(Credits: Netflix)

Can you imagine nearly 300 samurai packed into a Kyoto temple, each holding a wooden tag that could decide their life or death? At the sound of a signal, the place goes into full survival mode. You have your swords clashing, warriors falling left, right and centre, and there is only one rule: steal as many tags as you can and survive long enough to reach Tokyo. Sounds dangerous, right? Well, it is.

If you are wondering what the above description is for, then let us tell you that this is the setup for Last Samurai Standing. This is Netflix’s upcoming Japanese epic, and it already looks like one of the streamer’s most brutal dramas yet.

The show is set in the late 19th century, during the Meiji era. This was the time when Japan was caught between tradition and change. It is based on Shōgo Imamura’s novel Ikusagami and its manga adaptation. For all the action lovers, the series isn’t just about stylised sword fights. It is about the courage and survival of the fittest. And not just your ordinary warriors, these people are bloodthirsty. All players have to fight each other and get as many tags as possible in order to win the prize money.

Last Samurai Standing will hit Netflix worldwide on November 13th, but before that, it’s making an entry at the Busan International Film Festival, as the first two episodes of the show are set to premiere there.

The hype is real, as the critics are already calling it a potential game-changer for Japanese TV. The show is filmed over days with more than a thousand cast and crew.

Front and centre is Junichi Okada, who is not only playing the lead character Shujiro Saga but is also serving as the producer and action planner. That means the insane battle choreography you see in the teaser is very much his doing. And he isn’t alone. The cast list reads like a who’s who of Japanese cinema: Kaya Kiyohara, Masahiro Higashide, Shota Sometani, Kazunari Ninomiya, Hiroshi Tamaki, and Hideaki Ito, plus fresh faces like Gaku Hamada and Arata Iura. Even with so many characters, the teaser makes it clear that everyone leaves an impression.

Coming to the show, it is about what survival looks like when the odds are standing against you (umm, Squid Game much?). It’s when you enter it, you realise who people will betray, protect, or destroy just to stay alive. Netflix is no stranger to death games or historical dramas, but the mix here feels different. Here you have authentic costumes, visceral action, and a big enough story to travel well beyond Japan.

So yes, Netflix is calling in 292 samurai for the fight of their lives. And if the teaser is any indication, Last Samurai Standing will be less about honourable duels and more about complete survival.