Despite being a frontrunner for a major animated Emmy, X-Men ’97 was defeated by an obscure Netflix series.
Even though the Primetime Emmy Awards won’t air on television until September 15, plenty of people managed to score early wins at the Creative Arts Emmys.
Unfortunately, not all projects took home the coveted award, including X-Men ’97, which was a huge surprise in the Best Animated Program category.
The Disney+ series enjoyed huge success when it premiered in early 2024, but ultimately lost to the relatively unknown Netflix anime Blue Eye Samurai.
X-Men ’97 wasn’t the only major series to lose to the Netflix series as other competitors included Bob’s Burgers and The Simpsons.
In addition to winning the top prize in the animation category, the series also won three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation for Character Design, Production Design, and Storyboarding.
Blue Eye Samurai, the latest project from French studio Blue Spirit, was released in November 2023 for a total of eight episodes.
The series follows Mizu, a half-white, half-Japanese onna-musha (warrior) who lives a man’s life in order to avoid discrimination related to her mixed-race status.
Season 1 of Blue Eye Samurai sees Mizu embark on a quest for revenge against four men, including her father, for many complicated reasons, including the fact that they are currently living illegally in Japan, with the borders having been closed by the country’s militaristic government known as the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Netflix
The series addresses many complex themes, including race, class, gender identity, sexual exposure, and more.
The voice cast of Blue Eye Samurai features some of the greatest Asian American actors, including George Takei (Star Trek), Masi Oka (Heroes), Maya Erskine (Pen15), Brenda Song (Dollface), and Darren Barnet (Never Have I Ever).
Although it flies under the radar among mainstream Netflix users, the series currently holds an impressive 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
In December 2023, Blue Eye Samurai was renewed for a second season, which will consist of six episodes and will premiere in 2026.
For more, check out our roundup of the 50 best animated movies of all time. You can also keep up with new shows airing this month and new movies coming in September
