However, I won't be talking about my Избранное episodes from Season 5, but instead I'll be talking about my Избранное episodes from Seasons 1-4, then I'm going to countdown my Избранное episodes from Season 5.
The reason I'm doing this is because Samurai Jack is my Избранное childhood show, and because 3 weeks назад was its finale, I decided to countdown my Избранное episodes from the first 4 seasons, and after this, I'm going to countdown my Избранное episodes from Season 5, as a way to honor it.
With that said, let's begin:
15.Jack vs Aku.
With a Название like that, you's think this would be the final battle between Jack and Aku, but in reality it's just another episode, but a very good one.
Fed up with the constant failures of his minions, Aku decides to take matters into his own hands. He heads off to Jack and demands Jack to battle him one on one at some ruins. Jack agrees under the condition that Aku must not use his powers and fight him only with the form of a man while Jack will not use his sword. Aku agrees, but at the duel, things are a little different.
The beginning is especially hilarious, since it looks like Aku is ordering pizza, when in reality he was ordering a bounty hunter via phone. Plus, it gave birth to the meme: "EXTRA THICK", which any people have used to refer to "thicc" (voluptuous) female characters.
What follows is one of the funniest moment from the show, where Aku keeps sending bounty hunters to destroy Jack, but all of them fail not because of Jack but because of their own incompetence, and Aku's reactions are simply hilarious.
Another hilarious scene is when Aku teleports to Jack, and instead of outright saying why he's there, he instead breaks the 4th Стена and explains to Jack the entire formula of the show, as a way to express how annoying and repetitive it has become.
The following scene is them discussion about where Jack has to go, and Aku even offers Jack a ride, and they finish they're conversation with both of them giving a fake smile.
The reason why this sequence is hilarious is because it looks like a friendly but forced conversation between two arch-enemies who hate each other, but have to tolerate it.
The fight between Jack and Aku is also fantastic. It shows that Jack is still a competent fighter even without his sword, and how outmatched Aku is to him without his powers. Aku is so outmatched that he starts being afraid of Jack, and resorts to cheating
When Jack realizes that Aku can't follow the rules, he goes to get his sword. However, instead of finding his sword, he finds a friendly letter to Jack that tells him to look behind him, and he finds one of Aku's minions holding his sword. They argue about who broke the rules first, but it ends with Aku trying to destroy Jack's sword, turning out to be a fake. Jack then informs Aku that he made multiple fake swords, and Aku is driven mad when he tries to figure out which is the real sword. This is another hilarious moment, since it relies on "cartoon logic", and it works splendidly well. Aku's reaction when trying to find the real sword always cracks me up, since he can't take it anymore. Jack's constant smug smile is just glorious; it's like he knows that he just trolled the most evil being on the planet, and he's having fun seeing Aku's misery.
The episode ends on...ironically...the same way he described it in the beginning: Flying over the horizon and saying that he'll be back. It's a really nice way to end the episode.
Fun fact! This is the very last episode where Mako voiced Aku.
14.Jack and the Haunted House.
While traveling a dark forest, Jack encounters a terrified little girl and follows her to an abandoned feudal Japanese castle. While trying to Поиск for the girl and give her back the teddy медведь she dropped, Jack is plagued by disturbing visions. Soon, it becomes apparent that an evil spirit haunts the замок and it's after Jack and the girl.
This is one of two episodes that used to scare the crap out of me. Most of that has to do with the quiet and creepy atmosphere, and the absolutely terrifying sound-effects and the creature.
I actually have personal memories with this episode, because I watched it on the very last день of my Summer vacation in 2014, before going to bed. You'd think it would give me nightmares, but I was much older, and saw much еще disturbing things than this episode.
One of the reasons why this episode scared me so much is that it understands the fundamental parts that make a good horror story. It's not just jump-scares and all throughout the episode. It has build-up, atmosphere, mystery, surprise, and creepy imagery. The most disturbing thing about this episode is that demon who украл, палантин the soul of the family and even tried to absorb Jack.
When Jack's soul entered the demon's dimension, it uses a very minimalistic artstyle, very reminiscent of old Japanese oil paintings, and it fits very well as it gives off an otherworldy and hollow feeling, to Показать how empty and lifeless it is. I also really like how there's no Музыка during this scene, just the sounds of the blades, огонь and the demon's growls. In fact, the episode has little to no music, except for a few scenes where they play a very eary score to help set the mood.
The ending itself is also very heartwarming. Don Bluth сказал(-а) that children can handle anything as long as Ты give them a happy ending. Sadly, I didn't get to see the ending because of scary this episode was to me, which is a shame because when the little girl reunites with her family is both adorable and heartwarming, at the same time.
13.Aku's Fairy Tales.
This is funniest episodes of the entire show, mostly because of its premise: Aku reads fairy tales to children.
As word of Jack's amazing feats spreads across the lands and inspires children everywhere, Aku decides to take action. Bringing every child in the capital of his realm to a stadium, he tries to wow them with Fractured Fairy Tales featuring Jack as the villain. Hilarity Ensues.
I really like this episode for many reasons, but mostly because it gives the focus to the funniest character on the show, Aku.
Aku is one of my Избранное villains ever, particularly because he's the perfect combination of threatening and menacing, but also hilarious and over-the-top, without feeling out of character. He decimated cities and kingdoms, took over the world, enslaved other planets, destroyed any hope of Jack returning home, never keeps his end of the bargain, and does outright cruel things to other people and beings just for laughs and giggles; but also reads fairy tales to children, orders bounty hunters like he orders pizza, kidnapped a dog to blackmail a retired robot assassin, acts casual around other people, talks to a psychiatrist, dances in joy, and loves to laugh.
Back to the episode:
One of the funniest things about this episode is Aku's slow breakdown, as he realizes that he can't break the children's respect for Jack. I like how the children slowly realize that Aku's just screwing with them. I also really Любовь the parodies they do with the fairy tales, especially the one with the Three Little Pigs, where they make a reference to The Shining, when Jack slashes the pigs' door and says: "Here's Jacky!" Which is all the еще hilarious because "Jack" Nicholson's character who originally сказал(-а) that was named "Jack".
Another part I find hilarious is when he combines Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beastalk, and Rumplestiltskin into one; with a giant Jack stepping on the house made of candy, and yelling out to guess his name; which is also really funny not just because of how Болталка it is, but because he's referencing Rumplestiltskin. about guessing his name. It's funny because nobody knows what Jack's real name is. And I always crack up at the "cat in giant boots" part.
Phil LaMarr and Mako must have had a blast with this episode.
I don't just Любовь this episode because it's hilarious, but because it also shows how much of an impact Jack has had on the world and it's people and how he inspired them, to the point where they're not even afraid of Aku anymore.
It's a hilarious ride from beginning to end, Aku's Fairy Tales is truly a blast.
12.Jack versus Mad Jack.
Some people say that "Before conquering your adversaries, Ты must conquer yourself". That phrase reflect this episode perfectly.
As Jack staves off the seemingly endless stream of bounty hunters sent by Aku to destroy him at every turn, Aku begins to realize that he must defeat Jack with a clone of the samurai. So, Aku creates Mad Jack, a replica of the warrior's increasing fury against Aku's minions. Now, Jack must literally face his inner demon.
One of the things that I really like this episode is that it acknowledges that Jack isn't just some paragon, but a human being, and as a human in his situation, it's completely understandable why he became so furious. Heck, it even allows for some bad-ass moments, like when he throws his сандал, сандалия at a wanted poster of his, или when he slices through the remaining bounty hunters while shouting, in anger.
Speaking of the sandal, I think it has a lot еще significance than most people think. After he threw his ripped сандал, сандалия at the poster, it lands in a way that it looks like a foot goes there, and when Mad Jack appears, he wears the ripped sandal. Remember that Mad Jack is born of Jack's anger and hatred, so when he angrily throws the sandal, the сандал, сандалия becomes Mad Jack's possession, since the anger that made Jack throw it is the Источник from where he came from.
Also, this part is hilarious:
"-Don't be such a fool! I'm You!"
"-If Ты are me, than who am I?"
The fight itself is also very good, mostly because it's Jack fighting an evil version of himself, which automatically makes it awesome.
Throughout the fight, both of their hairs get loosened and messed up, signifying their out-of-control behaviour, and the forest catches огонь to Показать how their anger consumes everything. Eventually, their blades cross, and Jack sees his eyes reflected: they look just like Mad Jack's.
What comes Далее is probably my Избранное scene from the episode: Jack's inner rage is represented by burning tree, who's flames are being washed away by the calm and gentle flows of the waterfall, as Jack's anger subsides. Jack starts to meditate, and Mad Jack can only scream in rage and defeat, getting destroyed once and for all.
Like I said, the reason why I liked this episode so much is because it shows that Jack's human and he can get angry. It's also very relatable to me, since I have great anger issues, and I always try to hold back my emotions as to not get angry and hurt someone. Sometimes I fear that my anger will consume me and become the one thing I'm afraid of becoming the most: a bully.
11.Samurai vs Ninja.
Aku sends a ninja after Jack this time, and while Jack is battling giant mechanical lobsters attacking a seaside village, the ninja follows him in the shadows without notice. When the ninja kidnaps a boy to lure Jack to a tower filled with old beams under the setting sun, the hero finds that the best way to fight those who hide in the darkness is to hide in the light.
The main reason why I put this episode on the Список is because of the fight between Jack and the ninja. It's probably the most unique and original fight scene in the series. It's a cool high-contrast battle some of the best visuals I've seen from Анимация and shows the advantages of the animated medium.
The tension and suspense in this fight is amazing: the sun is going down, and Jack is running out of time, and the ninja will have the advantage.
I also Любовь the Музыка that plays in the background; very dramatic and effective, and it really gives off the feeling that Jack has to hurry up, otherwise he's finished.
Also, it has absolutely no dialog at all, everything Ты need to know about what's happening, is told through the visuals and actions of the two alone.
Another thing I like about this episode is that it's a samurai vs a ninja; the two most famous warriors in Japan, are now facing off against one-another. Much like with Jack fighting an evil version of himself, the concept alone makes this awesome, and one of my favorites.
10.Jack and the Three Monks.
Jack encounters a trio of mysterious monks who seek to climb a sky-high mountain, which according to legend, has a great secret of wisdom at its very peak. The thing is, nobody has ever climbed it successfully before. So Jack becomes determined to become the first, but as he scales the mountain, the challenges begin to wear down on him.
Remember when I сказал(-а) about Jack's humanity and weaknesses? This episode is where they're shown the most.
In the beginning, Jack is fighting a bunch of beetle drones while trying to a nearby time portal. Unfortunately, Jack's to late and one of the beetle drones destroyed the portal. Lying broken and defeated, Jack stabs the ground with his sword in anger, saying that this quest is impossible.
In an old Статья of mine, I explained that every time Jack was close to entering a time portal and go back in time, there's always something to interrupt или prevent him from entering. But instead of giving up, he continues to Поиск for another way. This was the first time we see Jack actually think about giving up his quest.
When he meets the mysterious monks, they inform him about what's up the mountain. Jack accepts it and tries to climb it alongside the monks, but throughout their path, Jack has to deal with all sorts of peril in order to get to the top. From hordes of goat men, to a rock monster, to a giant yeti beast, and a freezing blizzard.
In reality, the monks put him through a test, to see if he will give up или not, in spite of all the challenges he has to face.
Jack is once again, lying on the snow; tired and weakened, saying that "It is impossible". He receives visions of his people's suffering, why it's important for him to go back to the past. After realizing this, he gets up and continues to climb the mountain, reaching the top. All that awaits at the вверх is a view of the horizon, but Jack knows what he has actually gained: a reminder of why he fights, and what he has to gain in victory.
The reason why I Любовь this episode is very similar to why I Любовь Jack versus Mad Jack: it shows Jack vulnerability while also developing his character. Before Season 5, this is the closest Jack was to giving up. Jack thought he was at the end of his strength; but his parents, his people, his whole world rely on him. He goes on, conquers the mountain, and renews his vow.
I also Любовь the (For a lack of a batter word.) "Tibetan" Музыка in the episode. Once again, it fits very well, and gives off a sense of mysticism.
9.All 4 Scotsman episodes.
I know it's kind of unfair to put 4 episodes in one spot, but the reason why I did it is because they share one important thing in common: The Scotsman. The Scotsman is Jack's most Популярное companion, and Jack's best friend. Jack's a bad-ass, but what happens when he meets with someone equally bad-ass? Well, in comes the Scotsman. Jack is quiet, humble and normal sized; while the Scotsman is loud, brash and huge. He doesn't have a name, and technically Jack doesn't either. Both of them have a magic sword, know how to use them, and are the most wanted men in the world.
In their first appearance, they didn't get along very well, and were chained together while also trying to fight-off redneck bounty hunters. The episode is funny, action-packed, and it introduces one of the most iconic characters from the show, which results in a beautiful friendship.
In their секунда episode, the Scotsman asked Jack to help him rescue his wife from being eaten by a clan of demons. In my opinion, this episode is even еще hilarious, but mostly because of the Scotsman's wife. The Scotsman won't stop talking about his wife, and is worried about what would happen to her. It's the first time we see the Scotsman's sensitive side. When we do get to see the Scotsman's wife, she's louder and much еще crude and was also exceedingly demanding. She also had a fierce temper, which made even her husband shudder at the thought of angering her. She hates being called fat so much that she immediately destroys anyone who dares to call her fat. Despite her abrasive side and short-temper, she loves her husband, chastising him for his sweet talk but later revealing that she enjoys it immensely, and curtsies to Jack when formally introduced. It's a hilarious episode and one of the Scotsman's best appearances.
In their third encounter, the Scotsman helps Jack regain his memory. However, this time it puts the focus еще on the Scotsman. It's honestly the closest we get to the Scotsman having his own spin-off show. And the parts with him and the amnesiac Jack are really funny. Plus, it just shows how much a dedicated and loyal friend the Scotsman really is.
The секунда part has them arriving to The Great Unknown, and are lured by the enchanting Музыка of sirens, though the Scotsman thinks they're horrible. The Комментарии he makes about them are hilarious and never cease to make me laugh; especially these two: "The sound of breaking glass has еще rhythm." and "She-dogs must pay!"
After Jack regains his memories and destroys the sirens, the people who were stuck on the island all leave, but forget about the two of them. Luckily, there's a boat, however, both of them a competing to see who will row. You'd think it would be boring, but the interaction and chemistry between Jack and the Scotsman makes it a lot of fun to watch.
I'm sorry if I cheated by putting 4 episodes in one spot, but all 4 of them showed how awesome the Scotsman is, and I couldn't pick a favorite.
8.The Princess and the Bounty Hunters.
In a snowy countryside, a gang of the world's most ruthless bounty hunters consisting of an Aboriginal Australian darter, a pair of Siamese cat-like twins, a gentleman нож fighter, and a large Russian man team up with a fierce warrior princess named Mira. Their goal - to capture Samurai Jack, of course.
Throughout his journey, we've seen jack fight and defeat countless bounty hunters, but this is the first time we get to see it from their perspective.
The beginning in this episode is one of the best parts of it. The Russian bounty hunter, Boris is getting his haircut, and while the barber cuts his hair, the barber sees 5 skilled bounty hunter and he exclaims about who they are, while violently cutting through Boris' hair in surprise.
I think it's the best episode exposition I've ever seen in western animation; Tonino the barber is the central piece of the exposition, he is building up the tension. He talks a lot, gossips a lot like all hairdressers do. That's a nice way of introducing powerful characters. And so, one by one, all the hunters are passing Далее to his window representing an archetype and looking extremely powerful. Their Музыка theme is beautiful especially The Gentleman and Boris ones. The little musical pieces reinforce a unique personality дана to each hunter. But the princess doesn't have a theme at first and does not seem strong. Interesting work by the scriptwriters who are deliberately misleading us. I like the fact that Boris did not complain about his barbaric haircut. After all, it matches perfectly with his violent and chaotic nature. Also, there's a wanted poster of Jack inside the barber Магазин Далее to the window, and all the bounty hunters go in the same direction the poster is to the window; implying that they're bounty hunters whose target is Jack. It's small details that make me Любовь this show.
While being inside the cabin, the 5 bounty hunters are gathering. All wish to claim the bounty on Jack's head and argue over who should be the one to kill Jack.
Jujunga, the Aboriginal assassin lays out his plan, and as he does so, the visuals of the Показать transform into an African art inspired style. After he's finished, each of the bounty hunter follow suit, and each one lay out their theoretical assassination and the art-style changes to match their personality: classic black and white filmography for The Gentleman; Chinese brushstroke for I and Am; and crayon drawing for the simple and powerful Boris. However, the each of their plans' flaws are pointed out by a mysterious figure who turns out to be a warrior princess of a kingdom that was enslaved by Aku. Ultimately they combine their individual plans into a master one, making sure it has no flaws Jack could exploit, seeming like it might actually work. They all ambush him at the same time... yet Jack utterly defeats them all in the time it takes a drop of water to fall from an icicle and hit the ground, with no еще effort than if they'd attacked him individually. The Princess is still alive/conscious and draws her back-up weapon, a small knife. Jack stands motionless with his back to her; realizing the futility of attacking Jack, she drops the нож and then drops to her knees, with her only hope of freeing her people is gone. Jack walks on down the road, not having сказал(-а) a word или shown his face in person during the entire episode.
There's so much I Любовь about this episode: the comedic exchanges between the characters, the fact that it introduces 6 brand new characters who are all well-developed and interesting, but the thing that makes it so good is how it builds to its conclusion and the unique perspective it has because of it. We watch 20 минуты of the episode getting to know the bounty hunters, and in the end, they all fail. Unlike the other episodes, this one doesn't focus on Jack's victory, but rather The Princess' defeat.
It's a great episode because it explores the point-of-view of the bounty hunters that Jack faces, but it ends in tragedy. It actually shares a lot in common with another episode we'll be talking about.
7.Jack and the Traveling Creatures.
Jack seeks a time portal once more, but to get there he must pass a lake that drowns any who cannot touch its bottom while walking, as well as mountains. Fortunately for Jack, three great beasts will help him travel - a long-legged lake monster, a many-legged mountain creature, and a giant Pterosaur. But, the greater challenge is the portal's guardian.
This is one of the еще mysterious and tragic episodes of the show. Mainly because of its ending, and the music.
We spent about 15 минуты into the episode with Jack traveling with the creatures, and when he finally reaches the portal, it's guarded by a mysterious, blue, hulking juggernaut. Jack politely asks if he could use the portal, which the Guardian Ответы with laughing it off, and simply saying "No". He informs Jack that he's the latest in a long line of warriors seeking to access it, all of which have fallen in battle with the blue guardian. Seeing no other choice, Jack draws his sword and engages the mysterious being in battle. Here's where things start to shift from the norm. Up until now, we've seen Jack overcome every foe imaginable. Nothing was able to stand up the Jack in one-on-one combat. The only ones who could were The Imakandi hunters and the Minions of Set. Slowly, we see our hero's limit's being pushed by the blue warrior. After a gruesome battle, Jack, beaten and broken finally falls.
What comes Далее got a lot of people hyped up for Season 5, but were unfortunately disappointed.
Before the Guardian could crush Jack with a giant boulder, the portal orders him not to and informs him of the truth. After the pterodactyl took Jack away, the portal shows the Guardian a vision, a much older and еще experienced Jack; the guardian says that he may one день use the portal. Sadly, in Season 5 that didn't happen.
There a lot of things I Любовь about this episode: the shot compositions, the way the aspect ratio shifts, Kevin Michael Richardson's phenomenal voice performance as the Guardian,the creepy and haunting music, etc. But what this episode does better than any other is the tragedy of Jack's story. This is probably the closest Jack has ever come to finding a way back home, and the first time he met someone whom he couldn't beat in single-combat. After seeing everything Jack has been through, it's hard not to feel devastated for him. But it's this element of the episode, and the series as a whole that would grow еще tragic with time, since this is really would be the closest Jack would seemingly ever come to getting home.
However, this episode isn't without comedy, and the scene that I find to be the funniest is when Jack tries to guard himself against attack with two shields scavenged from fallen warriors. He tries to hit the Guardian with one, and what does the Guardian do? He wolfs it down in three bites like a пицца and grins triumphantly.
6.The Beginning; A Samurai called Jack; The First Fight.
I know I'm cheating again by putting 3 episodes in one spot, but this time it's еще justified because it follows the same story, only it's separated into 3 episodes.
I've already talked about the first three episodes in an old Статья of mine where I compared the Показать to Berserk, so I'm only going to talk about my thoughts on them.
These three episodes really tell an epic story. In terms of scale and the battles, this was еще epic than any animated Показать или movie I saw as a toddler. Where else are Ты going to see blood in a Y-7 children's show, besides The Powerpuff Girls. These three episodes are one of the most unrestrained when it comes to the visuals. Aku's got no jokes here, he's played completely straight, and it's super effective. All things concerned, this is one the best pilots I've ever seen.
When I first watched this when I was a toddler, I thought this was the most awesome thing ever, and now I think it's a miracle that this got picked up. It shows that the series wanted to be a lot еще like Season 5, with a lot of drama and violence, little comedy. I guess after the Cartoon Network executives saw this, they were like: "Needs еще comedy if Ты want this thing to continue."
This really was the premier that got all of us into the mood of the series. This was the еще memorable series premier of my childhood.
A scene that I really Любовь is when he cuts down the beetle drones in slow motion, and is drenched in the "blood" of his enemies - the enemies he crushed. He actually manages to strike fear into robots, and continues to cut through them in a merciless and brutal fashion. I remember back when I rewatched episodes of it online in my Summer Vacation of 2014, whenever this scene came in, I always shook my head randomly to match the mood of the scene.
The premier set the perfect stage for the series, and while it didn't follow the traditional samurai movie trope, it worked with what it had and went all the way with it.
5.Jack and the Zombies.
Aku manages to lure Jack into a massive cemetery where he uses his dark magic to resurrect legions of zombies to destroy Jack. All throughout the night, Jack battles endless hordes of the restless dead that become еще and еще frightening until one manages to steal Jack's sword and give it to Aku. Now, Jack must face against his own weapon in the hands of his enemy.
This and the Haunted House episode were the episodes that scared me the most when I was a child, mostly because zombies used to terrify me. It is a shame though, because this is an amazing episode. Because I didn't watch it, I didn't even know about the fight with Aku, until I rewatched it years later.
One of the things that makes this episode so great is Jack's enemies: the zombies. Usually, we see Jack fighting robots and other creatures, but this is the first time we see him fighting the undead. Speaking of which, I Любовь the Музыка that plays when they rise from their grave; it's very ominous and it sounds like something when the undead are rising up.
And the best thing about this episode is the fight between Jack and Aku. Remember when I сказал(-а) that Aku was played serious in the premier? Well this time he goes full force. He doesn't hesitate или make any jokes, once he has Jack's sword he laughs into his face, about how the weapon that's meant to kill Aku will now kill Jack, and he quickly proceeds to kill him.
This is the most intimidating Aku has ever been. Heck, the scene where he becomes a huge mass of dark tentacles that chase Jack all over until he manages to hide himself, is still pretty terrifying.
A good example is when he asks Jack where he is, and says that he can run but he can't hide because he can smell his blood.
Another good example is when he holds Jack down and proceeds to stab him with it. His eyes become become еще twisted, as he's about to finally kill Jack, and he will enjoy it.
Remember when I сказал(-а) that when he fought Jack in human form, he was outmatched? Here, he doesn't hold back at all, and shows how much of a threat he can be.
Jack's facial expressions are priceless. He looks genuinely scared. The only weapon that can destroy Aku is now in enemies' hands, and he can't harm Aku anymore. Now that same weapon is going to be used against him and he's running for his life.
I do like how Jack managed to survive for that long, since it shows how much of a skilled warrior he is, but his skills can only last for so long.
However, a very funny moment is when he proceeds to stab him with it, but it fails; Aku is completely bewildered (and humorously his eye brows flame out) and pokes Jack four еще times with the same result.
The reason why I put this episode so high is because of two reasons: Jack's unique enemies, and the fantastic fight between Jack and Aku. This is the еще terrifying Aku has ever been, and it shows how much of a serious and relentless monster he really is.
Also, I have a bit of a nostalgia for this episode. Back in my Summer vacation of 2014, after me and my parents cam Главная from shopping, I watched this episode and it was the first one I watched where I didn't skip any parts of it.
4.Jack and the Spartans.
In this homage to The 300 Spartans Jack comes across an army of 300 Spartan warriors who have been battling against legions of robot minotaurs created by a living factory past the mountains in an endless stalemate. With Jack on the scene, the Spartans gain knowledge of how to reach the factory and the king and Jack head off to put the war to an end.
A lot of people think that his episode was based on the 2006 movie: 300 - but that's not the case. Ты see, one of Samurai Jack's main inspirations were Frank Miller's graphic novels, like: Ronin and 300, the graphic novel the movie was based on.
One of the reasons why I Любовь this episode, and the series in general, is the premise of the episode. Ты could go from Jack fighting an evil version of himself, to Aku telling fairy tales to children, to Jack being transformed into a chicken and forced to fight in illegal underground competitions, to a samurai warrior joining a spartan army to fight robot minotaurs. It's kind of like Doctor Who; Ты could have any premise Ты want and still makes sense in the context of that universe.
There are so many things I Любовь about this episode: The epic and phenomenal fight scenes; the grandious and bombastic music; Daran Norris' great performance as the Spartan King; the awesome premise; and the ending.
The fight between Jack, The Spartan King and the robot monster is really amazing. I especially Любовь the Музыка that's playing in the background; it's very energetic but also gives a feeling of tension and it fits the scene perfectly. Another part that I really Любовь is when Jack gives his sword to the Spartan King. I Любовь it for two reasons: 1.Where else do Ты see a Spartan King fighting a giant robot, with a katana? 2.It shows how much of a honorable and altruistic man Jack is, since he gave his only weapon to a warrior who Остаться в живых his, and now has something to fight back with. And again, even without his sword, Jack can still hold his own. Speaking of which...
The ending is also amazing. Up until this point, Jack helped this army, who have nothing to do with his mission, and he even sacrifices himself in the end. (Fortunately, he survived.)
The part where the elderly and presumably dying Spartan King tells his subject how Jack helped them and how they honor him is also quite sad. Although that doesn't make much sense considering what happened in Season 5's finale.
My only nitpick with this episode is that it wasn't the last episode before the series got canceled. Keep in mind that the series was in hiatus for 13 years, and even before they announced the 5th Season, the "movie" that was meant to conclude the series was in development-hell for years. Considering how much we had to wait, it would've been nice to end the 4th season on a high note.
It's an absolutely epic episode and in my opinion, one of the best.
3.Jack Remembers the Past.
In any time travel story, usually the ones set in the future, the characters are bound to meet the remains of their old Главная how the sands of time effected it. Samurai jack is no different, but they in a way that made it unique and special.
Jack comes across the ruins of a settlement. Further inspection reveals that it isn't any old town, but the place where Jack was born and spent his early childhood in. Jack takes the time to wander about the ruins and the memories of happier times come flooding back to him.
When it comes to fleshing out jack.s character, no other episode has done it better than this one. Sure, we've seen Jack angry, tired, vulnerable, but in this episode we see jack's personal reasonig for his quest: he misses his home. Yes, Jack's main reason for trying to get back to his the past is to destroy Aku and fix the future, but Jack has been in the future for a long period of time, and every opportunity of him goin home, something interfired and prevented him from doing so; it makes perfect sense for him to be homesick. It's sad to see that such a skilled and selfless warrior has such a tragic past.
One of the things that make this episode so great are the flashbacks, and how they're triggered. Whenever Jack arrives at a certain location, he gets a flashback of what happened to him in that location.
The one that I like the most were the ones where he meets Lone волк and Cub, and the one where he meets a girl and they decide to chase grasshoppers.
In the Lone волк and Cub one, Jack is feeding some Koi рыба Далее to abridge, until he meets none other than Ogami Itto and his son Daigoro from Lone волк and Cub. Ogami handily defeats four men on a bridge, and it's implied that watching this fight made a young Jack fascinated with swordsmanship; meaning that whenever Jack's fighting seems straight out of Lone волк and Cub, it's not just a meta-homage, but could very well have an in-universe justification.
As a kid, I thought it was pretty out of place with the rest of the series, mostly because I never read или heard anything about Lone волк and Cub, but I am familiar enough with it to know what it's about. Making the cameo and even implying that they were the inspiration for Jack becoming a samurai is unbeliveable.
In the one where he meets the girl. We Далее see a flashback of young Jack playing in a field of reeds hunting a grasshopper, mimicking how it hops away from him. He runs into a young girl who is at the same game, chasing her own grasshopper. They combine their efforts and begin to chase a кузнечик before Jack falls into a puddle. Seeing his distress, the girl jumps into the puddle as well.
The girl and Jack continue their pursuit, before the кузнечик at last spreads its wings and flies away. Seeing this makes the girl distraught, Jack makes an origami кузнечик for her, which upon receiving, she kisses Jack on the cheek in appreciation. This may very well have been Jack’s first kiss.
It's both very adorable and heartwarming moment and seeing Jack being romantically interested in his youth makes Jack all the еще relatable, in my opinion.
One of the best things about this episode is that the majority of the time, it has no dialog, at all. The flashbacks are mostly told through the visuals and music, with only the occasional sentence being spoken.
The last scene is also really powerful - he's perfectly capable of putting it behind him when someone needs help, as shown at the end of the episode. His Главная is gone, but the fight is not over, and his kingdom did not die for nothing.
2.The Birth of Evil Part 1 and 2.
Aku's origin story is finally unfolded as a vestigial piece of a nameless abomination of darkness defeated at the beginning of time by the combined forces of Vishnu, Ra, and Odin crashlands on Earth in the Mesozoic and spreads its evil from a fetid pit in a forest of spikes until the Feudal Era where Jack's father's attempt to destroy the evil gives it self-awareness.
The origin of Jack's sword is told as Jack's father is left helpless while Aku ravages his kingdom. But the three divine powers that defeated the mass of evil so long назад bring the emperor to a sacred mountaintop where they forge a sword out of his righteousness. With his newfound strength, Jack's father returns Главная to defeat Aku.
Not only do I consider this to be the most epic episode of the show, but probably one of the darkest.
In the first part, we have excellent build-up; Показ Aku at his most evil, being shown as a force of nature before becoming a force of evil. What follows before his creation is truly disturbing: a Triceratops is unable to Переместить out of the liquid and suffocates to death; a caveman is stuck in the same liquid, and his Друзья are trying to get him out but they all fail and get dragged into it; a dog is killed off-screen while its owner is crying in agony; the Emperor's soldiers all get impaled; and he gets crucified to a giant дерево while being forced to watch as Aku destroy his kingdom.
What I also Любовь about this episode is that it made Aku even еще disturbing, since makes Aku is he's just a small piece of something bigger.
I also really like how the Emperor is portrayed here. Not only is he a badass ruler, but he's willing to sacrifice himself for his family and his people, even if the task seems impossible.
The Музыка is also fantastic. Now, for the majority of the first part, there is no music, which helps in Показ how serious this situation is. But when it does play, by God is it amazing. From the grand and powerful choir that plays when the sword is being build; to the tense and energetic theme that plays during the Emperor and Aku's fight.
The Emperor, gets several awesome achievements. In the first part, he tried to fight Aku with normal weapons, and was crushed. For the rematch, he shows up with magic armor (That he created himself), a flying cloud, and what would become Jack's sword... and wins.
The magic sword? It was forged from the strength of the Human Spirit and Human Righteousness... both taken from him. That's right: the one thing that can hurt and destroy Aku was forged from his soul.
There's еще to it than that. Aku grows to the size of a Kaiju and at first is completely confident in his invincibility. Then Jack's father slashes him with the sword, and Aku screams. The demon sorcerer turns into a dragon, a giant spider, and with each transformation grows еще desperate. Jack's father actually decapitates the dragon form and cuts off all the spider's legs, so finally Aku turns himself into an army of clones, at least dozens if not over a hundred strong. They charge, and Jack's father rips them all apart. Aku, all pretenses at dignity forgotten, flees like a coward. For someone without the training Jack had, inducing a Villainous Breakdown of that magnitude is a tremendous accomplishment.
After being pelted with arrows from all sides by the army of armored Aku clones, instead of giving in to the pain, the Emperor bellows with a mighty war cry.
He has defeated and sealed Aku, and has no apparent reason to think Aku will return, или that he won't be able to take him on again if it happens. He still immediately starts setting up Jack's training, just in case.
In a way, Jack being born right after the Emperor defeats Aku could count as this. Even though the episode was called "The Birth of Evil", it ended with the birth of the one who just might grow up to destroy Aku once and for all.
The Birth of Evil is the most cinematic, dramatic, epic, and largest in scale episode in the series...but sadly, it's not my favorite.
1.Tale of X9.
This...in my opinion...is the saddest and most tragic of all the episodes.
In this Film Noir-style episode, a retired robot hit-man named X9 tells the story about how he was built with emotions and befriended a dog named Lulu during his career. However, X9's peaceful and retired life with his dog is cut short when Aku kidnaps Lulu and tells him that he'll only get the dog back if he kills Samurai Jack.
By this point we've seen Jack slay countless robots. This was episode 50, one of the last three episodes before the show's cancellation. And finally, this episodes humanizes a robot. It gives it emotions, and it gives it something to fight for in a Film Noir-style. But we know he's not going to win. He's not the hero after all, and motivations don't really mean anything.
He's not your average robot. Through narration from X9, we learn how he developed and grew beyond his programming because of an emotion chip. He detailed how he found Любовь and peace.
One of the things I Любовь about this episode is X9's Любовь for his dog, Lulu. Out of context, one would think it was just another romance about a guy who softens up when a girl comes into his life. And a girl did come into his life, but in the form of an adorable little Pug dog. It's refreshing to see how Любовь comes in many forms.
The jazz Музыка in this episode is absolutely phenomenal. It's haunting, beautiful, nostalgic, but has a feeling of loss and tragedy to it. It gives the feeling of an old warrior coming out of his retirement to do one final task, even if it's impossible. It actually kind of reminds of a funeral song. It's really sad that the soundtrack for this episode was never released, because I could listen to that song all day, and never get tired of it. It sets the mood perfectly, both for the episode and in real life.
The atmosphere in this episode is секунда to none. I always loved Film Noirs, mostly because of the atmosphere and the drama behind them. It's the reason why I Любовь animes like: The Big O или Cowboy Bepop.
When X9 looks for Jack in the factory, that's when the atmosphere is at its best. During that scene, there's so Музыка или dialog whatsoever, which once again helps set the seriousness and tension of the mood. Speaking of which, X9 is literally the only character in this entire episode who talks.
After Jack inevitably slays X9, his last words are to tell him to take care of his pet, and it is clear that Jack wasn't ignoring this statement, as can be seen by the sympathetic look he gives afterwards. Once again, very tragic and depressing.
The last shot where it cuts to and zooms in on Lulu's picture in X9 car is truly depressing. Not only did X9 fail, but Lulu is without an owner. Plus, because the picture is greyed out, and the way the Музыка is playing, it might indicate that Lulu is also dead, since what use does Aku have for a dog who's real owner failed?
I am aware of the similarities between this episode and the movie John Wick. I haven't seen John Wick, yet - but if it's as good as people say it is and because it shares so many similarities with this episode, I might check it out.
Not only do I find this to be the saddest episode, but it's also sad for personal reasons. Ты see, I haven't had a perfect history with dogs.
I had/have a lot of dogs, but one that stood out to me the most was a big red-furred dog named Hairy. I was in my 5th grade when I found him. It was a Monday afternoon, I just came Главная from my extra curriculum class in English, and he was just there in front of my house. He kept following me, and I took a liking to him, so, I brought him in. I showed him to my mother and grandparents and they also took a liking to him, and decided to keep him. He started out as timid and weak, but he grew up to be a very feisty and strong dog. But sadly, some of my neighbors we so afraid of him that they poisoned him, and he died last year. I was so devastated that I cried in my постель, кровати for at least half an hour.
That's not the only death of a dog I had. A few months ago, one of my smaller dogs, Lillie accidentally ate рыба that an irresponsible neighbor threw away. She ate it, Кости and all, puncturing her intestines and stomach, and died the very Далее day.
A week after my 17th birthday, me and my parents bought a 6 weeks old female St. Bernard, as my gift, and to replace Hairy. I wanted to name her Anna because she has an energetic personality - but my parents сказал(-а) that it's not a dog name, so we named her Ursula instead. I Любовь Ursula - she's so adorable. I pet her, feed her, play with her, and walk around with her. However, she also defecates and pees all over the house, loves to eat a lot, sleeps around the house and gets in people's way, and her health-care costs a fortune. heck, the following week I bought her she took over my room and I had to Переместить to my mother's room. But honestly, it's worth it, because I don't want to lose another dog, again.
How ironic that my Избранное episode of Samurai Jack isn't about Jack.
I've been a Фан of Samurai Jack ever since I was a little boy. It's the series that made me a Фан of action, and it's main character is one of the most compelling characters I have ever seen. Jack was the Бэтмен of my childhood. he's the one who inspired me to become a selfless and honorable person.
I remember whenever Samurai Jack was on, I'd grab a plastic TMNT sword that I bought at the Black Sea, and pretend that I'm Jack, или that I'm fighting beside him.
I also remember whenever I was alone, I'd pretend to be Jack's son, and I'm on a quest to forever vanquish Aku, only to find copies of him. или when I tried to recreate episodes, like: Tale of X9 или The 4 Seasons of Death.
I cannot thank Genndy Tartakovsky for creating this amazing series. It's one of the shows that shaped my childhood, and inspired me to become an animator, too.
I'll also countdown my Избранное episodes from Season 5, but first, I needed to get my избранное from the first 4 season, out of the way.
As always, Smell ya' Later!
Now this is a crossover I'd love to see.
