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Last Samurai Standing is now on Netflix, and the reason why critics and fans alike can see the similarities to Squid Game is unavoidable! From the outset of the series, 292 samurai get involved in a brutal game of survival where their choices can spell life or death.
The series, set in Japan during the Meiji period, has gone with a combination of competition, ethics, and psychology, which makes it impossible to turn your eyes off it. Although the show has not been officially branded as "Japan's Squid Game" by Netflix and the makers, a lot of the audience still sees the two series as being similar.
The aspect of human desperation, the personal sacrifice, and the survival through one's extreme actions are common to both. Last Samurai Standing is a more complex piece due to its intricate historical background, which is made more intense by the survival thriller and the very mother of all emotions that he can communicate to the audience, even if they don't appreciate the genre.
Let's have a look at the 5 reasons why Last Samurai Standing reminds us of Squid Game
1. Life-or-death survival competition
At its core, Last Samurai Standing is a survival story. The Edo period's almost 300 displaced samurai are attracted to a competition where they have to pick up wooden tags from the other fighters. The last one to survive will get an unbelievable amount of cash, 100 billion yen (~$650 million).
This setup is similar to Squid Game, where the participants engage in lethal games with their lives at stake. The elimination risk is always present in both shows, thus creating tension among the participants through their tactical decisions.
Though the locations are different, 19th-century Japan and modern-day Korea, the very thrilling uncertainty is one of the shared features of the survival genre.
2. Ordinary people in extraordinary situations
The samurai warriors are skilled fighters, but in their new social context, they are "ordinary" persons. The samurai class was stripped of its legal status and its means of living during the Meiji Restoration, which made them prone to and very desperation.
This is consistent with Squid Game, where the betting was on the poorest of individuals, whose only fault was that they ran out of money; those were the ones who ended up being experimented on the most. Last Samurai Standing elucidates the coming together of the characters and the audience, as both go through a process of feeling the same way.
The characters in the series face extremely difficult political situations, while the audience is confronted with ethical and moral questions, as well as physical and emotional challenges beyond anything they may have experienced. The series, therefore, highlights a very ugly aspect of our society. They are the people who find themselves in situations where they have to choose between what is right and what is easy.
3. Fighting for more than money
The money involved, which is enormous, cannot be called the only motivation of the Last Samurai Standing contestants. They have their own personal reasons for being there, and for some of them, it is even a matter of life and death. This is illustrated in the case of Shujiro Saga, the character played by Julichi Okada, who joins the contest to pay for his sick family’s treatment.
Similarly, the players in Squid Game sometimes get driven by their desperation arising from family obligations, pride, or the need for personal vindication to take part in the game. Money as a reason for taking part in both series has been mentioned. But it is not the only one; rather, it is a constant factor that is not challenged, as the human stories bringing the competition are the main ones that attract the viewers. Thus, the outcomes are layered with both uneasiness and sadness.
4. Moral dilemmas and psychological strain
The mental aspect of survival is one of the main topics in both series. In Last Samurai Standing, the players go through very hard moral dilemmas: who to trust, when to fight, and when to betray others to keep themselves alive. Every decision has repercussions, and the series studies how unnecessary stress might uncover both bravery and brutality in the character of humanity.
To the plot of Squid Game also a similar moral dilemma is a large part of its fame. The players in the game have no choice but to face these decisions all the time, which are not only difficult but also determine their moral standards. And this makes them choose survival over empathy. By doing so, the two series portray the emotional and ethical intricacies of competitions where life is at stake.
5. Social commentary through competition
Last Samurai Standing integrates social commentary into its survival tale. The falling apart of the samurai class amidst Japan's social revolution brings to light the issues of the displacement of people, class war, and societal shift. The same goes for Squid Game, which critiques economic disparity and social inequality with the help of the systemic pushing that causes ordinary people to be in extreme situations.
Games from both series are, at least in part, a way to show human conduct under stress. The contests themselves are not a feast for one's eyes only; the audience sees the desperation, the ambition, and moral compromise, and hence gets a story of excitement and reflection.
Last Samurai Standing teeters on the edge of history, but is primarily a survival thriller that fronts major thematic connections with Squid Game. The series, through its whole life-and-death competition, personal stakes, and psychological tension accompanied by social commentary, offers a view full of emotions and suspense.
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Although the Netflix series is not officially publicized as a direct correlation to Squid Game, the resemblances noted by critics and fans are pretty conspicuous. Last Samurai Standing declares that whether in 19th-century Japan or present-day Korea, human hopelessness, moral intricacy, and the fight to live are always fascinating, thus granting it the status of a must-watch for the spectators of dramatic survival stories with very high stakes.
Also read: Last Samurai Standing cast and character guide: Here’s who’s bringing the Netflix epic drama to life
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