TGWTG User Blogs

Well after my break doing a regular main stream movie review and braving the horrors of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon emperor I've decided to return to my comfort zone and what the admin seems to want: Anime

One of the many things I love about America is the country has really opened up to anime in a much larger scale than Britain. Don't get me wrong, we have conventions and every Waterstones sells manga volumes (albeit the same, average fair of series), but I still think that because of the video nasties list containing one very controversial anime (not going to name it Legend of the Overfiend) and our TV channels polluted with horribly censored versions of the most well known titles, ala my 4kids rant, anime is very much underground in very much all of the UK, even if it's not unheard of.

But just a week or so ago my Dad was in Denver for a business conference and wanted to know if I wanted anything. I actually couldn't think of much at all. Though I had a Wii freeloader there weren't really any games (it is the Wii after all) that I wanted to buy that wouldn't be worth the wait, so I thought of DVDs, since one of my portable players can inexplicably and conveniently read NTSC DVDs. I sat in my room, staring at my Death Note: The last name, Escaflowne Movie and MUCC posters for inspiration and literally after hours of staring at It I finally realized: Escaflowne the Movie. Common sense is not why I'm on the BOB nomination list.

It sounded like a good buy, I'm a huge Esca fan and the movie might never ever get a PAL release, and even though I hear its average at best, as an Esca fan I reckon it's still worth getting. My Dad's chosen place for anime purchasing was a Best Buy. I'm not sure exactly what those shops are normally associated as, but I assume it's the equivalent of the UK chain PC World. And they've never stocked anime, but alas, there was a shelf of titles to choose from. Speaking on what probably was a long and expensive phone call, I was told that the Escaflowne movie was out of stock. Damn. So I decided to get Lucky Star, which has been delayed over here. Whilst they had it, the episode numbering on the DVD's seemed bizarre, and not worth the money.
So with unreleased DVD's that I had an interest in out of the question, I decided to make use of that lovely exchange rate and get a box-set for a decent price. But whilst the anime section in this Best Buy was extensive it didn't have any of the titles I wanted. Neon Genesis Evangelion, Welcome to the N.H.K., Afro Samurai , Black Lagoon, Full metal Alchemist: Nothing. So in the end out of frustration I asked my Dad to read the titles available. There were some nice ones but nothing I couldn't get here; Naruto, Negima, Saiyuki, Samurai something...wait, what was that? Samurai 7? Complete box set? Yeah we'll go with that.

Series review:

I'm a massive fan of Akira Kurosawa's classis Masterpiece, Seven Samurai, and as you probably guessed (unless you've broken out of a mental asylum, went to an internet cafe, landed on this site and now you're reading this blog whilst slobbering all over the keyboard) Samurai 7 is an anime remake of the film. That said, I did not expect this anime to exceed the film in any way. Sure, I realized that I might find this series more appealing than the film if I were a casual anime viewer, but as a teenager who likes watching things made more than thirty years before I was born I simply expected this series to at least do the film justice. And does it? Yes, to be blunt.

To story is essentially the same. Every year a local village is raided by a group of bandits, who in this version are more of an organization, who take their entire crop and leave the villagers in poverty. The villagers are unable to fight the bandits, and thus waste their lives growing rice for the bandits. Unable to take it, the village elder decides enough is enough, and orders two of the villagers to go to the city and seek a group of samurai to help defend the village and defeat the bandits. Despite the fact they have nothing to offer but rice, with no glory or reward for completing the task, the villagers slowly gather seven samurai to bring back, and ultimately, with several losses, fight and defeat the bandits.

The film is one of Japan's greatest cinematic masterpieces and easily it's greatest motion picture contribution to the West (that is until Ryuhei Kitamura's film Meat Train starring Vinnie Jones is made), inspiring a Westernized -as in old west- remake called the Magnificent Seven as well as being one of the main inspirations behind many films from Star Wars to A bug's Life. And in all honesty this anime remake remains largely faithful, but obviously, since we don't want to see the same film twice, there are major modifications.

For one, and this is the series' main selling point; It's now a steam punk series. The first episode begins with a massive scale battle scene that honestly looks like it came out of Gundam Wing rather than Seven Samurai, as giant robots fight with large cannons and flying around airships. The bandits themselves are now a combination between these giant robot behemoths and smaller, tin can style machines. No shit they're too strong for the villagers to defeat. The samurai however can actually cut right through they're metallic armour, and side step they're big ass swords. It looks a little ridiculous, and it seems weird that there are villagers who still live in straw huts and how guns are sparingly used, but still, that's the brilliance of Steam punk.

Another major addition is the new characters. Originally, two male villagers went to the city, but now it's one male and a new female villager and her little sister. The female villager is Kirara, a water priestess who uses a water crystal to locate the samurai (comparable to the pendant used by Hitomi in Escaflowne, for those who know it), and her sister is Komachi, who's innocent and playful nature obviously adds comic relief and adds a light tone to the series. They're welcome additions, but I'll get into characters later.

The story has also been changed in multiple areas. For one, the length and significance of the villagers time in the city gathering the seven has been enhanced, encompassing a more action orientated set of episodes and increasing the amount of movement the characters do. The back story and manner in which most of the samurai are met is also changed (for example, Kyuzo, a samurai who was originally just older and experienced actually now starts out as a villain), as is the return journey home. The plot of the time in the city revolves around a samurai hunt from a spoilt son of a magistrate, which ultimately becomes more important in the stories end.
Perhaps the biggest alteration the original story is the continuation after the bandits are defeated. Originally, after the samurai who died die and the village is safe, the remaining samurai leave. However whilst this does happen in the end, an extra set of episodes occur after the samurai leave, starting a new plot and leading to a much greater threat that eventually leads to the films traditional outcome.

This brings me to the biggest gripe I have with Samurai 7. The episodes starting from after the defeat of the bandits going to the battle against the new, politically powerful enemy, (from episode 16 ‘The Storm' to episode 24 ‘The Oaths') are some of the most un-entertaining I've ever seen. The story moves so slowly and the most of the events so inconsequential that these set of eight episodes (which is a large chunk of the series) really feel stretched out and pointless. I remembered just watching these episodes and thinking: "Can something happen already? Please?!" It's not that they're completely devoid of anything interesting; it's just the plot fluxgates so much you wonder if it was just written as the episodes went along. There is some interesting character development, but in some cases, like with samurai Kanbe and Katsushiro's divide, it's ridden off pretty quickly once the characters are re-united. That said when the series finally reaches its last battle; it's very entertaining and one of my favourite final battles in anime.
Also, the ending isn't spoilt by these long drawn out episodes, it's largely faithful to the film, but of course with the enemy no longer being the bandits and instead the capital of the country, the whole ‘no glory' idea is rather ignored. However I greatly appreciated that they kept all the samurai deaths (however altered), since killing off four of your main characters in battle is not common practice for an anime.

I will now delve into the main characters; starting off with the Samurai in the order they're recruited.

Kanbe, the first of the samurai, is the leader and most battle hardened. And old (but not ‘out of prime' old) samurai, his sword skill is barely challenged and is in most cases unstoppable. A man of honour and respect, he's also very judgemental, deciding and disciplining when he sees an action unfit. His actions in the series kind of give the impression he could have defeated the bandits all on his own, and he seems to have his own mindset about everything, with several unexplained actions.

Gorobe, a samurai turned street performer returned samurai, is the second chosen. The only samurai who shows racial diversity, he's always light hearted but gets serious in the heat of battle. His role feels a little thin compared to the other samurai, strengthened by the fact that he is the first of the seven to die. And he does so much earlier than the others, little more than half way through the series, so the untimely really springs to mind. However he is a very impressionable character, and definitely the liveliest of the seven, though I find his catchphrase "You gotta be kidding me", a little strange, and even off key as his last words.

Heihachi is the third, and one of the younger and inexperienced samurai, whose original introduction as a lowly wood cutter is thankfully maintained. His character is extended however, as now he also acts an engineer for the team, although this does mean less sword fighting for the little guy. Next to Gorobe he's the most light hearted, however an interesting change to his character that I appreciated was his adversity to treachery, and a past that stems from it. It's not a big plot detail, but I like the contrast we see in the character.

Shichiroji, nicknamed Momotaro on account of his story bearing resemblance to the old Japanese tale, is the fourth, and actually the last of the samurai encountered. Unlike the others, he's the only one who doesn't use a sword, instead opting for a spear. Although he's a former comrade in arms with Kanbe, I felt that he was the least developed of the seven. Portrayed as experienced, a lady charmer and layed back, he really doesn't seem to do much or have much impact on the other characters. And ironically, he survives. One thing I did appreciate was the episode that his is introduced in actually changes the animation style (to one similar to that of Studio 4C's work) for the first ten minutes, a little weird, but good in creating the Japanese inn atmosphere the episode aimed at.

Katsushiro, despite being the fifth samurai, is the first introduced when he saves the villager's rice from a thief. The youngest and most inexperienced, he does not have the touted ‘Smell of the battlefield'. Whilst he's definitely the most concentrated of the samurai, as we follow his journey from novice to blood drunk warrior, I like how he's the only real ‘traditional' samurai who sports the virtues of ‘honour' ‘service' etc. that the more laid back and untraditional samurai do not show. Despite the fact he's the first to offer his services to the villagers, once Kambe (whom he sees as mentor) joins as leader, he's denied the chance to defend, not being a true samurai. However after he is shot in the leg with an arrow he's accepted as the fifth. Another of Kambe's unexplained (in laymen turns that is) actions.
Whilst in the film one of Katsushiro's notable actions was having an affair with one of the village girls, here he only shows a love interest in Kirara, which suffers problems such as a love triangle and ultimately fails to reach fruition. I do hate when an anime builds up a relationship but then never lets it blossom. Like in Cardcaptor Sakura, although that was tear jerking *sniff*.

Kyuzo is the sixth samurai, and is first shown as an enemy of the other six. His first major appearance is in a battle with Kanbe, which ends in a draw. Whilst the reason for his acceptance to join the seven was originally unclear, his goal in the anime is to finish his battle with Kanbe and make sure it is indeed him who is the one to kill him. His character is stone faced and quiet, but this isn't a departure from the film, so is nothing to complain about. Another difference is his age, whereas in the film he was old, and in the anime he is middle aged, another is his fighting style, which is with two swords.

Finally we have the most focused on of the group, the seventh samurai: Kikuchiyo. A foul tempered, arrogant and rash samurai, he is a former peasant now cyborg samurai, an interesting change. Well that is, he calls himself a samurai, looks like one and bears a sword to match, but is not accepted as a true warrior by Kanbe, until later when he reveals his hate for all bandits, villagers and even samurai.
Whilst I loved the Kikuchiyo of Seven Samurai, I'm not so fond of this new version. He's a little more shallow and not so unique a character, and really acts as a nuisance and not so much an oddball. His sword is awesome, as is the mechanics of his body, but honestly, he's not the most likeable character, and I didn't like how his relationship with little one Komachi portrays him as less threatening and more ‘cuddly'. I understand it wouldn't be possible for him to improve on Toshiro Mifune's brilliant portrayal, but it's not even nearly as good a replication.

Moving on from the samurai, the other main character is Kirara, the village water priestess. Her role is really to add a female touch the story, but she has little impact on the events. That said, she's not unlikeable, nor does she feel pointless. She acts a strong pure force, and her love interest in Katsushiro and later Kanbe adds a depth to the character. She does act as a driving force for the main antagonist, but this is hardly what made him become a major threat. There's not much uniqueness to the character, but it isn't exactly necessary.

There's also her little sister Komachi, who again, has less impact on the story, which is expected, but is there just to give a different perspective on the events. And indeed, at the end of every episode (even the last episode, surprisingly) she has a little segment that acts both as a recap but also more of an opinion based look at the plot of that particular episode. She's adorable and inappropriate to the warm theme, but the series would definetly feel different without her.

Finally we have the main antagonist, Ukyo, who originally is just the son of a magistrate, who lusts after Kirara, but later he becomes a much more prominent character when it's revealed he's a clone of the current emperor, whom he over throws. He's very flamboyant, and I like how he's more carefree and self cantered than your traditional villain, whilst hiding his calculating and cruel nature underneath his external appearance. He's not the most appealing villain, but I liked the depth to his character and his upbringing, it was unexpected, although a little illogical.
One thing I found surprising was his bodyguard Tessai. Grim faced and always disapproving of his masters actions, he seems pretty pointless, but at the end we actually learn he kicks ass. Stronger than both Kyuzo and Kanbe, he obviously had a much more developed history unrevealed, but I kind of like how his abilities were kind of brought on us in an unexpected twist.

In terms of minor characters, some are interesting, but most are uninspired, unoriginal and without purpose ¬¬

Animation wise, this is a pretty nice looking series. I love the character designs, the mech, vehicle and weapon models and the brilliant blending of hand drawn and CGI animation. The battles look pretty spectacular, although one battle which reuses already frequent scenes is very noticeable. I'm a big fan of Steam Punk, so I loved the setting, though there's that weird feeling where each location is very isolated with huge tracks of nothingness between them. Though the setting hardly ever varies between the city and the village, that's hardly different to the film.

As I mentioned, whilst the story dips into boredom at some points, the pacing is generally nice, with each episode feeling very eventful. However I don't know if it's just me, but the episodes seem very short. You'll watch the beginning of an episode, and in no time you'll be staring at the half way advert break screen seen in most anime. They may not be short, but they certainly feel like it.

The music is very fitting, but rather unoriginal. Despite its futuristic feel it gives you that classic samurai era feel, with dramatic battle music and tension biting interludes that draw their sound from Japanese culture-heavy instruments. No electric guitar here. The opening theme, ‘Unlimited' by Nanase Aikawa isn't brilliant, but it definetly sinks into you as you watch the series.

Both dubs are pretty good, but in the English language some of the voices sound very uninspired and stereotypical, but there are no real hammy performances.

Overall, Samurai 7 is definitely a worthy adaptation to the Kurosawa classic, even if it makes little attempt to try and out do it. Some may find its unique use of steam punk more appealing than the classic movie, but I think everyone will find the episodes before the final battle to be a real bore, and not all the characters to be that appealing or developed. To put it simply, it's above average, but is in no ways a classic anime.

DVD review

The difference between anime boxes sets and every other kind of box set, unless outwardly advertised (like the Neon Genesis Evangelion Platinum collection) they generally are just a collection of the episodes, and not much more. The series comes packed in small DVD cases with the original artwork on the front, but all the discs contain 4 (minus the last two which have three) episodes, available in both Japanese and English stereo and surround sound, however only with translated subtitles and not dubtitles. Which is actually kind of necessary, as (and it could just be my player) I find the English dialogue to be horribly quiet when played with the background music, I won't mark it down considering the circumstances, but if it's so I wonder why the Japanese dub is so clear in comparison.
In terms of extras, little more than nothing. There's one episode commentary on each disk, and the usual sets of profiles and image galleries and a wealthy set of trailers, but no making of featurettes of any kind. This is strictly a collection of the series' DVD's, and not a ‘collector's edition' in any way. But I guess that's fine, since it's not trying to be. It is a complete collection, but that's only the episodes.

DVD Rating: **

Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment or discuss.

Also, I'm very glad to be on the BOB list, and whilst I wish good luck to the other competitors, I don't simply ask the viewers to vote for me, but to read through at least a few articles for all the entrants before making up they're own minds on who to vote on. I do love a fair fight ^^