Parents need to know that martial arts-style fighting and samurai weaponry are central to the plot of this miniseries, so there are lots of physical battles with many injuries and deaths. In one scene, a man is stabbed and killed; another implies (but doesn't show) a man's beheading: His killer swings a sword at him and is later shown cleaning blood from both the weapon and his red-splattered shirt. That aside, this action drama -- which is based on a series of young adult novels by Carrie Asai and Renato Alarcao -- touches on Japanese legends and customs and features a strong female lead, who must draw on her own inner strength to fulfill her destiny and challenge the evil she encounters.

Families can talk about how women and minorities are portrayed in the media. How often do you see TV shows or movies that feature a woman or a person of color in the lead role? Are the shows and movies that fall into that category usually in a particular genre (romance, drama, comedy, etc.)? If so, which one? Does this reflect society's expectations based on gender or race, or are our impressions of people's roles affected by the media? What other series have you seen that feature strong female or minority roles? How have such roles changed over the past few decades?