During the early 2000s, Cartoon Network was
going through some changes. Some of their classics from the past were on the way out, and while they had a solid lineup at the time, they were looking for something new; then in
comes Genndy Tartakovsky. Tartakovsky had worked with Cartoon Network for
years, having created "Dexter's Laboratory" and his work on "The
Powerpuff Girls." Tartakovsky pitched a styled action show about a samurai
who was sent forward thousands of years in the future after a battle with an
ultimate evil known as Aku. The samurai spends the rest of his life undermining
Aku's future and trying to get back to the past. The resulting series,
"Samurai Jack," was widely acclaimed and has since become a classic;
many even consider it the best show ever produced by Cartoon Network. Despite
the acclaim, the show was abruptly canceled after the fourth, leaving fans high
and dry with no conclusion. For years, all seemed lost; until Adult Swim came
into play. Adult Swim is a branch of Cartoon Network whose shows play on the
Cartoon Network channel late at night, and features more adult content. Adult
Swim announced that they came to an agreement with Tartakovsky to do a fifth,
and final season for "Samurai Jack." Finally, after 13 years, fans
get the closure they deserved. And it is truly glorious.
Our lead
character, a samurai known simply as Jack, was a prince trained from birth to
kill the evil force Aku. After finally becoming ready he fought Aku, but before
he dealt the final blow Aku opened a portal and flung Jack thousands of years
into the future where Aku rules over the world. After arriving, Jack realized
the only thing he could do was find a way back to the past. He sets out looking
for a way back home, fighting Aku at every turn; but Jack never makes it home.
Aku was always one step ahead of him, and managed to destroy all the time
portals, trapping Jack. 50 years passes and Jack is still stuck; but for some
reason no longer ages. Stuck in the future with no way back, and haunted by the
past and his personal demons, Jack scrapes by day to day with the only thing
keeping him going is helping those in need. Jack is a broken man, but still
looks for a way to return to the past, defeat Aku, and save the world.
I have
waited a long time for this series to conclude, but in the back of my mind I
was scared about what would come of it. It's a crap-shoot whether or not a
series will be good after a 13 year hiatus. In this case though, the show's
better than ever. "Samurai Jack" is one of the best cartoons to air
this century; it's not just an action show, it's a work of art. The love in
care that goes into every single frame of this show are unmatched by most; and
that love has continued into this fifth season. Being on Adult Swim, the show
is far darker and more violent than what was previously seen. And since for the
first time actual living organisms are being killed, unlike the first four
seasons which were just robots, this gritty reboot lends itself perfectly to
the existing action. Much like what we had seen before, every image is a painting.
The style, design, artwork, and cinematography are stunning. Almost every
single shot in this show could be a painting on a wall, it's truly gorgeous.
Throughout the series there have only been a few recurring characters, most
notably Jack and Aku. Both return in full form, shining every time they're on
screen. This time around a new major character is introduced, Ashi. Layered,
complex, with tons of character development, Ashi is a welcome addition to the
series. What most worried me going into this fifth season was how it would pick
up. It's been years, what happened, where was everybody, what was next?
Fortunately, the story picks up in a logical place; and above all else, gives
fans the closure they deserve. I could go on and on about the fifth season of
"Samurai Jack," my only notable issue with it is that I felt the show
would have benefited from a few more episodes to wrap everything up and send
the series off right. Even with that, I was satisfied with the ending to the
series. At the end of the day though, I need to give all the credit in the
world to the show's creator Genndy Tartakovsky. He's created many great
shows over the years, but none as good as this one. When it comes to animation, Tartakovsky is one of the greatest
creative minds of his generation. He created a masterpiece in "Samurai
Jack," a show that captured the hearts and minds of countless people. And
while it took longer than he was probably hoping for, he finally managed to give
fans the closure they deserved. So for that, thank you Mr. Tartakovsky for
sending such an amazing cartoon out on a high note.
Pros: Beautiful art style and aesthetics, imaginative and unique
story, excellent use of both humor and drama, incredible
action, benefits from newfound violence, impeccable direction
from Genndy Tartakovsky, memorable characters new and old, closure.
Cons: Could have used two more episodes.
