Michael Green and Amber Noizumi (‘Blue Eye Samurai’ creators) reveal the flattery that really delights them the most [Exclusive Video Interview]
When looking at the reception they’ve received for “Blue Eye Samurai,” show creators Michael Green and Amber Noizumi see one recurring bit of flattery that really delights them. “One of the best compliments we’ve gotten is people keep asking us, where did you get the rights to the books and we have to remind them there were no books. We just thought of it. It was an idea Amber and I had been thinking of for a really long time,” Green reveals to Gold Derby during our recent web chat (watch the exclusive video interview above). The idea actually stemmed from when the couple had their daughter who they nicknamed Blue Eye Samurai after the features she had due to her being of mixed race. “We sat on the idea a long time, not sure quite what to do with it until, finally, the idea of doing it in adult animation came up and we were lucky enough that this is a time when streaming services were willing to experiment with it.”
“Blue Eye Samurai” is an adult animated program that aired on Netflix. It takes place during the Edo period of Japan in the 1600s and focuses on a female samurai, Mizu, who is half-white and half-Japanese. Mizu seeks vengeance against four white men, including her father, who have illegally stayed in Japan after the country closed its borders off from outsiders. The show features the voice talents of Maya Erskine, Masi Oka, Darren Barnet, George Takei, Randall Park, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Kenneth Branagh.
More from GoldDerby
SEEJane Wu interview: ‘Blue Eye Samurai’
The program received two Emmy nominations this year: Best Animated Program and Sound Editing for a Comedy/Drama Half-Hour Program. It marks Noizumi’s first Emmy nomination and Green’s second after being nominated for Best Drama Series in 2007 as a producer for “Heroes.” Green has also worked as a film and TV writer with credits that include “American Gods,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Murder on the Orient Express” (2017), “Death on the Nile” and “Logan,” for which he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2017.
When trying to cast the series, Noizumi points out that they were able to turn what was a pretty big setback into a positive for their project. “The quest ended up being kind of awesome because there was this thing called COVID that happened and nobody could work because all of the shows were shut down, so anybody we asked said yes.” She was especially happy with casting Erskine as Mizu since her and Green had been big fans of “Pen15.” “We know she’s extremely funny but we don’t know how she would play this kind of lone cowboy, very gruff character. But you could see that amount of pain that underlies the humor in it and now the world has seen what Maya can do. She deserves all the Emmys, actually.”
PREDICT the 2024 Emmy winners through September 15
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
Best of GoldDerby
Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.