\n<\/p>\n
The hero, Saga Kokushu, played by Junichi Okada, is one of dozens of samurai in a live-or-die survival game to save family, community and honor. Participants receive wooden tags to wear and add another for each rival they kill. The last man standing collects 100 billion yen ($650 million).<\/p>\n
Directed by Michihito Fujii, whose credits include \u201cThe Journalist,\u201d about a fearless reporter,<\/a><\/span> and \u201cA Family,\u201d depicting yakuza gangsters, the series pays homage to modern-day video games as well as the legacy of Japanese filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa<\/a><\/span> and the original \u201cThe Last Samurai.\u201d<\/p>\n That 2003 film, directed by Edward Zwick, starred Tom Cruise<\/a><\/span> as the samurai hero. It was a big hit, including in Japan, and it helped Japan\u2019s own stars like Ken Watanabe and Hiroyuki Sanada<\/a><\/span> in their Hollywood careers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe purpose we had in mind was to update the jidaigeki,\u201d said Okada, using the Japanese term for the samurai drama genre.<\/p>\n Okada, who also served as choreographer and producer in \u201cLast Samurai Standing,\u201d said everybody in Japanese film knew so much about the greats who had preceded them, like Kurosawa. The genre even came with a grandiose \u201ctextbook\u201d about the proper portrayal of Japanese culture.<\/p>\n \u201cWe took the want-to approach, keeping in mind that, while thoroughly studying jidaigeki, we were going to do what we want to make, and make something that looked absolutely cool,\u201d Okada told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n