Samurai 7

Animation - 8.7

Sound - 8.3

Story - 8.0

Character - 8.2

Value - 7.9

Enjoyment - 8.3

Average - 8.2

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Murder Murder

2008-02-23 02:42:41

Average	10.0
Animation	10
Sound	10
Story	10
Character	10
Value	10
Enjoyment	10

amurai 7, a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Kurosawa`s Seven Samurai, is probably Gonzo`s, no, Japan`s most expensive anime series ever made thus far. And it`s worth the moolah. Samurai 7 may not be the best adaptation of Kurosawa`s show, but it`s an excellent series on its own.

Samurai 7 would have received a full 10 for animation if not for the inconsistency in some episodes. However, its overall animation is praise-worthy. The art style may not be as beautiful or detailed as the likes of Scrapped Princess and Full Metal Panic, but Samurai 7`s simple artwork and smooth 3D composition make every scene interesting. The action sequences are awesome (sometimes downright ridiculous, but cool nonetheless) and both character and setting designs are unique, quite unlike any other samurai shows around.

The opening and ending themes are nice, but the sound effects steal the show. The familiar flute tunes commonly heard in samurai shows are present, as well as traditional Japanese themes. These audio elements add to the suspense and thrill of the story very well. The well cast voices liven up the characters and make each scene interesting.

Samurai 7`s story is well, based on Seven Samurai. Peasants from a village went to hire seven samurais to protect them and overthrow the tyrant who had been pillaging their harvest every year. However, be in for a surprise with plot twists and discoveries. Not only is this ancient Japan filled with flying ships, there`s even the breed of samurai robots. Before you click the `back` button, please wait. Despite the unique if not weird world concept, the story is not incoherent or lacking in any way. There`s even a new plot at the later half of the series. You would find this a more than satisfying watch. The only flaw I noticed was probably the repetition of certain animated clips and flashbacks, making some scenes a tad draggy, but they`re not frequent.

There`s a lot happening in the story and with action scenes aplenty, character development is inevitably reduced. It`s quite disappointing to finish a series and still being unable to feel for the characters. However, they`re all overall a likable cast...well, most. Each of the samurais have distinct traits and personalities, but there`s not enough limelight to give them depth. Out of the seven samurais, only Katsushiro seems the most realistic and only he showed growth throughout the show. Small tidbits of information and past of the others are revealed through the series, but there wasn`t much to colour them with. Just like another reviewer, I find Kanbe rather disappointing. He is one of the main characters with heaps of screentime, but at the end of the day, he`s still the hardest to grasp. The same goes for Kirara, but I suppose the logic of women being complex creatures apply here. However, Ukyo is quite intriguing and probably the most defined, thus making the show a lot more interesting.

Buy this series if you got the cash. Broke people can borrow from friends or rent. By hook or by crook, you should give this show a try. Be it for the action or story or just plain samurai frenzy, this show is worth keeping.

Samurai 7 is extremely good at cliffhangers, making you hunger for the next episode at the end of every episode. It`s a show that most anime watcher would get hooked to, even if they don`t like it. If you`re a samurai or action fan, you would love this show. If you`re an anime fan, you`d like this show. If you`re neither, you wouldn`t be reading this. Miss this and you`ll miss out.

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Monstar Maalik

2008-02-23 02:23:56

Average	10.0
Animation	10
Sound	10
Story	10
Character	10
Value	10
Enjoyment	10

Wow, people see things from such different angles, when I talk to people about Samurai 7 most of the time they see weakneses where I see strength, This is what I saw in Samurai 7: I thought that aside from the mind blowing and unique art, and the camera movements and editing skills that directors could take lessons from, aside from the artistic and intelligent direction in composition and framing, and aside from the amazingly credible and overwhelming storyline, aside from all these places where Samurai 7 was absolutely amazing, the characters are what made the show really shine, I feel like I know the characters better than I know most anime characters, because eventhough their individual stories haven`t really been told they always act according to the simple and obvious character traits that are apparent with each of them. In some stories you live with a character day in and day out and you are told about their history or actually see it, but still those characters` behaviour is not consistant or some times too predictable, with Samurai 7 it was neither, it just felt natural that they spoke or acted the way they did.

Kirara our lady heroine is serious and sad, she sacrifices her hapiness and youth to serve the villagers and she is always burdened by their troubles, all that shows in her every move.

Komachi is the sweet child, energetic and spontaneous all the way, she also always speaks her mind.

Kambei Shimada is our main guy, where we find the most appeal and charisma, his personality is best explained by this line spoken by one of the bandits "he has the eyes of a dead man". He is an honorable soldier with the war behind him and nothing to live for, he feels he brings misfortune to those he fights for and does not want to ever swing his sword, yet he keeps it in such an impressive condition, he is the perfect example of the reluctant hero and an enigma who shows sincerity, he slowly tells you more about himself by not speaking than some characters ever could tell by being presented as an open book. Kambei alway has this feel of a greatly skilled and honorable man who wants nothing of this world, even though he looks so cool he is not presented with emphasis on being glamorous like every other hero(substance over style).In my opinion there isn`t a more charismatic personality.

Katsushiro is naive but very dedicated towards learning, he is like a confused teen from any era except he is dedicated towards a goal, with Katsushiro we see the most character development because he is afterall the eager student, he has a temper and is almost always guided by his emotions rather than his intellect. Also he never sees the big picture.

Gorobei is the optimist who is actually a realist, he laughs in the face of danger not because he believes it will turn out ok, but because what good would it do to worry. He is very sharp and very fast not only physically but mentally too, he almost always senses danger before the rest of them do and then he jumps in to fight like it is his duty to be the first line of defense.

Shichiroji is your typical lieutenant, all great leaders always have someone that follows their orders without question, and that person usually is not weak and does not do so out of a lack of personality or individuality, but out of loyalty and wisdom, Shichiroji personifies all that perfectly.He is calm and steadfast and is also a bit of a romantic.

Kikuchiyo is most people`s favourite and it is obvious why. He provides most of the comic relief. He is kind, straight forward, and incredibly strong, he acts on instinct almost like a child, he gets angry easily but soon forgets and calms down, we know that in the past he used to be a farmer and it really shows. With Kikuchiyo`s personality you almos feel like you know people in real life like that, such a simpleton and so human.

Heihachi`s personality is explained to us from the very begining, humble, hard working, and very skilled. He is scarred by treason and values loyalty above all. He is an engineer and often does act like the smart geekish type, he gets very excited by simple things even if the people around him have no idea what he is on about. He thinks outside the box. Oh and he loves food.

Kyuzo is the mystery man, rarely speaks and when he does its a few scary words that are so to the point. Kyuzo is pure charisma, the look, the skills, the personality of the stroooong silent man, the fact that we do not know much about him only makes him that much more intriguing and fun to watch.

Ukyo is your deviant politician type who`s actions you won`t see coming. He does whatever is necessary to reach his goals, goals that mostly are never really apparent until they are fulfilled. He has a great and evil will and a cunning mind, all with a delicate, pale, almost feminine appearance. He`s a man that gives off a vibe closer to that of an airhead chearleader than it is to the vibe you`d expect from the evil genius he is, really... I couldn`t ask for anything more in a villain.

I believe that in all stories characters should be presented in a real way, In reality you rarely see a grown man change that much, and when you get to know someone`s traits it is because you`ve seen them act within their own personal frame over and over again, when characters in stories change all the time or when their personalities and traits are explained through words or through events that only serve the purpose of defining them, it is not real, it becomes almost like the characters are being explained to us instead of us discovering them on our own, and it becomes like they are changing and developing for our amusement. In Samurai 7 we have all these characters who are almost equally given the central role, this gives the events in story more weight because we do not really ever see the events from their individual points of view, we see the big picture, and that makes it seem so real.

Samurai 7 takes place in a different world where skies can be green and men can become machines, but it is much much more real and much more credible than most stories that take place right
here and now.

If you`ve read my entire review you know that I`m in love with the story and the people in it. I was told by a reader here that I barely mentioned other aspects of the production and focused mainly on the story and characters, I agree, this is not a book review after all, so I am adding this part now.

Sound: There are songs with vocal tracks only in the opening and ending scenes (the opening track is one of my alltime favorites among animes), during the actual episodes the sound track is all instrumental, you hear a lot of wind instruments and drums mostly with a sad and serious feel, but also there is an awesome fast pace suspense track that is the perfect thing to accompany a cliffhanger situatuion, and you get a lot of those. Over all I thought the music in the actual episodes (not the intro/outro) mainly highlighted the drama and was not intended to really stand out that much on it`s own (though a couple of tracks were burned in my mind after watching the show once)

Visuals were simply genius, colors were saturated or desaturated at just the right times and with just the right amounts, you get the diffused look with foggy atmosphere a lot then the sun shines bright and the colors are amazing. There were some tiny CGI bits in there that probably cost more than some whole animes, the CGI blended perfectly and was stunning. I think the visual were at times the equivelent of Star Wars or Lord of the rings when it comes to attention to detail and the sheer scale of the production, Being such a fan of visual art I remember when I saw the first few episodes I thought to my self "I`m gonna remember this stuff even if the story turns out to be crap"

If you know anything about animation and how much work is put in to each frame you will be absolutely stunned when you watch the second opening scene, I haven`t before or since seen such artistic symmetry and overall style and beauty in animation.

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Diox	2008-02-23 01:06:34

Average	10.0
Animation	10
Sound	10
Story	10
Character	10
Value	10
Enjoyment	10

story itself is fantastic, and obviously a classic. Basically a village of farmers is being oppressed by bandits, and eventually get tired of it, so hire samurai to fight for them. I have seen the origional movie and for the most part the characters and story stay the same, except a whole new area with Kirara and Katshiro (?) and the merchants son.
The character`s backgrounds are not important for the story. In fact, it underlies the fact that they are samurai. They are not there for personal reasons, they are hired warriors. The show underlines what a samurai is, and doesnt get much deeper into each person. But that does not detract from the characters themselves, they are each individuals that I came easily to care for.
I am marking down the enjoyment just a bit, simply because I know what is going to happen, and every time I start up a new episode, I kick myself for getting involved. But I dont think I could stop watching if I tried. This is an excelent show, hands down.

shows dont really get more flawless then this

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Carlo

2007-11-13 06:10:21

Average	10.0
Animation	10
Sound	10
Story	10
Character	10
Value	10
Enjoyment	10

This is either my absolute favorite anime or at least in my top three. Seven Samurai was my favorite film for many years and I wasn't expecting much from this series but after a few episodes I came to like it even better than the original movie. Although it is pure entertainment and isn't a work of art like the film, it is still a gripping story that I couldn't stop watching. Its biggest strength has to be its length. It is long enough to really build the characters in a way the movie could not. No time is wasted. The plot goes in a few unusual directions in the first half but they are interesting and add to the story.

The differences between this and the film made me angry in the beginning, but soon those differences were what made the series strong and unique.

I highly recommend watching this series. It rekindled my love for anime after a long period of disinterest.

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gcgx	2007-11-01 10:26:08

Average	7.7
Animation	8
Sound	8
Story	10
Character	5
Value	7
Enjoyment	8

Samurai 7 is based on the movie from 1956 called Seven Samurai (Watch the movie, fantastic flick). The twist to the anime is that they throw the same story way into the future, modernizing society, the environment and warfare. First off this anime was absolutely way to short making the characters individual exploration completely dumped. For the most part the animation is very pleasing, but when the mecha comes in, becomes ruined. The modernization twist to the anime pulls it down many notches on my belt. After viewing the movie then to this is quite a difference. The sound is excellent, the music is catchy, and perfectly suites this anime and it's genre.

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will	(2007-06-15 08:19:22) 2007-06-15 07:30:36

Average	5.3
Animation	9
Sound	9
Story	2
Character	4
Value	4
Enjoyment	4

Ok lets start off with the good things because this anime wouldn't be soo high rated for no reason. REASON 1 the Kambie vs Kyuzo rivalry REASON 2 Kyuzo is really cool REASON 3 The ending although depressing was very exiting and REASON 4 Although it has little to do with the anime it should be noted that the sound track in this anime was well done

Now for the bad *ironically its about the good things* - bad thing about REASON 1 although Kambie's rivalry with Kyuzo is good they only fight like 2 times and nothing is settled at the end REASON 2 Kyuzo is the best character and is well developed unlike other characters such as Katsushiro who out of no where becomes a bad ass with skillz in the last episodes with no sort of build up of strength REASON 3 although the anime's ending was well done everything else besides the episode when Kyuzo and Kambie fought (episode 7 or so) seemed like fillers and had no point. This brings up a thought of mine - this anime would have been better off as a 12 episode anime series REASON 4 although the sound and animation was well done its not worth the money you'd have to put in buying it region 1 - tell you the truth it wouldnt even be worth the 30 or so dollars for the imported version

Pass by this much overrated anime, its for your own good

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petran79

(2007-11-30 05:30:46) 2006-12-02 03:20:51

Average	5.0
Animation	7
Sound	7
Story	3
Character	4
Value	4
Enjoyment	5

(Animekraze, Anbu & Animekeep, Yi4ever, Katakana fansubs all varying in translation quality in each episode)

First it is necessary to mention that I've seen the movie (on cinema I might add since fortunately there are cinemas that screen classic movies) and since I liked Gonzo's previous anime adaptation of "Count of Monte Christo", I decided to watch this title too.

Then from the first episodes I began to see the main problem. It was the length. Had they decided to make it a short OVA and make the animation and sound more detailed, like say Blue Submarine or Yukikaze, then the anime probably would have become one of my favorites.

But allready from the first episodes the anime strays from the movie and it becomes something that Gonzo are good at lately: Good titles in graphics and sound yet with no substance. If you take the name of such a classic movie to make an anime and make big bucks then at least make it more appealing.

Where to start. Whereas I thought Solty Rei was mediocre, in fact it turned out much better anime than this. Sad but true. First two episodes were OK. Then from the moment the villagers send an envoy to the city to hire samurais, till somewhere in the middle where at least they manage to enter the village I was beginning to question whether I had done a good choice downloading all the episodes. It nowhere near reaches the quality of Monte Christo. Pacing is...out of pace. Characters are mediocre and I didnt like any of them. Maybe it have to do with the fact that I'd seen the movie and couldnt stand watching their anime counterparts. The one character I was beginning to like was killed early.

In fact not once did I feel that this anime had anything to do with the movie, except the last episode. Adding (except the samurais, peasants and bandits) the capital, made the plot even more laghauble.

In the initial episodes I thought watching TMN Turtles beating foot soldiers and Shredder was more enjoyable.

Of course the good parts are, as always with Gonzo, animation and sound. Sadly the episodes I watched werent in H264 format so a lot of the detail went missing. Characters design though wasnt anything special. If you've seen Last Exile expect the same quality, though Last Exile has still the edge.

Music was of high quality too. If it was taken from Inuyasha, then I think it would have been better to watch the first 26 episodes of Inuyasha instead, but I refrain from long lasting animes. Again, better quality fansubs would have increased the enjoyment.

Overall this is one of the worst Gonzo titles I saw. it is good at introducing more viewers to the classic movie. I'd suggest you to watch the movie instead and to skip this title, except if you're a hardcore Gonzo fan or CGI graphics and adrenaline rushing moments mean more than the actual plot and characters.

Perfect concept for adaptation, yet horrible execution. Had they chosen Rashomon instead, in a 5 episode OVA it would have been better. They made this to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the movie? I have something better. Watch Spring and Chaos, an anime OVA made in 1996 to mark the 100th anniversary of Kenji Miyazawas's birth . Thats how great creators should be honoured.