Anime Review: Samurai 7

Genre:  steampunk, action, drama

Target Age:  Teen

Content:  sci-fi violence, some language

Episodes:  26


Story:  Samurai 7 is a futuristic/historical revision of Akira Kurosawa's classic epic Seven Samurai.

The premise follows the basic story line of the movie, but places the traditional samurai within a science fiction themed environment.  A few peasants seek out seven samurai to protect their village from bandits, but all they can pay the samurai with is rice.  The basic characterizations of the samurai are the same, though liberties are taken for the sake of the story.  For example, in the opening credit sequence, the samurai's names are written in katakana (Japanese phonetic script for foreign words and names) to illustrate the "foreign" world they live in.  One samurai, Gorobei, was designed to appear with African ancestry.  Kambei, the de facto leader, was originally intended this way, but redesigns produced a character who appeared of Southeast Asian origin.  Katshiro has a traditional Japanese appearance, while the others are a tad ambiguous (which is quite common in anime).

The story begins with a reference to the war that led to the present political strife and socioeconomic restructuring.  If the viewers were unaware of the sci-fi theme, they may be surprised to see a samurai using only his sword to take out an airship in midair!  And mecha!  And lots of explosions!  The bandits, known as the Nobusari, are veterans of this war who are left without masters and jobs.  The people of Kanna village send their water priestess, Kirara, and another villager, Rikichi to the city to find seven samurai willing to protect their village for rice.  Needless to say, their first efforts are unsuccessful.  The samurai either say no and yell at them for being so foolish, or eat the rice and then say no.  When Kirara finally meets Kambei, she just knows he's the one.  At first he refuses to help and states that he's lost every battle he's ever fought.  Eventually, Kirara is forced to take a drastic measure (which involves nearly getting herself killed) to convince him to help her.  After he agrees to help, the other six samurai decide to join because they are so intrigued by Kambei.  The samurai quickly earn the ire of Ukyo, the spoiled son of a rich merchant.  he makes a point of challenging the samurai and claiming Kirara as his own.  He begins as a sheltered moron who thinks he can take whatever he wants, but he is more than meets the eye, to everyone's misfortune, including his own father.

The samurai themselves have their own individual quirks, which sometimes causes strife among them, and the character dynamics drive much of the story.  Many of the villagers do not trust the samurai at first, as the Nobusari were samurai, now transformed into machines and mecha.  The village appears as a typical farming community of feudal Japan, whereas the city is pure steampunk.  It can feel a little strange seeing these two worlds coexisting, and even the peasants show awe when they see the city for the first time.

Since it is a time of war, there is much tragedy to go around.  The villagers are terrified of the bandits not only because the bandits steal their food, but also kidnap their women, and the reason behind it, revealed later in the series, is quite unsettling.  Rikichi is especially on edge because his own wife was taken by the bandits before the story began.  Not everyone, samurai included, walks away from the battle unscathed, and not everyone will see the end of the war.

Voice:  Most of the English voices are good, but a few of the peasants' voices miss the mark.  Ukyo's voice helps mark him as an annoying brat, which makes his ulterior motives that much more sinister when they are revealed.  The show can be enjoyed in either language.

Music:
opening -- "Unlimited" by nanase Aikawa
closing -- "Fuhen' by Rin'

The opening song "Unlimited" is a contemporary pop song, while the closing song "Fuhen" is slower and more traditional in style.

Recommendation:  Anyone who likes samurai and battle sequences, if he or she is willing to accept the technology angle.