Samurai Jack (Season 5)

[Philip J. Fry]

Premieres this Saturday.

[Skitch]

I'm only just now watching the trailer because I'm ALL IN for anything SamJack, but holy shit was that badass. *hugs seasons 1-4 dvds*

[Ivan Drago]

Yeah, I'm fucking stoked for this.

[Philip J. Fry]

Finally beginning the new season of Samurai Jack (I had to watch the first four seasons first, which are great). Good stuff in the first episode. Scaramouche is tons of fun, Jack has some cool new weapons but his head is a mess and modern animation is a great fit with Jack. Also, one of Jack's delusions reminds me of Will's in Hannibal.

Amazing start.

[Philip J. Fry]

Reaction to XCIII, the second episode of this new Samurai Jack season:


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- Hah! I really needed Aku back. While Greg Baldwyn doesn't sound quite right as Mako, he has Aku's comedic delivery mastered which was quite needed in quite a dark episode. The therapy scene was just great.
- Jack's delusions continue! He's so suicidal right now, even more after the ending.
- The fight against the daughters of Aku is one of the best action sequences of SJ's history and one of the best ever. Suspense! Visuals! Rain! Morricone! Feels! And the contrast with the wolf fighting the tigers gave us some great match cut scenes and go hand in hand with this season's main theme. Jack is an old wolf and is on his last legs.
- "Just nuts and bolts" Not quite. Jack realizing he just killed a young girl is one of the most poignant scenes of the whole show and the following scene is just so sad. Jack arriving on Adult Swim is already paying dividends.

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All and all, XCIII might be the best episode of Samurai Jack overall.

[Philip J. Fry]

Samurai Jack: XCIV
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Jack is fighting against some very deep wounds, both physical and most of all, psychological. Killing your first human will do that. Tartakovsky is a very smart guy and understands this kind of processes and allows that time to Jack in a mostly wordless and painfully real recovery time, at least, he was not alone since the wolf from the previous episode returned and kept him company. Kindred spirits right there.
Very important to all of this is a flashback in which a young Jack sees his father kill some bandits and that memory serves finely to point the subject of this episode: we are the result of our decisions and sometimes there's no other way but to move forward, specially against an evil you cannot reason with, which sadly is the case of the daughters of Aku. They are just the latest victims of the evil that represents Aku and one of the saddest indictments is when they see two deer for the first time ever and think they are Aku's machines, rooting for them to attack each other. It's just sad, specially after seeing at least three of them meet their fate.
And speaking of faith, the fight of Jack against the daughters is both the most brutal the show has gotten and one of the most stunningly beautiful sequences of the whole show, seeing the two parties fighting in the snow, with Jack expertly ambushing his pursuers while hiding in the snow, very reminiscent of both Kill Bill and most of all, the fight of Jack versus Shinobi. It's just a sight to behold.

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Great episode. This season is on fire.

[Philip J. Fry]

XCV
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- "Now you're just repeating yourself" Ashi is the most tsundere thing ever. Also, Jack and her make a nice comedic duo. God bless Tara Strong.
- The more I watch this season, the more the animation reminds me of Cartoon Saloon. There is something about Jack in that snowy forest that reminds me of Secret of Kells.
- Jack looking at the bloodied body of one of the Daughters of Aku, powerful.
- Genndy and co went nuts with the colors today. Seeing old and new Jack in blues and purples, the different mediums inside the creatures, the medusas and abysm-like creatures at the end. Gorgeous.
- "Not part of Aku's order" Welcome to the light side, Ashi. Also, Jack is Jesus.

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Good stuff.

[Philip J. Fry]

SAMURAI JACK and the Endless Cycle of Violence


S5 spoilers.

[Philip J. Fry]

Samurai Jack: XCVI
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- Hahah! The Scotsman had like a million daughters.
- Scotsman, NOOOOO!!! I expected him to die this season, but that quickly and unceremoniously? And without meeting Jack again?
- At least Ashi came back to her senses. Now she's more accepting of Jack. Almost like a mentor-alums relationship! However, Jack is still tormented by the past.
- Jack's creation of the stars story was great.
- Jack is a literal pimp.
- It seems the high priestess isn't the only one doing child soldiers.
- Torture by electricity! So Sith of that guy who looked like Moltar. Also, the scene where he recharges was hilarious.
- Ashi got free! And she's furious! She totally killed that guy.
- Jack is so tormented right now, he now thinks he failed those children! He went with that mysterious dark knight! Will he try to commit suicide?
- Ashi is such a great character. I think I can see the endgame here. It's not so much about defeating Aku, but about Ashi and Jack saving each other from their demons. I already love that dynamic. In before the shippers.

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Can't wait for the next episode!

[Philip J. Fry]

Samurai Jack: XCVII
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- This episode makes me happy for watching the first four seasons before this one since there were a lot of call backs (the archers, Da Samurai, the DJ episode and the thingies that Jack saved in the very fourth episode of the show)!
- Speaking of call-backs, Scaramouch lives, hah! His subplot was absolutely hilarious, specially when he was trying to board that boat (specially in the body of a dog!). And then something I would never see in this show... a dick joke!
- Apparently Ashi and her sisters were fighting Jack in the nude? And that flashback was horrific. I hope Ashi and her mother meet up again.
- Ashi cleans up nicely (quite a moment of fanservice!)
- Nice conclusion of the episode. So that knight was a ghost instead of a Jack hallucination (and all of this in the cemetery where Jack fought the zombies!), or maybe death itself. However, as I predicted, Ashi saved Jack's life (and hope!) just as he did! I thought it'd take more episodes, though.
- That last scene with Jack complementing Ashi's hair and outfit will probably create a shipping war.
- Now for the sword! Five dollars Scaramouch managed to tell Aku about Jack's losing it.

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<3 <3 <3

[Philip J. Fry]

Samurai Jack: XCVIII
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- Old Jack looks so weird in this new animation.
- Poor lambs. No wonder the sword got away.

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- That jarring series of cuts between Jack making tea and Ashi fighting that work army was kinda hilarious. Actually very, very funny.
- Ashi kicking so much ass in this episode. Her tearing up that giant army is a nice reminder of how formidable she is as a fighter and how deadly the Daughters of Aku were as a team.
- Aaaand speaking of the Daughters, momma's back. I knew she would be back, but I didn't expect it that soon (I thought we'd be given an exclusive episode of that). However, the execution was fine. After tearing up that army, we were not going to spend the rest of the episode drinking tea and with Jack out of combat, it still retained that personal aspect for Ashi. This episode essentially was about fighting the demons of the past and let it go and both Jack and Ashi did it today.
- "You got a shave... and a new haircut" It is fitting that after letting go off their psychological burdens, both Jack and Ashi have new outfits. Also, I'll call it, they'll end up together.
- I'm gonna miss bearded, long haired Jack.

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Three to go.

[Philip J. Fry]

Samurai Jack: XCIX
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- Sexual tension + Alien atmosphere + Ships. Love this episode.
- Speaking of sexual tension, Tartakovsky and co made it absolutely hilarious and adorable.
- "Owww! Something's poking me!"
- "Ashi, you're naked!" Her nonchalant reaction was golden.
- Since they decided to get them together this quick, something tells me something horrible will happen to one of them in the next two episodes. Whedon taught me that.
- Great use of Dean Martin!

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[Philip J. Fry]

Holy shit! Samurai Jack just got cruel.
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Ashi.

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[Philip J. Fry]

Well that was bittersweet and unexpected. Tartakovsky is a cruel man.

[Ivan Drago]

Watching the marathon right now, and yeah it's pretty stellar from beginning to end. It's crazy how much they're able to get away with on Adult Swim without relying on gore for the most part. Between the Daughters of Aku's brutal training and the hallucinations of people from Jack's past burning in fire, there's more frightening imagery in the first episode of this season than there was in the first four seasons of the show, from what I remember of it, anyway. I also love the cinematic tone, how well both Jack and Ashi have been developed over the course of the season, and what this season has done with color is absolutely gorgeous. And the ending....

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...while bittersweet, was perfect.

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Amazing show.

[Philip J. Fry]

Watching the marathon right now, and yeah it's pretty stellar from beginning to end. It's crazy how much they're able to get away with on Adult Swim without relying on gore for the most part. Between the Daughters of Aku's brutal training and the hallucinations of people from Jack's past burning in fire, there's more frightening imagery in the first episode of this season than there was in the first four seasons of the show, from what I remember of it, anyway. I also love the cinematic tone, how well both Jack and Ashi have been developed over the course of the season, and what this season has done with color is absolutely gorgeous. And the ending....

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...while bittersweet, was perfect.

]

Amazing show.

Agreed with all of that, specially with what they can do without the gore, specially because when they did use gore, it was legitimately shocking. For example...
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when Jack kills the first Daughter of Aku. I was legitimately shocked and a bit saddened.

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Personally I've never been a big fan of revivals/remakes, however, when it's done just how they did it here, it's worthwhile. I'm pretty sure there won't be a better revival of anything as good as this one this year.

[Philip J. Fry]

Samurai Jack is back... in a new comic this September.

[Philip J. Fry]

SAMURAI JACK IS COMING TO THEATERS FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY

[Philip J. Fry]

Emmy Awards 2017 Winners: ‘Samurai Jack’ Leads Animation Projects With 4 Wins

[Philip J. Fry]

[Philip J. Fry]