Rating: Summary: One of the Greatest Animated Series of All Time Review: Samurai Jack is great because it combines fantastic writting with a somewhat unique, stylized look and feel. It's nice to see that Cartoon Network is beginning to release series such as Jack on DVD. I don't know will there be any special features but I can give you a basic synopsis of the episodes included. The set will probably skip the 2 hour movie (episode I-III) since that has already been release seperately. Here are the other episodesIV-Jack, the Woolies, and the Chritchellites-Jack helps a group of supposedly savage beasts called "Woolies" who have been enslaved. V-Jack in Space-Jack helps a group of scientists who want to escape into space. VI-Jack and the Warrior Woman-Jack seeks a strange jewel in the desert, accompanied by a mysterious woman. VII-Jack and the Three Blind Archers-Jack hears of a mysterious island which possess a well that can grant any one wish. VIII-Jack vs. Mad Jack- Jack must face an evil version of himself. IX-Jack Under the Sea-Jack seeks a race of amphibians living in an underwater city who have a time machine. X-Jack and the Lava Monster-Jack is summoned by a Lava creature under the earth. XI-Jack and the Scotsman-Jack makes a new freind. XII-Jack and the Gangsters- Jack joins some gangsters. XIII-Aku's Fairy Tales-Aku tries his hand at propoganda. XIV-Jack Learns to 'Jump Good'-Jack befriends a group of high jumping creatures. XV-Jack Tales- Three Tales of the Samurai. XVI-Jack and the Smackback-Jack is forced to be a gladiator slave. XVII-Jack and the Scotsman, Part 2-Jack and the Scotsman must rescue the Scotsman's wife. XVIII-Jack and the Ultra-robots-Jack must fight a group of robots, each with a special weapon. XIX-Jack Remembers the Past-Jack sadly remembers his childhood days. XX-Jack and the Monks-Jack climbs the Mountain of Fatoom in search of truth. In ALL cases... there is more to these episodes than the sum of there parts. Samurai Jack is probably one of the greatest TV shows of all time.
Rating: Summary: Samurai JACK dvd is finally out Review: Samurai Jack is one of the best animated or non animated shows on television. Simply put, with all the action and adventure, the show is able to bring comedic instances into each episode. Its not fair to judge the box set, because it has not came out yet, but the show deserves recognition. Two shows that stand out are the "three blind archers" where the animators creativity really shines. As Jack blindfolds himself, you witness his senses gradually determine his surrounding environment as if he was able to see (daredevil). Or the "robot ninja" he fights in a tall building, jack becomes all white, while he nemesis is all black. Animated action in this show just sets the standard for american animation. This show does not provide alot of dialog, since it really does not need to. I stopped watching this show because cartoon network keeps changing the schedule/ or putting it on in ridiculous times. This is a great show and the dvd should also be something to have.
Rating: Summary: Glorious.... Review: Samurai Jack is, for lack of a better word, marvelous. Each episode, carefully crafted with a unique visual style, is a quiet gem of animation. Although sometimes violent, Jack has an odd beauty to it. Most episodes feature very little dialog (less and less as the seasons progress), with background noises like rain, wind, fire, and water taking the foreground. The action is often stylized, like kabuki or like a 1950's Western. This makes it sound dull.
It isn't.
It's exiciting. Kids love it for all the reasons they love other violent cartoons. But adults can be mesmerized by the way that episodes play with conventions (film noir detective movie or swashbuckling adventure) while also entertaining. Strangely, the show I most compare SJ to is early 70's Lassie, which also featured strongly visual stories with little or no dialog.
This DVD set has two discs. They *DO* include (let's settle the debate) the "Premiere Movie" as three separate episodes (I actually think the talking dogs work better in the smaller dose), as well as a number of very good episodes. The program actually improves after the first season, but these are very good stories you'll want to own.
Rating: Summary: Not Only the Best Cartoon on TV - THE BEST SHOW ON TV Review: SAMURAI JACK is, simply, the best TV show on the air today. This collection, its first season, is must see animation. SAMURAI JACK has the perfect balance of moody pacing and visceral action, dreadful seriousness and self-aware humor, playful beauty and important morals. The makers of this series imbue its every facet with as much care and love as the world's finest filmmakers: the directing, the visuals, the voice talent, the sound design, the score music ... every single facet of these individual episodes amounts to whole that is nothing short of epic storytelling. And more than any of this, SAMURAI JACK is fun, fun, fun.
Rating: Summary: GREAT SHOW Review: SAMURAI JACK-Season 1 2 DVD's-300 minutes Samurai Jack is a very cool show and I'm glad it was released on DVD. It's a two-disc collector set with special features and 13 season 1 episodes. Anyone that's a fan of Cartoon Network cartoons will like this. It's definitely worth $20. THE EPISODES IN THIS SEASON 1 SET: I (The Beginning) II (The Samurai called Jack) III (The First Fight) IV (Jack, the Woolies, and the Chritchellites) VII (Jack and the Three Blind Archers) V (Jack in Space) IX (Jack Under the Sea) VIII (Jack vs. Mad Jack) XI (Jack and the Scotsman) X (Jack and the Lava Monster) VI (Jack and the Warrior Woman) XII (Jack and the Gangsters) XIII (Aku's Fairy Tales) SPECIAL FEATURES: Making of Samurai Jack Original Artwork Never Before Seen Footage Creator Commentary
Rating: Summary: You Need to Know Jack Review: Summary: One young man leaves his village and goes on a quest to become a samurai warrior. He has many adventures each one helping him to grow in strength, honor, humility, and courage. Finally the young samurai reaches a level of enlightenment and is able to obtain the use of a powerful magical sword. With sword in hand he returns home. There he finds that an evil shape-shifting wizard named Aku has enslaved the land. His family and friends suffer under Aku's evil rule. Enraged, he confronts the evil Aku. They battle and at the moment of the samurai's victory, Aku is able to cast a spell that flings the samurai far into the future. There in a strange land far from home, the people call the young samurai "Jack". Now Jack must find a way to get home to save his village. It won't be easy as Aku has a long reach and dogs Jack's every move. But Jack is pure of heart and clear of mind and he will prevail. My Opinion: Samurai Jack is a Cartoon Network original. It has a very cool and original style that includes excellent animation, rocking music, awesome action, minimal dialog, and innovative split screen scenes. I was very surprised to find something this cool on TV. I thought that it must be an old show that I somehow was unaware of. I was even more surprised to find out that it is new! Samurai Jack is an ongoing series on Cartoon Network. This DVD set contains the first season of episodes. Jack is an extremely cool character. He is tough, smart, and kind. The show has a lot of science fiction elements blended in with the historical samurai elements. It mixes in old myths with its new ones. It also blends intelligent storylines with intense action. It does all of this seamlessly. The stories are creative and interesting. The visuals are very cool. At face value, Samurai Jack is very exciting and extremely entertaining. The action is amazing and Jack is a great hero. Samurai Jack is destined to become a classic. What You Should Do: You should buy this DVD set and tune into Samurai Jack on Cartoon Network. This is an awesome and extremely entertaining show. If you like action movies, animae, or both, you are sure to find Samurai Jack to your liking. Related Movies To Check Out: Rurouni Kenshin, Cowboy Bebop, Blood The Last Vampire, Trigun, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Thundarr the Barbarian, A Chinese Ghost Story, Quantum Leap, FarScape
Rating: Summary: Time to Rejoice! Review: The announced release of the first season of the brilliant animated series, Samurai Jack, is a genuine cause to rejoice! Finally, a studio understands the value of an animated series in a timely manner. One can only hope that other studios will get the message that animated properties can and are just as popular as live-action series and movies. Samurai Jack was created by the multi-talented and truly gifted Genndy Tartakovsky, who also created the fantastic Dexter's Laboratory. Samurai Jack combines innovative and imaginative storytelling with a captivating animated style that is at once simple and evocative. The series tells the story of a Japanese samurai who has embarked on an epic mission to fight evil and save his world. In the distant past, the samurai, who calls himself "Jack," is the son of an emperor captured by the evil Aku, a shape-shifting wizard. The young Jack is sent away not only to survive but to train his mind and body in all forms of martial arts so that he will eventually be capable of vanquishing Aku. Jack returns as an adult and reunites with his mother who gives him the sacred sword of the samurai to defeat Aku and rescue his father. Armed with the sword, Jack is on the verge of a final confrontation with Aku when Jack is literally ripped from his own time by the evil wizard and hurtled thousands of years into the future -- a future where Aku has already become the all-powerful evil lord who controls the world and all living beings. Jack begins anew, working not only to right the wrongs Aku has visited on the population of this future world, but ultimately to return to his own time and stop Aku before the nightmarish future he has seen can even be realized. Mature themes including the true meaning of courage, morality, responsibility, faith, despair, good and evil are explored as Jack struggles, and risks his life time and again to overcome what at first appears to be a force that is all-powerful and unstoppable. However, through Jack's insights and pure heart, viewers come to realize there is hope, not just for Jack, but for any society in which just one individual risks it all against tyranny and evil.
Rating: Summary: Not all good anime comes from Japan... Review: The extras are a bit sparse on this 2-disc set, so it rates 4 stars. The content, however, is 6 stars! If you think that a good animated feature HAS to come from Japan then you are in for a pleasant surprise. Samurai Jack is a stylish, atypical animated production. It could almost be described as "arty". There are plenty of extended scenes without any dialog-- just ambient sounds. The backgrounds are amazingly done hand-painted affairs full of character. The characters themselves are drawn without the use of outlines give them an almost cut-paper look. Great to look at and fun to watch (yes, there is a difference) I daresay that Samurai Jack should be in every otaku's DVD collection.
Rating: Summary: Painstaking detail, drawing, scripts - Unlike current toons Review: The level of detail in Samurai Jack is unprecedented. Plus, the character - Jack - he is driven by honor (in other words, a honorable character - a nice change considering the types of toons available these days). The team of people that made the episodes poured their hearts (and tons of time) into making something that easily surpasses the norm for current toons. None of the episodes were created with a computer. Hand drawn. The people involved are more than gifted and talented - they were very well orchestrated to make a great series. When you see the episodes for yourself, you quickly see what a great and wonderfully uncommon series it is. I've yet to find an episode I didn't like. I plan on buying all the other episodes just as soon as I can preorder them!
Rating: Summary: Kurasawa for Kiddies Review: There are just so many ways in which the premise of Samurai Jack could have gone wrong that it would have been a success had it been merely mediocre. It succeeds well beyond that. Here is a cartoon that uses frequently very limited animation, long periods of silence, cultural references that range from Akira Kurasawa to Lone Wolf & Cub to Jerry Lewis' Nutty Professor, and yet maintains the interest of both children and adults. I've seen episodes where there are stretches of ten minutes or more without a single word of dialogue and precious little traditional cartoon action. And yet it is nearly impossible to take your eyes off it. This may be the first TV cartoon show to actually lengthen attention spans! And it even got my kids to learn Roman numerals so they can keep the episodes in order. How cool is that!
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