Exclusive trailer: Paper cuts deep in CW Seed's wild new Warigami martial arts series

Getting a paper cut takes on a whole new meaning in Warigami, a new CW Seed web series that puts a razor-sharp spin on origami, the ancient Japanese art of folding paper — and SYFY WIRE has the exclusive first look.

Set to debut on CW Seed later this year, the 10-part series follows the inhabitants of a poor Japanese village who level the playing field against a mysterious group of bandits hellbent on stealing a secret power the villagers have long protected. 

Taking point is Wendy Ohata (Hemlock Grove's Emily Piggford), a native who learns she’s descended from the ancient kami-jin warriors who possess the power of turning paper into weapons. Wendy traces her newfound gift back to her grandfather, who found out the hard way that outside forces what to come and steal his family’s secret.

Check out SYFY WIRE’s exclusive debut of the trailer below:

On the run from an evil kami-jin named Sadako, Wendy learns along the way that she has a twin brother, Vincent, who not only shares her power, but her ties to the past. Now all the pair has to do is solve the mystery of why their town is under threat — while battling back their attackers and mastering their newly-discovered skills.

There’s something alluring about uncovering the hidden power in everyday things, as the townspeople realize when a mage comes along and casts a benevolent spell that allows them to start using nothing more than paper to defend themselves. Throwing star, katana, dagger: If you can fold it into the right shape, you’re good to go: instant weapon.

Written by Andrew Allen and directed by Jason Lapeyre, Warigami stars Piggford, Kai Bradbury, Akiel Julien, Miho Suzuki, and David Hewlett. Watch for Warigami to premiere later this year on CW Seed in the U.S., and CBC Gem in Canada. The show will debut at Canneseries on April 10.