Gotta get back, back to the past. Eleven years after its fourth season ended on an ambiguous note, this March kicked off the final season of Samurai Jack. The series was one of my favorites as a child, featuring the mysterious hero Jack as he fought through various adventures in order to fulfill his goal of defeating Aku, master of darkness.
The producer, Genndy Tartakovsky, also known for Dexter’s Laboratory and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, had always promised that he would return to the show in one way or another, the promise was only fulfilled this year with the release of 10 weekly episodes meant to bring the series to a fitting conclusion. The revival is better than the Cartoon Network–animated series you may remember, and I recommend even to those who aren’t yet fans at least the first three episodes.
Having been picked up by Adult Swim, the new season is substantially darker than previous ones and has been bumped up from a Y-7 to a Y-14 rating. Fifty years have passed since Jack (Phil LaMarr) began his crusade against Aku, but the two have been forced into an intractable stalemate in which neither can kill the other. Jack’s previous mentality of hope and determination is gone, and he finds an enemy in himself as he struggles with guilt and despair. The violence has also been significantly upped: while old episodes would frequently feature disemboweled robots and aliens as they fell to Jack’s sword, the series was at heart a children’s show and never (explicitly) portrayed human blood or death. Now, any notion of kid-friendly censorship is gone, but the violence is not gratuitous. The fight scenes remain focused on the action rather than messy KOs or fatalities.
Speaking of which, the cinematography is absolutely stunning. Aesthetic remains an essential part of the spirit of Samurai Jack, and the art team has made every effort to maintain its previous look and feel. Scenes of intense fighting are generously separated by those of nature and open landscapes, providing an interesting juxtaposition of tranquility and action. Shadows, subtle lighting, sweeping camera shots; every trick in the book is utilized to maximum effect to make each shot fluid and alive. The second half of the second episode had virtually no dialogue, yet it is one of the best I have ever seen on television, so masterfully did the scenes reflect Jack’s own situation and feelings as he struggled to survive. The soundtrack, too, is on point, providing the perfect undercurrent of emotion to completely draw the viewer in.
Perhaps the most substantial change from previous seasons, and the most worthwhile reason to watch Samurai Jack again, is that it tells a story. In past seasons, continuity was somewhat limited, with the scope of an adventure rarely exceeding a single episode. Here, the 10-part series forms a cohesive story that has the ability to explore more deeper, mature themes that the old Samurai Jack could not. Jack becomes more than the meditative, enigmatic fighter our younger selves were so used to: he is now world-weary and full of regret, and so becomes a figure that reflects how its audience has grown as well. What Tartakovsky has brought back is no half-hearted attempt relying only on nostalgia to appeal to its viewers, but instead a passionate revival that combines an old show with new spirit and potential. A few more weeks remain before the final episode is revealed, but I have no doubt that whatever ending is to come will be a worthy one to conclude this long-revered series.