Bright: Samurai Soul
By JK Sooja,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Anime-adventure spin-off has graphic violence and gore.
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Bright: Samurai Soul
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What's the Story?
In BRIGHT: SAMURAI SOUL, Izou (Simu Liu) is an ex-samurai stripped of any responsibility or duty in the new era. Since his old life, he has been drinking his way through his new one as a bodyguard at a brothel. But one day, a little elf girl, Sonya (Yuzu Harada) stumbles into his care, and he's tasked with escorting her to her elven tribe in the north. To help, Raiden (Fred Mancuso), an orc, joins their team, and together, they may just make it before an evil terror destroys them.
Is It Any Good?
While the animation is a hit when there's action, the visuals take a hit when there's none. Also, lots about Bright: Samurai Soul feels rushed, not just the animation. The writing and scripting also feel quickly slapped together, as does some of the editing. Indeed, this is jarring, because sometimes it produces confusing moments, like in the beginning when Raiden first appears and murders everyone, only to turn around and become a super nice guy because of one sentence he says, or like when near the end, Raiden may or may not have just been killed (only to magically appear completely whole in the film's outro). So much of this world, this story, and these characters could be great, but there hasn't been enough time to build them up and give them real backstory, history, and weight.
Lots of this has to do with trying to do something with such bare and cliched tropes: a mysterious samurai/ninja/warrior, a magical elf girl, an orc with a heart of gold and not evil, a magical source of power that can win any future war. Most anime and action-adventure viewers have already seen this movie many times. Nothing new here. But the animation is flashy during the action sequences, the voice acting is decent, and the relationship between Izou and Raiden is at least much more believable and dynamic than the live-action original's Daryl Ward (Will Smith) and Nick Jakoby (Joel Edgerton).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in animated movies. How did you feel about the violence in Bright: Samurai Soul? Was it too much? The right amount?
What is the power and meaning of the light that emanates from the wand? Is this explained clearly?
If you were Raiden, would you have made the same decision? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: October 12, 2021
- Cast: Simu Liu , Fred Mancuso , Victoria Grace , Yuzu Harada
- Director: Kyohei Ishiguro
- Inclusion Information: Asian actors, Female actors
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Anime
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Adventures
- Run time: 80 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- Last updated: August 2, 2023
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