{"id":736,"date":"2011-08-17T11:45:56","date_gmt":"2011-08-17T19:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/usandacat.com\/thelair\/?p=736"},"modified":"2011-08-17T11:45:56","modified_gmt":"2011-08-17T19:45:56","slug":"review-of-samurai-7-by-funimation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usandacat.com\/thelair\/2011\/review-of-samurai-7-by-funimation\/","title":{"rendered":"Review of Samurai 7 By FUNimation"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Samurai<\/a><\/p>\n

-== What is it? ==-<\/strong><\/p>\n

Samurai 7<\/i> is the animated retelling of the famous Akira Kurosawa movie Seven Samurai<\/i>. Unlike Seven Samurai<\/i> this series is not a period piece. Samurai 7<\/i> projects the action into a high-tech post apocalyptic setting. The series first aired in 2004. It was directed by Toshifumi Takizawa who also directed <\/i>Crusher Joe<\/i> and Dirty Pair<\/i>. Gonzo was the production house.
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\nThere is a lot of action but there is not a lot of gratuitous bloodletting. There is only one scene that has some skin showing but it is very tame. The movie is rated “13+” at RightStuf.com and I think that rating is accurate.
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\nI purchased the standard edition Viridian Collection version of the DVD boxed set. The series contains 26 episodes that amount to roughly 700 minutes.<\/p>\n

-== What I Like ==-<\/strong><\/p>\n

Them main characters in Samurai 7<\/i> are extremely<\/i> strong. They include a veteran of a recent war, a boy out to prove himself, a powerful klutz, a gunslinger, the farm girl who hires them, etc. EVERY significant character in Samurai 7<\/i> was one that I wanted to see grow and change over the story arc. When some of them die it is gut wrenching.
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\nThe story pacing in Samurai 7<\/i> is perfect. The first few episodes provides a very strong start. Once started the plot includes action scenes interspersed with nice breaks for story development. I really appreciate the fact that every episode has some type of cool action scene. These actions scenes mixed with drama really ratchet up the tension as Samurai 7<\/i> progresses through the series. To top it off, the ending does not disappoint. The climax of Samurai 7<\/i> is full of action and drama. This series is a masterpiece of storytelling excellence.
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\nThe animation style in Samurai 7<\/i> is crisp and light. During most of the episodes I thought it was appropriate and well executed. Once or twice I would have liked to see a bit more shadow and contrast but overall the animation was fantastic. \ud83d\ude00
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\nHere are some comments about some of the Samurai 7<\/i> episodes.<\/p>\n