Review of Samurai 7: Vol. 4

Introduction

Japan`s anime industry turns to Akira Kurosawa`s classic for inspiration, 50 years after the original Seven Samurai made its debut. With the seal of approval from the estate of Kurosawa, and from the eye candy powerhouse that is Gonzo comes Samurai 7, an animated take on the original story. But this series is set after the second age of the Samurai in the distant future following a devastating war. Once again a village of farmers has had enough of seeing their hard earned produce going into the bellies of giant cyborg bandits, and have decided to recruit warriors of their own to protect their crops. In the last volume, the gathering of the warriors was completed. Seven fighters were recruited to defend Kanna village from the marauding Nobuseri bandits, and they made their way to the beleaguered village, only to find some of the farmers were in two minds over the path they had chosen. Still, they set to work training the farmers in how to defend themselves, as well as fortifying the settlement against the inevitable attack.

That attack comes in Volume 4, The Battle For Kanna, in the next four episodes of Samurai 7. While the English episode titles are given on the menu, the translated Japanese ones are quite different, so for convenience, I`ve used both in my review, English first.

13. The Attack/Attack!
The defences are set and all is subdued in the village of Kanna. All that is left is for the villagers and Samurai to prepare, and to wait. They don`t have to wait long, but the bandits come in force, and in far greater numbers than they had anticipated. Heihachi`s bow will be put to the test. Even if it succeeds, it`s only the beginning, and the villagers are up to something.

14. The Gun and the Calm/Run Wild!
News of the battle reaches the city and the ears of Ukyo, leading him to hatch plans regarding the water priestess Kirara. Meanwhile, the Samurai have suffered a reversal at the hands of the Nobuseri. Kanbe`s plan is only now beginning to fall into place however.

15. The Offering/Soaked!
The bandits may have been beaten, but they certainly aren`t defeated. The villagers are ready to celebrate their victory, when Kanbe reminds them that the humiliated bandits aren`t just going to slink away with their tails between their legs. Kyuzo volunteers to scout the bandits, while for the others, a chance to rest and recuperate isn`t to be sniffed at.

16. The Storm/Die!
The rain comes, and with it the bandits` next assault. They attack from all sides, and if Kanbe isn`t careful, the village will be overwhelmed. For some, the defence of the village will demand the ultimate sacrifice.

Video

Samurai 7 gets a colourful and clear transfer from MVM on a dual layer disc. As you would expect from a modern anime, it is a stunning mix of traditional 2D and 3D CG animation. The character designs are excellent, and the world design enchants, a future world that is heavily influenced by the past. The animation is exceptional, with the action sequences doing the story justice. Of course there are the usual drawbacks to animation on DVD, the odd compression artefact and the digital banding. But none of it is detrimental to the viewing experience.

Samurai 7 has been described as the most expensive television animation in Japanese history. This volume is where you see that money spent, with some absolutely gorgeous animation of some breathtaking action sequences. These also take place in scenes that are notoriously hard to animate. The first round of the battle takes place on a battlefield cloaked by drifting mists; the second takes place during a torrential downpour. It`s truly astounding stuff.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 5.1 English and Japanese, with translated English subtitles or just a signs track. Both audio tracks boast great surround presence, and this volume has the battle scenes to show it all off. The world design is reflected in the sound design, with the future world a curious mix of hi-tech and steam punk. Samurai 7 has another couple of fine tunes for its credit sequences, but the incidental music is more traditional.

Features

The standard offering from MVM includes, animated menus, jacket picture, textless credit sequences, and trailers, in this case for Requiem From The Darkness and Saiyuki Reload.

The character profiles are absent this time around, but an episode commentary takes their place. R. Bruce Elliot (Kanbe) and Sean Michael Teague (Katsushiro) join Voice Director Chris Bevins in commenting on episode 14 (The Gun and The Calm). It`s a light-hearted but informative track, which is a nice accompaniment to the disc.

Conclusion

For a series that didn`t make any significant impact with its debut, this volume certainly justifies keeping faith with the story. Four stunning episodes bring together all that character development with some stunning action set pieces, to create nigh on two hours of anime perfection. It becomes apparent that the character development of earlier volumes was essential in getting us to sympathise with them. Why that took so long is simply down to the extensive cast. With Kanbe, Katsushiro, Kikuchiyo, Kyuzo, Gorobe, Shichiroji, and Heihachi the main characters, it was essential that by the time the main battle started, we were familiar and comfortable with these people (I didn`t look up their names once while writing this review). Beyond the seven, we have also have gotten to know Kirara, Komachi, Rikichi and several of the other villagers, making sure that every moment has weight as the story progresses. There simply is no filler with this show, and looking back on the earlier volumes with this one in mind, those slower moments early on, take on added meaning.

All those moments resonate in the midst of the hectic action on this disc; we care about the characters and are invested in their fates. There is a tonne of action too. From the first episode, we are thrust straight into the battle with the bandits, and it is a battle on an epic scale. The Nobuseri are gargantuan cyborg warriors, while their machines make them seem dwarfish in comparison. Fighting against them are comparatively puny humans, armed only with swords, bows and arrows. It should look ridiculous but it doesn`t. Instead the action scenes are never less than gripping. What`s more impressive is how the battles are structured. There is a narrative to the action, a strategy to how the warriors behave on both sides, and it adds a level of interest beyond seeing giant cyborgs dismembered.

As mentioned, character moments abound even on the battlefield, but perhaps the most impressive was how Katsushiro developed in this volume. He is the young man who chooses to become a Samurai, but is unready for the reality of what fighting truly means. He got his first taste of action in the previous volume, and he had to come to terms with killing an opponent. This naturally led priestess Kirara to feel guilt at what she had brought this young boy to become. In the heat of battle during these episodes, Katsushiro is faced with his final test, to see if he will take that step towards becoming the killer being a Samurai requires. It`s riveting to see him make that choice, and it`s just as enthralling to see what effect that decision has on Kirara. I was sitting there thinking, "Now that is what the fall of Anakin should have been like in Episode III."

Samurai 7 just keeps getting better and better. The brilliance of the animation has been apparent from the outset, but the character development really pays off well here. What`s more is that the story, while remaining faithful to the Kurosawa film, is also establishing itself as unique and inventive in its own right. Best of all, taking this disc into account when considering the earlier volumes reveals the inherent depth in them that wasn`t apparent at first glance. I can`t wait to see what happens next. Roll on volume 5.