More than 15 years after its manga debut, the long-awaited live-action adaptation of one of the most enduring samurai franchises has debuted on streaming. And it was very much worth the wait, with reviews hailing it as the perfect martial arts action epic. Based on the long-running manga by Umemura Shinya, “Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem,” which itself has since been adapted into an anime series and stage productions, Song of the Samurai follows the friendship, betrayal, and battles that befall the Shinsengumi samurai corps, centering on a former street brawler Toshizo Hijikata (Yuki Yamada) and his newly found brothers-in-arms. Set in Kyoto at the end of the Edo period, the story depicts the intense and passionate lives of the Shinsengumi. The iconic samurai force that defended Kyoto in the final years of Japan’s shogunate. Directed by Kazutaka Watanabe, the live-action adaptation translates this deep legacy to the screen on HBO Maxthrough spectacular action and a bold interpretation based on historical facts, with the first reviews heaping praise on the sheer scope and stunning action sequences as Song of the Samurai quickly proves itself more than worthy to stand alongside the small screen’s other, recent samurai classic, Shōgun.

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While Song of the Samurai is flying a little under the radar right now, something that’s likely to change as it inevitably climbs the streaming charts over the coming weeks, several glowing reviews have teased the gloriously near-perfect nature of the action drama. Collider awarded Song of the Samurai an 8/10, and felt that the series could rapidly emerge as a modern genre classic.
While an ideal match for Shōgun or Last Samurai Standing fans, it’s easy to see how Song of the Samurai could fire off full speed ahead into a breathless epic capable of effortlessly standing on its own two feet.
An even better 9/10 comes courtesy of FandomWire, who called Song of the Samurai “staggering in its scope, breathtaking in its layered storytelling, and viscerally exhilarating, with awe-inspiring action sequences that cut deep, brutally, and often.” While The Financial Times, alongside another near-perfect 4/5, applauded the series for leaning “towards the big and the bold, and is occasionally sentimental, particularly in its musical score, but in the long wait for a second season of Shōgun, this should fill the gap nicely.”

Turning to IMDb for further reactions, the first episode of Song of the Samurai, which is now streaming on HBO Max, currently has a rating of 9.1/10. The reactions tell you all you need to know, which is that we clearly have a samurai classic on our hands, as users praise it as “an exciting blend of samurai action, historical drama, and political intrigue” that “feels so authentic, all the characters are well written, and the fight scenes are flawless. A real gem!”

Release Date

March 26, 2026

Directors

Kazutaka Watanabe

Writers

Shinya Umemura, Masaaki Sakai

Cast

Yukito Yamada

Hijikata Toshizo

Nobuyuki Suzuki

Kondo Isamu

Aoi Nakamura

Yamanami Keisuke

Kanata Hosoda

Okita Sōji