Samurai 7  Recommended
Director
Toshifumi Takizawa
Production
Gonzo Digimation
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
2004
Samurai 7 Volume 1: Search For The Seven
By otaku_kei
17th Feb 06  I first heard the name Akira Kurosawa many years ago when the BBC marathoned 'Throne Of Blood', 'The Hidden Fortress' and 'The Seven Samurai' back-to-back! These films introduced me to one of the finest directors to ever work in film. That was about 10 years ago, and my love of his work has never diminished. Regarded by many as his most defining piece of work 'The Seven Samurai' has inspired many other works and been a frequent source of reinvention - from John Ford's 'The Magnificent Seven' all the way through to this effort from Gonzo Digimation that chooses to set this tale far in the future. Having abandoned the Sengoku era of Kurosawa's masterpiece his series timeline now has samurai encased in giant mecha suits that need constant fuelling thus the pillaging of the countryside and villages in their never ending quest for sustenance! Resolved to fight these marauders one village resolves to hire samurai to defend them. This is Samurai 7! So another new series from MVM, and as with all debut volumes its time to be introduced to the characters. But this being an adaptation of a 3 hour movie into a 13 hour series means that we get a significant bit of padding to the story, resulting in not all of the samurai being introduced in this volume. Leading the village on this quest is the water priestess Kirara. Blessed with a divining stone this young girl uses her abilities to locate worthy samurai to defend their village and those who are also willing to work for nothing more than a belly full of rice a day! Several of the samurai are also introduced: Kanbe, the taciturn former general whose side lost in the last war; Kikuchiyo, the exuberant and reckless warrior and several of the others. These characters are quite close reflections of their cinematic inspiration, but several changes have been made - mainly cosmetic! Yet this show may be succeeds above all other aspects are the action scenes. From the opening battle where Kanbe led his forces against the armies of mechanised samurai, through the battles with Ukyo's henchmen as they attempt to capture Priestess Kirara! Gonzo Studios have always been accomplished at delivering great action scenes, from the vanship battles in Last Exile to shootouts in countless other shows, and that experience transfers well to these battles. In fact the visuals throughout this show just look amazing, and I personally would love to see this show on the High Definition format that it was made for Japanese broadcast! As far as opening volumes go this has done everything right and leaves you wanting for more. Perhaps you are a fan of Kurosawa'a original, or you just like samurai shows especially those set in the far future with giant mechs roaming the countryside but I am sure you will find something to enjoy in this show. Nice to see several touches in the show that have been lifted directly from the film, and I am sure we are due to see many more. This show looks set to be very popular, I just hope that the high standard set in this first volume can be maintained!
R2 DVD Notes
Features: English Language 5.1; Japanese Language 5.1; English Language Subtitles; Textless Opening & Closing; Japanese Promotional Video; Character Profiles; MVM Trailers
Release information: OUT NOW
Notes: As can be expected with such a recent show the a/v quality of this title is pretty much flawless, so kudos go out to MVM and their DVD authoring partners Madman. The extras are of the general quality to be expected on a UK release. A word of warning the 'Japanese Promotional Video' pretty much amounts to the first 5 minutes of the show so nothing really is added by atching it. All in all another fine release from MVM.
-- otaku_kei 17th Feb 06
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