Summary
The incredible design, voice acting, and cinematic direction are what makeBlue Eye Samuraigreat, but it’s easy to forget how important the writing is when a show succeeds or fails. Great characters often need equally good dialogue, and there are plenty of great quotes throughout the show.
Some of the characters have words of wisdom as an intrinsic part of their identity, such as the Swordfather and Madame Kaji, expressing profound insights about love, art, andthe human soul. Then there are people, like Abijah Fowler, who tell the truth once in a while, even if it’s by accident.
6"If One God Forsakes You, Another One Will Help You."
Season 1, Episode 3: “A Fixed Number of Paths” - Akemi
Japan isthe land of many gods, and Akemi is glad to accept help from any at this point, even if it means riding in a cart full of manure. Her attempt to run away from home and search for Taigan, her former fiancee, hits a snag when she’s robbed on the road and loses all her servants, her money, and her fancy palanquin.
When the wagon appears on the road, Akemi says this line and trades her golden hairpin for a ride, which ends up going in the wrong direction. At the point of despair and failure, her advisor, Seki, attempts to salvage the situation, but the princess has other plans.
5"To Deny Desire Is To Cut Out A Corner Of Your Own Heart."
Season 1, Episode 4: “Peculiarities” - Madam Kaji
Many of the greatest lines inBlue Eye Samuraicome from Madame Kaji, the proprietor of the Tea House brothel and a specialist when it comes to catering to unique or even gruesome tastes. She’s not judgmental, however, and explains to Mizu that even sex can be an art and that no taste or request should be subject to ridicule or refusal.
Madame Kaji’s clients appreciate her candor and discretion, which is why she’s one of the few people who know how to get into Abijah Fowler’s island fortress. She isn’t able to get everything done by herself, partly because of her social limitations as a woman, but her use of politics, peepholes, and local lore makes her a dangerous person to mess with.
4"You Pay Money For A Job You Don’t Wanna Think About, So You Don’t Have To Think About It."
Season 1, Episode 2: “An Unexpected Element” - Abijah Fowler
Heiji Shindo is nervous about the Five Fangs and their quest to killthe mysterious samuraiwith blue eyes. He’s staring out the window, waiting for their signal to confirm their target is dead, and Abijah Fowler delivers this line as a way of telling him not to worry about it. After all, “that’s the point of being rich.”
This is in keeping with Fowler’s behavior in general, which consists of him using either force or bribery to get what he wants. It isn’t going to work in this case, however, because no amount of money can bribe Mizu.
3"The Edge We Forge Cuts The Line Between Life And Death."
Season 1, Episode 1: “Hammerscale” - Eiji the Swordmaker
After Mizu and her mother’s house was burned down, the young girl was rendered homeless until she found the humble abode of the Swordmaster. She calls him Swordfather and learns the art of blacksmithing and swordmaking at his side.
This profound quote showcases one of his teachings about the importance of the connection betweenthe sword and the hand that wields it. Eiji always maintains that swordsmithing is an art and that it requires and deserves the same amount of spiritual connection and respect as painting, music, or poetry.
2"I’ve Been A Captive My Whole Life. If I Die Today, I Die Free."
Season 1, Episode 5: “The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride” - Akemi
Akemi is caught between two forces while staying at Madame Kaji’s Tea House. Her father’s soldiers are looking for her, and when Mizu inadvertently leads the Claw army to the brothel, Akemi has to escape from them. She and Ringo are facing a few armed attackers with little more than kitchen knives, and Ringo comments that she’sthe bravest princesshe’s ever seen.
Akemi replies with this quote, and it reveals how determined she is to make her own choices, even if it means she might die by doing so. Later, she makes a similar stand when her father’s soldiers find her, but that ends with her being forced to return home and then to Edo for her wedding.
1"To A Man Lost In The Dark, An Ember Can Light The Way."
Season 1, Episode 1: “Hammerscale” - Mizu
Some of Mizu’s adventures happened off-screen before the series even started, and some of this exposition appears in flashbacks. It’s revealed that she hasalready found and killedone of the white men on her murder list, a person named Violet.
After that, the trail went cold, and she wandered until she found Hajiman the flesh trader brandishing a European gun in a humble noodle house. As she searches for her new lead, Heiji Shindo, she stops in the forest to light a stick of incense and say a prayer. Here, she uses this line and also asks that the powers that be “keep Swordfather from time and harm.”
