, Jane Wu, and Myron Nettinga discussed the issues that they face getting the second season up on its feet.
They said that for such high-quality animation, it takes time and money. This means that we will likely not see Mizu and her companions again until 2026, potentially even 2027. Wu spoke about where they are right now with production, stating,
We’re in panic mode right now because we still have a schedule and we still have a budget, and we’re trying to get all that to talk to each other. We’re in the beginnings of production and getting it started, and everything else is in the planning stages.
They have also added that just half an hour of animation can take up to nine months to pre-produce, which means we will simply have to wait.
The other bad news is that the second season will reportedly be shorter by two episodes. The first season had eight episodes in total, while the next season will only have six. Will this be enough to cover Mizu’s journey to London and will she return to Japan in that allotted time? Though we are still so excited about the fact we are getting a second season, it’s hard not to be a bit bummed out by the news. What’s that Venn diagram about getting something done? Fast, cheap, good—you can’t have all three at once. If you want excellence, then slow and expensive is what it’s going to be.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of other similar shows to enjoy! Here are our recommendations.
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