1954. A young Akira Kurosawa, after basking in the worldwide success of his movie Rashomon, co-wrote, edited and directed the movie many around the world consider his greatest work: Seven Samurai. The movie is about 7 Ronin (Wandering Samurai) who are hired by peasant villagers to protect their village from being plundered by a group of bandits. The movie was hailed worldwide as one of the best movies of all times and has been the inspiration of many other movies including The Magnificent Seven, The Guns of Navarone, Ocean's 11, Star Wars and Disney's A Bug's Life.
2004. 50 years after Seven Samurai's release, Japanese anime company Gonzo, with the blessing of the Kurosawa estate, creates an anime which is both a retelling and a makeover of the 1954 classic. Samurai 7 follows the plot of the original movie with several differences, chief among them the change in setting from historical Japan in the movie to a "steampunk" world in the anime replete with machine guns, giant robots and flying fortresses. The anime also introduces several new characters while expanding the roles of the original characters in the movie.
The result was one fantastic, action packed anime. While introduced in a new setting and additional plotlines were interweaved, the anime's main story of seven samurai becoming guardians of peasant villagers, remains intact and faithful to the Kurosawa movie. Characterization is the anime's best strength: Everyone from the seven samurai to the main villain are developed well; even the minor characters are memorable with their display of emotion and witty dialogue. The animation was incredibly good: I like the way they were able to seamlessly integrate hand-drawn art with CGI. The soundtrack was also pleasing to the aural senses, combining classic Japanese music with modern J-pop tunes.
However great is, the anime still had its flaws albeit minor. I, for one, cannot comprehend why a samurai would exchange his mortal shell to become a giant mecha that is easily turned to chopsucky by the seven samurai's blades. In terms of character development, Katsushiro was a wimp and I liked it better if Kikuchiyo was more human than replaceable mechanized parts.
2004. 50 years after Seven Samurai's release, Japanese anime company Gonzo, with the blessing of the Kurosawa estate, creates an anime which is both a retelling and a makeover of the 1954 classic. Samurai 7 follows the plot of the original movie with several differences, chief among them the change in setting from historical Japan in the movie to a "steampunk" world in the anime replete with machine guns, giant robots and flying fortresses. The anime also introduces several new characters while expanding the roles of the original characters in the movie.
The result was one fantastic, action packed anime. While introduced in a new setting and additional plotlines were interweaved, the anime's main story of seven samurai becoming guardians of peasant villagers, remains intact and faithful to the Kurosawa movie. Characterization is the anime's best strength: Everyone from the seven samurai to the main villain are developed well; even the minor characters are memorable with their display of emotion and witty dialogue. The animation was incredibly good: I like the way they were able to seamlessly integrate hand-drawn art with CGI. The soundtrack was also pleasing to the aural senses, combining classic Japanese music with modern J-pop tunes.
However great is, the anime still had its flaws albeit minor. I, for one, cannot comprehend why a samurai would exchange his mortal shell to become a giant mecha that is easily turned to chopsucky by the seven samurai's blades. In terms of character development, Katsushiro was a wimp and I liked it better if Kikuchiyo was more human than replaceable mechanized parts.
Overall, Samurai 7 is an anime that can stand alone on its own and is worthy of the Kurosawa name. Whether or not the anime, like its predecessor, will stand the test of time, only time will tell...
Classification: Action / Adventure Anime
Classification: Action / Adventure Anime
Rating: PG-13
Story: A-
Characterization: A+
Art and Animation: A
Soundtrack: A
Final Grade: A
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