Video Review: Samurai Jack

No collection of samurai media would be complete without Samurai Jack. This is a cartoon which is sheer brilliance, and appeals to me on so many different levels. The creators of Samurai Jack have managed to fuse two seemingly incongruent realities, futuristic world with medieval Japan, into a format which is fun, innovative, and very creative.

Meet Samurai Jack, a warrior born in ancient Japan whose family and world lives under the evil of a demon named Aku (akuma, in Japanese means “the devil”). Having his parents taken away by the demon, this samurai boy is raised as a true warrior and vows to punish the demon. As a man he finally confronts Aku, and using the magical sword of his father is just about ready to banish this evil forever. Suddenly, Aku rips open the very fabric of time and sends the warrior into the future. In the meantime, Aku grows in power and strength, ruling realities around him, and it is into this nightmarish Aku-ruled world that our protagonist arrives.

The medium of cartoons, and comic book sequential action (brilliantly designed, by the way) is the perfect conduit for the fantasy-world of the samurai past. So often, even in the most “foundational” literary texts that are available that depict the “samurai spirit” we have a very strong element of the “unreality” of that world, and the fusion of fantasy and magic with historical accounts. The Heike Monogatari, for example, is packed with magic and fantastical accounts—everything from magical dolphins to other-worldly mountains of animated skulls that come from the very gates of a hellish Afterworld. Many people who take the “samurai spirit” too seriously have actually done very little reading and research into many of these “original” texts to base their opinions on. The truth of the matter is, quite a bit of this “historical” material about the samurai of the past is best preserved and presented through the cartoon medium. The irony is not only tragic, but it is quite delightful in its own way too.

What I enjoy so much about this cartoon series is that it does all the things that I would like to do in regards to the samurai ethos. It acknowledges that something like a samurai world may have existed. It acknowledges that there may have been certain codes of conduct for samurai warriors. It does not overtly praise the “superiority” of the “samurai spirit” over that of other expression. It does not preach about how great Japanese society, its popular themes or expression, or its people are to other peoples and cultures. It simply enjoys the inter-play between cultures, denigrates none, and celebrates the eternal comic-book struggle of good vs. evil.

It’s well written and funny too.

What could any developmentally frozen guy in his ’30’s could ask for more?

Highly recommended for any kid over 5 years old.

Video Review: Samurai Jack

Reviewer: Mark Groenewold

Date: September, 2004