Review of Samurai 7: Vol. 7

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. The previous volume saw events come to a head, when the new Emperor Ukyo`s duplicity became clear. With Kanna village imperilled once again, the Samurai must protect it against the devastating power of the citadel. But with cracks appearing in their alliance, can the survivors of the seven work together?

If there is one thing I like about reviewing DVDs, it`s being proved wrong. While my expectations were high given the illustrious pedigree of The Seven Samurai, the early discs of the anime re-imagining were somewhat disappointing, and my review of Volume 1 was hardly complementary, expecting the series to be a `mediocre rehash`. How wrong I was! The measured character development and initially languid pace merely set the scene for one of the better anime series to have come to these shores, and as the story has progressed, the anticipation for each successive disc has become ever more intense. Now that we are at the final hurdle, hopefully these episodes will prove to be a worthy climax.

Volume 7: Guardians Of The Rice completes the series with three episodes. 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.

24. The Oaths/Pledge!
25. The Last Battle/Fall!
26. The Era`s End/Sow!

With yet another final volume, this is again the point where my reviews become anorexic in an effort to avoid spoilers. No episode synopses this time.

Video

Samurai 7 gets a colourful and clear anamorphic 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, and the action sequences in this final volume trump all that have come before. The battle sequences are bigger, faster, and more intense. George Lucas would be proud. 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.

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. The world design is reflected in the sound design, with the future world a curious mix of hi-tech and steampunk. Samurai 7 has another couple of fine tunes for its credit sequences, but the incidental music is more traditional.

Features

Minimal extras once more, with just the textless credit sequences, and the trailers for Speedgrapher, and the awesome looking Ergo Proxy.

Conclusion

Some anime series just fade away, some burn out in a blaze of visual pyrotechnics, but Samurai 7 ends in the best way possible, with the spectacle of a jaw dropping battle, while wrapping up the character arcs in a satisfying conclusion. If you have kept faith with the series, then this disc justifies that faith, and more.

For a series that has excelled in terms of action, the battle in these three episodes exceeds all that has come before, including the awesome opening sequence to the series, which saw the end of the age of the samurai, with the warriors at the peak of their powers battling in the final war. But that sequence lasted barely five minutes, here we see a climactic battle spread across three episodes, as the Emperor Ukyo and his Nobuseri drones attack the village of Kanna, and face Kanbe and his companions. There are attacks, feints, dodges, and plenty of opportunities for individual glory, translating to the best animation yet.

Character arcs are concluded too, although how satisfactorily will depend on your perspective. If you are familiar with the film, then you`ll know that the survival of the principals is by no means guaranteed. But all get their moment to shine. Samurai 7 has in many ways been Katsushiro`s journey, from un-blooded boy to seasoned warrior, and while in earlier episodes we have seen him deal with the consequences of his first kill, overcome his fear, and come into full possession of his abilities, there is one lesson yet to learn, and in these episodes we see that he has to learn how to deal with the responsibility of making a mistake. Kanbe too finds redemption. When we met him, he was the tainted warrior, the soldier who had survived the death of his way of life. By the end of his arc, he has found meaning in his actions, and his soul is troubled no more.

It would have been simple for the series to have ended with a bang, the animated equivalent of the exploding Death Star and boogieing with the Ewoks, but Samurai 7 gives us a little more than that, allowing the survivors to come to terms with the loss of their comrades and the hard fought battle they have been through. It`s good to see that there isn`t necessarily a happily ever after, and that the characters are affected by what they experience. There is also the eternal message that life goes on.

Samurai 7, despite the slow start, has turned out to be one of the best anime series to have come to these shores in recent years. The writing has been astounding, the character development the strong heart of the show, and the animation has at times been sublime. This final disc reiterates that. The action is to die for, the drama gets intense, and there were moments where I was at the edge of my seat. There were also plenty of clenched fist, "Yesss!" moments, scenes that made me laugh, and scenes that left a tear in my eye. With pedigree like the Seven Samurai, you would expect good story telling, but Samurai 7 offers something new and original. I`m going to watch it again now.