Research evidenceResearch evidence — scores and sourced research

Scored entertainment-first on WhatSphere's content-balance model 2

Its director stated on the record that "japanese films all tend to be rather bland in flavor, like green tea over rice, I think we ought to have richer foods, and richer films, So I thought I would m…" 1. Taken together, the content-balance model places it entertainment-first at 3 of 100 2. Relative to the expected cast make-up for its production origin, on-screen representation registers above the baseline for Asian 3.

The receipts — every claim above is sourced
  1. 1
    Creator statementdirector: "Japanese films all tend to be rather bland in flavor, like green tea over rice. I think we ought to have richer foods, and richer films. So I thought I would make this kind of film entertaining enoug…"The Criterion Collection essay on Seven Samurai source ↗
  2. 2
    Content balanceAdvocacy 3 of 100, tier entertainment-first.WhatSphere content-balance model, score_version 1
  3. 3
    RepresentationRepresentation vs production-origin baseline: Asian 77.WhatSphere representation model, score_version 1

WhatSphere presents the sourced record; it does not cast the judgement. Every statement above is drawn from a stored, sourced row — shown beside it — and nothing is asserted beyond what those receipts support.

Data updated March 2, 2026Scored, pending verification.Think a score is wrong? Submit a correction.

Synopsis

A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.

Young MaleYoung FemaleMature MaleMature Female
Primary audienceYoung Men
Targeted

Quadrant Scores

Young Men
100
Young Women
15
Older Men
85
Older Women
0
Advocacy3
Entertainment

Audience Representation

White
40
Black
46
Hispanic
48
Asian
77
South Asian
48
Middle Eastern
48
Indigenous
50
Mixed
42
Other
48
LGBTQ+
0

Where to Watch (US)

Stream
HBO MaxHBO MaxHBO Max Amazon ChannelHBO Max Amazon ChannelCriterion ChannelCriterion Channel
Free
KanopyKanopyPlexPlexPlex ChannelPlex Channel
Rent
Amazon VideoAmazon VideoApple TV StoreApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeYouTubeFandango At HomeFandango At Home
Buy
Amazon VideoAmazon VideoApple TV StoreApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeYouTubeFandango At HomeFandango At Home

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Score version: v1Data confidence: 100%How are scores calculated?

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Advocacy Over Time in Action

The average advocacy score of Action titles by release year. Higher is more advocacy-driven.

25507519642026
Average advocacy score of Action titles by release year
YearAverage advocacyTitles
196402
196543
196604
196822
197002
197104
197202
197319
197503
197722
197903
198035
198103
198205
198307
1984211
198507
1986210
1987114
198804
1989010
199005
199109
199218
1993011
1994214
1995111
199609
1997213
1998010
1999113
2000111
2001120
2002117
2003214
2004219
2005318
2006123
2007118
2008222
200929
201038
2011312
2012510
2013416
201469
2015716
2016159
2017917
2018920
20191118
20201013
20211025
20221532
20231225
2024831
2025435
2026816

Cast & Crew

Masaya Shimizu (director) · Toshi Kaneko (director)