Tuesday, 23 April 2019

Samurai 7 (2004)



As its title none-too-subtly indicates, this is a reinterpretation of Seven Samurai, the difference here being that it is animated, has a bunch of robots added, and is actually over ten hours long (26 episodes of about 25 minutes each) rather than me just joking that it is.  So if you somehow aren't familiar with the whole villagers/bandits/samurai recipe, you can read my review of the original.  This review will focus only on what's new about this version.

Other than the post-apocalyptic, semi science fiction setting (including two of the seven samurai being cyborgs), the narrative of this adaptation makes a two significant changes from its inspiration.  First and foremost, it adds some new female villager characters who have significant roles.  I generally think this works to the advantage of the show.  The other significant change, though, I am less than enthused about.

You see in this version of things, the bandits are actually acting at the behest of the Emperor, who uses the crooks as an ersatz taxation system (and source of women for his harem).  Which is fine as a concept, but then the show decides to mash that together with this out-of-left-field secret clone replacement story arc involving someone who appeared to be just a minor nuisance character earlier in the narrative, suddenly elevating said nuisance to the Big Bad, a role for which he frankly doesn't measure up.

Feel free to skip this unless you can never get enough Seven Samurais in your life.



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