Maybe it was because I always had a natural love of stories, but I've always got drawn toward animation. Armed with an overactive imagination and no proper voice to express it, animation served as an indirect outlet for me. Later evolving into a lifelong love of stories. And if I was limited to only one example, I would show Samurai Jack to show off everything this medium has given me.
No other show has displayed animation beauty quite like Genndy Tarkovsky's magnum opus. Combined with Cartoon Network's 30th birthday, I think it's high time to pay tribute to the best place for cartoons.
Note
This blog will serve as a comprehensive review of Samurai Jack with light spoilers and a sprinkle of Cartoon Network appreciation. Of course, everything I say is my own opinion, so please be civil.
Summary
Not even going to bother with this one since the theme song does this section perfectly. Long ago in a distant land. Aku, the shapeshifting master of darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil. But a foolish samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future, where my evil is law! Now the fool seeks to return to the past and undo the future that is Aku!
*Cue awesome lyrics from an early 2000's rapper who somehow managed to get his music to Mars.
Cast
UnlikeUnlike many of his contemporaries past and present, Samurai Jack is primarily episodic, with incredibly few recurring characters or location, so this should be short. Starting with Professor Utonium's ancestor and our mc: Jack. Jack is a sparingly down-to-earth character despite being Japanese royalty and devoting his life to beating Aku.
He's incredibly kind, righteous, stoic, and resourceful, willing to help anyone he can, no matter how much it inconveniences him. Jack may get frustrated or disheveled like any good hero, but he always manages to find a light in the shadows. Whether through his indomitable will and willingness to try new ideas. Unfortunately, no amount of training could prepare him for social skills.
Balancing our Jack's light, though, is his archnemesis: Aku. Even 20 years later, he's one of animation's greatest villains. Similar to his shapeshifting abilities, Aku's evil shifts constantly. One second he can be a playful trickster, using elaborate schemes to trick opponents. Or a violent conqueror capable of slavery, trafficking, pillaging, and general destruction. Either way, Aku's evil knows no bounds.
Outside of those two, the series has two other recurring characters. First is Jack's greatest ally, the Scotsman, a loud, rude warrior who matches Jack's technique with strength. Finally, there's Ashi. A misguided assassin born to kill Jack. Through her experiences, Ashi learns the wider world, developing into a kind and supportive love interest to our warrior.
Presentation.
I will try my best not to make this section 5 hours long. Looking into this show's production is like seeing a work of art in motion. Genndy Tarkovsky's love of action and experience with other animated projects show why he's been an absolute legend. Instead of traditional writers on board, the show instead relied more on storyboards that would later flesh itself into animation.
Visually Jack's unique style relies heavily on bold colors and simple outlines. Combined with painted minimalist backgrounds, distinct use of color, impeccable art direction, and distinctive shapes, any location from this show can be displayed in a museum. This beautiful simplicity creates instantly recognizable and incredibly resonant character designs. Jaw-dropping art isn't the only factor that makes Jack a visual masterpiece. The futuristic central setting grants the team the ability to replicate any genre.
Dystopian cyberpunk cities share as much reverence as grassy hillsides, rundown houses, and ancient ruins. Sometimes they'll completely change the show's animation style to fit a proper tone. Adding numerous references to various films, comics, and shows (Longest Yard, Conan, Star Wars, and Ronin) makes Jack a show of many stories.
These factors don't detract from Jack being primarily an action show which scraps with the best of them. Jack's immense resourcefulness and Aku's numerous allies make every fight scene varied. The choreography is nigh always fluid, conveying complex movements while sticking to animations' more drastic movements. Yet our hero's constant wounds create reasonable tension.
Finally, I would love to address the show's audio, which is just as high quality as everything I've mentioned here. In almost harmonic matrimony, Jack's sound team adds to any mood the crew wants. From subtle foley of Jack crunching the snow beneath his sandals to exceptional backing tracks to convey the show's various genres.
None of these factors would be the same if it weren't for SJ's iconic voice cast. Phil Lamar's gentle portrayal of the Samurai, Mako's legendarily theatrical voice for Aku, John Dimaggio's booming presence as the Scotsman, and Tara Strong's measured portrayal of Ashi will remain forever iconic.
Overview/Season 5
As mentioned in the pilot, every episode entails Jack trying to find a time portal back or defeating Aku (the random villain of the week). Regardless of the category, this series provides an excellent of its journey being more important than the destination. My favorite moments on my constant rewatch often come from the calm before the storm. The Minimalist presentation fuses into audio so that we can spend entire episodes with only a few sentences spoken, which is all you need when there's such strong visual storytelling.
Those brisk moments in the environment remind you that Jack is a stranger to the future as we are. His trudging through the unique environments leaves us with the same wonder, rage, and bewilderment we feel. I think that's why Jack's tone can often get shifted very quickly, giving us soul-shatteringly emotional episodes in one second and hilarious escapades in equal measure.
Unfortunately, though the balance doesn't keep going the entire run, against all odds, Jack had its 52-episode run with our Samurai never completing his mission, the crew later dividing into other projects. But SJ's popularity remained, building over time until the crew finally returned to finish our wanderer's story.
And what we got was: semi-divisive. On the one hand, Season 5 feels like a goddamn miracle. 13 years between seasons, and the show feels like it's never left, only taking modern animation practices and stories to update the show. Everything I've said presentation-wise is effectively quintupled, with a darker edge now.
Across the ten-episode serialized epic, we see our once-hopeful hero at the end of his rope. Fifty years without any ability to return home has left him a shell of his former self. He has no sword, persisting only on the spoils left by his enemies, his mind fractured. Every day he's haunted by the people he can't save while the fearsome daughters of AKU hunt him down.
Jack has had many encounters in the four prior seasons where his resolve wavers, but never to such a depressing degree. Yet, even at his lowest points, one quote I feel defines the entire season.
"It always looks bad at first, but then I find a way."
And much like that, he indeed does. He finds the light in Ashi after the more mature themes and bloodier fights, thus giving him the tools to regain his glory. While these story threads all create a rather powerful narrative of self-acceptance and hope, I wish we could've gotten more.
Seeing the season in retrospect gives a look into how punishing the ten-episode format can be.
Many episodes leading up to the finale got amazingly put together, but I feel the naturally slow pace of the show left them having to rush a finale out. Two, hell, maybe even three more extra episodes I feel would've let a far more earned finale. Though, if you wish to consider the more recent Battle Through Time game as canon, these problems may be rectified with you. As I said before, Jack has never had a show about destinations. Only the journey.
Epilogue
Again, I could honestly go on and on about my favorite fights, moments, or episodes. But I feel like that would only ruin the experience. So instead, experience this animated masterpiece yourself. So I instead want to speak about my quest How when I could count my age on a single hand, I used to visit my Grandmothers house during Christmas time. In many ways, I wish I could go back to those days when my only worries involved dessert.
Regardless while the adults slept around in the house, I would often hog the TV, flipping through my granny's endless channels. Of course, my favorite was Boomerang, Cartoon Network's separate rerun network. Which is how I eventually found Samurai Jack, a show I have scoured the internet for ever since. I think through Jack. I truly fell in love with animation. Since then, I felt I had found a voice that spoke to me.
Ben 10, Chowder, Infinity Train, The Amazing World of Gumball, Codename Kid's Next Door Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, Steven Universe, We Bare Bears, and many other beautiful shows showed me how to craft my creativity. I'm not going to say every show was a hit (*looks at Problem Solverz and the entire CN Real lineup *). I will also not defend every business decision they've made, but in many ways, I thought they were a little more "art" in their programming, regardless.
Thus Cartoon Network's recent business hurdles are all the more concerning. If you've been out of the loop, since Aug 2022, Warner Bros lost money from their merger with AT and T, Which caused a gigantic hole of cash their recent President, David Zaslav, had to fill. Thus kickstarting a horrific chain of events has left numerous CN and HBO Max original shows (Infinity Train, OK KO, Mao Mao) wiped from streaming services and social media. Along with several extensive layoffs.
Currently October 2022, these shows have been effectively erased, with pirating being the only way their media can be preserved. But, of course, that doesn't help the creators of these shows, only really yourself. There are no signs that CN by itself is going to die full-on from these changes, but I can only imagine the changes to come.
As a writer hoping to get into entertainment, you can see how terrifying this is. But as a fan, this somehow stinks even worse Because I can imagine my life without Spongebob (Nick) and Mickey Mouse (Disney), but I can't imagine it without Bugs Bunny (WB). They've given millions of other kids and me a deep love for the fantastical, and while I know all good things come to an end, I'm not ready to say goodbye. Not when they've given me so much.
So in these uncertain times, I'll say this. Happy 30th birthday Cartoon Network. I hope you live to see 30 more. Because I still think you're the best place for cartoons.