Samurai Jack the Complete Collection
Samurai Jack was one of the Cartoon Network classics of the early 21st
century that came and went but will always remain a cult classic with
its fans. The story of Jack, a young man from Japan who seeks to destroy
a demon named Aku by travelling through time is now available in a
terrific box set, which contains all 52 episodes of this great series.
The
style of Samurai Jack is what I and many others love the most
about the series. Creator and head animator
Genndy Tartakovsky (known also for Powerpuff Girls) has been able to
create a show with a fantastic minimalistic look about it that also
succeeds in creating some true emotion and extremely likeable
characters. In many situations there is no dialogue at all, leaving
viewers with extended periods averaging around 5 minutes of animation,
which is handled so carefully and full of life that there is no need for
voices. When there is dialogue however it scores high across the board,
with each actor giving their characters plenty of life and personality.
As well as the complete series, the box set
for Samurai Jack comes with some very, very special features.
There’s a making of feature (which is hard to find in retail releases of
old cartoons), tonnes of original artwork and storyboards, as well as
some original animation tests for the pilot and other episodes in the
series. It’s a real treat for fans of the series, like me, and shows
that Cartoon Network still has a lot of love for old Jack.
The only negative that I have about
Samurai Jack is that it leaves us with an unresolved ending. The
series was cancelled after the fourth season, so unfortunately fans will
never know if Jack eventually defeats Aku or not. While it is a great
shame this occurred, what we’re left with is still a fantastic cartoon
series, packed with enough nostalgia and extra features that you forget
about the non-existent ending and get absorbed by the classic story and
characters one more time.
