Samurai Jack: S1-5 Blu Ray Review

Samurai Jack: S1-5 Blu Ray Review

Released by Madman Home Ent

It's impossible to overstate how loved Samurai Jack is.

As a piece of animation, its Samurai roots, and iconic etchings have a place in animation history.As a piece of story-telling, one samurai's quest for revenge against a creature which has wronged him is a fairly simple and timeless kind of yarn.

And over five seasons, it's got something a little special in its execution and the fact it even exists in the first place.

Samurai Jack's strength was always in the telling of the tale and the one man encountering others ethos which pervaded much of it.
This collection doesn't scrimp on any of the iconography and spends a lot of time wallowing in the man who has been broken by his place in it all. Jack is ruined by his failure to succeed in his quest.There's a resonance and emotional depth that creator Genndy Tartakovsky is going for, the beats fall slightly short only in the final season.
The first four are solid in their execution - and stylish too.

Quick edits, stylistic shots and some gorgeous palettes make the season stand out - and it's certainly leagues ahead of anything else, even if its ultimate resolution never meets the highs of the questions raised.
Ultimately, Samurai Jack is still masterful and deeply watchable, even if parts of it feel familiar and compelling in equal measure.