Samurai 7 Review: A fascinating story of warfare that combines period drama and science fiction

SAMURAI 7 - Samurai Seven - Full Review and Recommendation

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

live-action

■ Broadcast period

June 12, 2004 - December 25, 2004
SKY PerfectTV! June 12, 2004 to December 26, 2004 (1st to 26th times)
Broadcast every other week

■Broadcasting station

SKY PerfecTV! (now SKY Channel)

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 26

■Original Story

Original work: Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai"

■ Director

Toshifumi Takizawa

■ Production

・Animation Production: GONZO
Produced by International Media Corporation, GDH

■Works

©2004 Akira Kurosawa/Shinobu Hashimoto/Hideo Oguni/NEP・GONZO

■ Story

In the distant future, a planet may have been called Earth.
There, samurai with fully mechanized bodies fought for a long time, and the war finally ended when the land was reduced to scorched earth.
It was a time when people were able to cultivate rice fields again and produce enough rice to make a living.
Kanna Village, surrounded by deep mountains and blessed with a humid climate, has also recovered from the damage caused by the war and is now blessed with a bountiful rice harvest.
However, the villagers cannot be entirely happy about the quality of the rice.
A dark threat called "Nobuseri" appears every year - the remains of the mechanized samurai who once adorned the battlefields come to attack.
Now that the war was over, they had lost all purpose in life, so they banded together and ravaged villages, stealing rice and women.
Resistance meant death - farmers who knew nothing else but growing rice had no way to survive other than to reluctantly accept attacks by bandits during harvest season.
When the nobushige Seri came to inspect the rice crop before the harvest season, Gisaku, the head of Kanna village, advocated a fight to the end. The villagers raised objections.
However, Gisaku had a brilliant idea to repel the auction. Only samurai could fight the auction. After the war, the samurai had nowhere to fight and were exhausted and hungry. If they offered a belly full of rice as a reward, they would definitely be able to hire samurai.
Thus, the hot-blooded young man Rikichi and the Mikumari shrine maidens Kirara and Komachi sisters set out as representatives of their village to Kogakyo, a town on the other side of the desert...

*Quoted from the GONZO official website

■Explanation

The movie "Seven Samurai" is widely known around the world as a great movie. It has also been remade, leaving behind masterpieces such as "The Magnificent Seven." Why is that? It is because "Seven Samurai" is an excellent piece of entertainment with a universal theme. A simple story structure of rewarding good and punishing evil, and cool men. Well-thought-out ideas for each scene, and visually impactful battles in the pouring rain. This work, packed with many entertainment elements, will be remade into the world's first full digital animation!

"SAMURAI 7" is a hybrid production that combines 3D and 2D animation, unique to GONZO. The mecha battles are depicted in powerful 3D, while the characters are depicted in familiar 2D, for a more effective expression. Furthermore, this is the first TV anime to be produced entirely in high definition. Through 3DCG and digital processing, the world-renowned "talent of Akira Kurosawa" and the world-renowned "Japanese animation technology" have come together to create a new form of entertainment, a "high-quality anime" that makes full use of the latest technology.

"SAMURAI 7" is not just a period drama that follows the original story, but a sci-fi adventure set in a fictional time and place, in the midst of a war on a colony planet during the time when humans colonize planets in the solar system. One of the many highlights is the battle between "samurai" who have transformed into mecha robots. Designed by Makoto Kobayashi, who worked on the Gundam series, the unique mecha robots, which are a perfect fusion of traditional Japanese beauty and futuristic style, fly freely in all directions in powerful 3D CG images and engage in fierce battles.

■Cast

・Kanbee/Masaki Terasoma・Katsushiro/Romi Park・Kikuchiyo/Kong Kuwata・Gorobee/Toru Inada・Shichiroji/Toru Kusano・Heihachi/Junji Inukai・Kyuzo/Shinichiro Miki・Kirara/Fumiko Orikasa・Komachi/Chiwa Saito・Rikichi/Tadahisa Nishimae・Ukyo/Takehito Koyasu

■ Main staff

・Based on the original work by Akira Kurosawa, "Seven Samurai"・Director: Toshifumi Takizawa・Assistant Directors: Masanori Miura, Minoru Ohara・Directing Assistant: Ryosuke Takahashi・Series Composition: Atsuhiro Tomioka・Character Design: Takuhito Kusanagi・Animation Character Design: Hideki Hashimoto・Mechanical Design, Art Design: Makoto Kobayashi・Design Works: Hisashi Mori, Yuichi Tanaka・Art Director: Hiromasa Ogura・Color Design: Keiko Goto・Director of Photography: Hiroo Yoshioka・Editor: Fumi Hida・Music: Kaoru Wada, Eitetsu Hayashi・Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka・Animation Producer: Hisataka Kasama・Producers: Daisuke Ito, Kazuhiko Inomata・Animation Production: GONZO
Produced by International Media Corporation, GDH

■ Main Characters

Kanbei is a military strategist who always lost battles. His wealth of experience and great humanity make him the "ideal samurai, ideal human being" in Katsushiro's eyes. He has a philosophical outlook that seems to transcend all experience of life and death on the battlefield. He is always calm and a reliable leader. The villagers also place their complete trust in him.
Katsushiro runs away from a famous samurai family and, during his journey to train as a warrior, meets Kanbee and grows as a samurai. Although he has no experience in war, he was taught various swordsmanship and martial arts as a boy, and boasts high potential for combat... but this is not very useful in actual combat, and he is trained as a person on the battlefield.
・Kikuchiyo A man who underwent surgery to remove himself from the family register in order to escape the strict class system and become a "samurai." He possesses the genes that make him want to change the circumstances he finds himself in. A bold man who uses his super sword on the front lines to defeat his enemies.
・Gorobee is Kanbee's strategist. Although the two have never crossed swords, he was once employed by the enemy side of Kanbee. "A samurai is always ready for battle," he says, and never fills up, only eating until he is 80% full. He loves the battlefield and has no hesitation in saying that dying on the battlefield would be his dream.
- Shichiroji: She was always on the front lines with Kanbei on the battlefield, and was like an old wife to him. She is well versed in all kinds of weapons, including swords and spears. After the war, she lived a sulky life for a long time, but after reuniting with Kanbei, she became active as a guerrilla.
Heihachi has a laid-back personality and is the mood maker of the party. He loves food, and is the only man who immediately agreed when he heard that his fee was a full meal. He has a weakness for rice, and thanks to fighting in various places, he is a rice nerd to the point that he can taste the flavor of rice. When he has a full stomach, he can fight at full power. He makes use of his past experience as an engineer to help fortify the village.
・Kyuzo: A stoic swordsman.
A man who pushes himself to the limit and puts everything into the moment he swings his sword. He exudes strictness from head to toe, and is quiet and calm.
・The "Mikumari Shrine Maiden" who serves the water god of Kirara Village. A girl who speaks in a polite manner and is a little out of touch with the world. She is a scout for the samurai. She doesn't show much emotion, and her title of "shrine maiden" gives her a mysterious air. To put it nicely, she is a rich girl, but to put it badly, she is naive.
・Komachi Kirara's younger sister. Compared to her older sister, she is more modern. She cries when she is hungry, and cries when she is full and happy. She takes the mechanical samurai Kikuchiyo under her wing.
・The hardest worker in Rikichi village. He sets off with Kirara and Komachi to find a samurai who can save the village. He hates the nobushige with a passion, but there seems to be a reason for it...
The elder of Gisakukanna village. He plans to hire samurai to fight against the tyranny of the bandits. A cunning old man whose every word is worth a thousand gold coins, holds the fate of the village in his hands.
Masamune: A caring man who runs a swordsmith shop in the Kogakei lower class. He seems to be acquainted with Kikuchiyo, and repairs her whenever she goes on a rampage in the city and breaks something.
・Hyogo Ayamaro's personal bodyguard. His skills are comparable to Kyuzo's.
・The spoiled son of Ayamaro, a wealthy merchant, who is managed by Ukyo Kogakei. He later becomes Kogakei's manager. Ever since he first saw Kirara in town, he has been relentlessly targeting her. He has an unexpected secret about his birth...

■Subtitle

・Episode 1: Slash! (2004/06/12)
・Episode 2: Eat! (2004/06/12)
・Episode 3: What a joke! (2004/07/10)
Episode 4: Here We Go! (2004/07/10)
Episode 5: Poor! (2004/07/24)
・Episode 6: Leave it to me! (2004/07/24)
・Episode 7: Heal! (2004/08/14)
Episode 8: Angry! (2004/08/14)
・Episode 9: Cut in Two! (2004/08/28)
Episode 10: Gathering! (2004/8/28)
・Episode 11: Here We Come! (2004/09/11)
Episode 12: Scream! (2004/09/11)
Episode 13: Shoot! (2004/09/25)
・Episode 14: Rampage! (2004/09/25)
Episode 15: Soaking wet! (2004/10/09)
Episode 16: Death! (2004/10/09)
・Episode 17: Reap! (2004/10/23)
・Episode 18: Diving! (2004/10/23)
・Episode 19/Rebellion! (2004/11/13)
・Episode 20/Changing Clothes! (2004/11/13)
・Episode 21: Idiot! (2004/11/27)
・Episode 22: Slap! (2004/11/27)
・Episode 23: Liar! (2004/12/11)
・Episode 24 / Sign! (2004/12/11)
・Episode 25: Fall! (2004/12/25)
・Episode 26: Planting! (2004/12/26)

■ Related works

・SAMURAI 7 NHK General TV version

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・UNLIMITED
Lyrics: Nanase Aikawa Composition: Hiroshi Shibasaki Arrangement: Hiroshi Shibasaki, Atsushi Koike, Hajime Okano Singer: Nanase Aikawa

・ED1
・Universal・Lyrics by Rin'
・Composer: YUKIYOSHI
Arrangement: Rin', YUKIYOSHI
・Vocals: Rin

■Review

"SAMURAI 7" is a science fiction animation produced by GONZO based on Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece film "Seven Samurai". This work, which was broadcast in 2004, replaced the original period drama with a setting on a futuristic planet and was reborn as a new form of entertainment that makes full use of mechanical design and 3D animation. Below, we will review "SAMURAI 7" in detail from various perspectives, including the story, characters, visuals, and music.

story

The story of "SAMURAI 7" depicts the hardships and hopes of people living on a planet in the future. After the war, peace seems to have been restored on this planet, but mechanized samurai called Nobushi Seri are attacking villages and stealing rice and women. Gisaku, the elder of Kanna Village, decides to hire samurai to protect the village, and young man Rikichi, shrine maiden Kirara, and sister Komachi set out on a journey to find samurai. Through this journey, samurai from various backgrounds come together, and a battle to protect the village begins.

Like the original Seven Samurai, the story has a simple structure of rewarding good and punishing evil, but the setting of a future planet adds a science fiction element. It depicts themes that are relevant to modern society, such as social chaos after the war and people's loss of purpose in life, and is deeply moving. In addition, the backstories and relationships of each character are carefully depicted, drawing the viewer into the story.

character

The characters in "SAMURAI 7" are based on those in the original "Seven Samurai", but each has their own unique charm. The leader, Kanbei, is calm and reliable, but also shows a philosophical side thanks to his experiences on the battlefield. Katsushiro is a young man who meets Kanbei during his training and grows as a samurai. Kikuchiyo is a man who escaped from the strict class system and underwent surgery to become a samurai, and his bold fighting style is memorable.

Other characters with rich personalities include Gorobee, who loves the battlefield, Shichiroji, who is like an old wife, Heihachi, who loves food, and Kyuzo, a stoic swordsman. The villagers, including Kirara, the village shrine maiden, and the Komachi sisters, and Rikichi, the hardest worker in the village, are also charmingly drawn, adding excitement to the story. Each character's background and relationships are carefully drawn, eliciting deep empathy from the viewer.

picture

"SAMURAI 7" is produced using hybrid video technology that makes full use of GONZO's technological capabilities. The mecha battles are depicted in powerful 3D animation, while the characters are depicted in familiar 2D animation. This combination balances the power of the mecha battles with the emotional expression of the characters, creating a strong visual impact. In addition, the entire film was produced in high definition, achieving high-definition image quality and outstanding visual beauty.

In particular, the designs by Makoto Kobayashi, who was in charge of the mechanical design, are a perfect blend of traditional Japanese beauty and futuristic style, making them highly visually appealing. The designs of the mecha robots are unique to Kobayashi, who also worked on the Gundam series, and the way they fly around freely in powerful 3DCG images overwhelms viewers. The battle scenes are also well-crafted, and there are plenty of scenes worth seeing, such as a battle in a downpour that creates a visual impact.

music

The music for "SAMURAI 7" was composed by Kaoru Wada and Eitetsu Hayashi, and plays an important role in adding excitement to the story. The opening theme "UNLIMITED" is impressive with Nanase Aikawa's powerful singing voice and rock-like melody, symbolizing the story's action and adventure. The ending theme "Universal" features Rin's gentle singing voice and melody that resonates in the heart, enhancing the moving story.

The music in the film is also carefully crafted to match the story, with music that heightens tension during battle scenes and heart-stirring music during moving scenes. The music and images work together to deeply move the viewer.

■Recommendation

"SAMURAI 7" is a science fiction animation based on the original "Seven Samurai", but it has its own unique appeal. The setting of a future planet adds science fiction elements, and the themes depicted are relevant to modern society. It is packed with a variety of elements, including unique characters, powerful mecha battles, beautiful visuals, and moving music, and has the power to draw viewers into the story.

This work is recommended not only for those who are familiar with the original "Seven Samurai", but also for those who like science fiction and mecha battles, and those who are looking for an emotional story. It is also a must-see for those who want to experience the evolution of animation technology. "SAMURAI 7" is a high-quality animation work that is visually and emotionally satisfying. Please give it a watch.