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I was pleased with the first episode as that's basically what I thought we'd get, some decent action and some plot essentially owning the hiatus of Jack and running with it in an honest, but entertaining way of saying that yeah, he was literally trapped in this limbo of a struggle against Aku for so long that he and apparently Aku both have become insane from it. But then Episode 2 happened. Aku has realized that his quick thinking to fling Jack into the future has essentially made the Samurai immortal and trapped him in this show's cycle, seemingly forever. He's trying to pretend this isn't a problem, but is being unraveled by this endless stalemate as much as Jack is. He probably doesn't even know about the Lady Assassins, something that is actually effective against Jack more than the usual bounty hunter or robot. So what transpires in this episode? Aku probably doesn't even know how close he is this time, how much Jack is struggling, how much this is actually hurting the Samurai. The Shogun of Sorrow is too busy talking to himself and hoping for some kind of exit out of the premise for this entire show. Jack on the other-hand goes from destroying another one of those stupid attack drones to being systematically disabled and disarmed by the daughters of aku, a group that might even have given him a run for his money with his sword and his full faculties. So all Jack can do is just try to run like hell. Desperate to just avoid them, hoping that they're just like every other enemy, nothing but nuts and bolts. But as this drags on, Jack reveals that he too wants an out of this situation, even if it means just giving up and dying. 50 years of having no hope. And yet, Jack goes on - no matter how many attempts at avoiding them fail. Until he's finally backed into a corner and reflexively strikes one of the assassins across the neck- only he finds that what is coming out of her is blood. Human blood. But he doesn't even have time to react or be remorseful of his actions because he's still being hunted. He makes another "escape" but he's just only bought himself a few moments of time. Jack's likely gonna have to kill his way out of this as there is no going back. From a show that just stretched into whatever direction Gendy eventually came up to a story that is contained, planned and at least so far has been expertly executed. It's like an atomic blast of quality just exploded onto 2. .
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Mar 20, 2017 00:05
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Speaking of "might even have given him a run for his money with his sword", I think that's part of what the weapon breaking motif in this episode was about. Jack's sword was famously unbreakable--if he'd been able to hold onto it, the Daughters' major tactic against him wouldn't have worked. That everything he tries to substitute it with keeps breaking just shows how far he's fallen. (For that matter, there's also how much faster than Jack they are in the beginning when he's wearing all that heavy armor, which ultimately doesn't even help.)
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Mar 20, 2017 00:30
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They're basically seven dark versions of Jack. Each trained from childhood to kill one specific target.
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Mar 20, 2017 00:39
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It's weird how visceral but not BRUTAL the death was. I figured if he killed one of them it'd be obscured or some environmental kill with some blood to make it clear it's real and instead he just slices her throat out. But it wasn't gratuitous- it was pretty light; that could've been gruesome but the point was made without wallowing in the new rating like a pig in poo poo.
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Mar 20, 2017 00:42
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I'm surprised her head didn't get lopped off entirely. Awesome show.
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Mar 20, 2017 00:47
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Sjs00 posted:I'm surprised her head didn't get lopped off entirely. Now that would have been too over the top and stylized rather than the visceral mundane event of a throat slit.
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Mar 20, 2017 00:48
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Samurai Jack has done an excellent job of growing up with its audience without going too far and losing what made it special in the first place.
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Mar 20, 2017 00:49
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Sjs00 posted:I'm surprised her head didn't get lopped off entirely. I think there would have been a grisly element of triumph in that. As is, it was just enough to get the job done and nothing more.
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Mar 20, 2017 01:05
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Can we talk about the sound design in this season? Because it's really, really god drat good.
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Mar 20, 2017 01:13
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I think the wolf allegory in this episode is saying that Jack can defeat the Daughters of Aku, but it will be his death. There needs to be another way for him to get out of the situation if he's going to
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Mar 20, 2017 01:57
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I think they're just analogs of one another. Two loners surrounded and ganged up upon, left brutally wounded even though they survived.
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Mar 20, 2017 02:18
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Fabricated posted:It's weird how visceral but not BRUTAL the death was. I figured if he killed one of them it'd be obscured or some environmental kill with some blood to make it clear it's real and instead he just slices her throat out. But it wasn't gratuitous- it was pretty light; that could've been gruesome but the point was made without wallowing in the new rating like a pig in poo poo. Samurai Jack's power is in its subtlety and restraint. Even in killing someone, the blow is lethal, but efficient. Enough force to kill but not to needlessly sever off parts of the body. Almost as if the action was more reflex responding under duress than intentional deathblow.
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Mar 20, 2017 02:27
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I interpreted the wolf as a metaphor for Jack's mental state throughout the episode. The fact that the two paths at the beginning of the episode were nearly identical suggested to me that the wolf and forest weren't meant to be literal. The wolf also gets mangled, gets up, and fights back right before we see Jack struggling with suicidal thoughts and ultimately pushing them back, so it seems like it was more than just a one-to-one literal mirror of Jack's fight.
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Mar 20, 2017 02:29
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Crabtree posted:Samurai Jack's power is in its subtlety and restraint. Even in killing someone, the blow is lethal, but efficient. Enough force to kill but not to needlessly sever off parts of the body. Almost as if the action was more reflex responding under duress than intentional deathblow. That analysis rather flies in the face of the robot slaughter that opened the first episode. I'm pretty sure some of those shots would have gone beyond an R rating if they had happened to flesh and blood, and the sprays of oil are deliberately reminiscent of old Japanese action movies that used hoses for blood effects. With that in mind, the fact that the killing blow this time was so restrained is more to create a contrast and emphasize that this time it's different as compared to the oily mess Samurai Jack usually leaves behind.
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Mar 20, 2017 02:40
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That depends on how vicious Jack will get after "very well". 3 might be a reverse where the girls are hunted as Jack's darker impulses emerge and he turns this into a Rambo in the woods situation to break the resolve of the other Daughters. The wolf may symbolize the death of Jack's kindness in trying to avoid this sort of violence. But ultimately 3 does need to plant the seed of where the plot goes out of the trailers as Capone said.Bobbin Threadbare posted:That analysis rather flies in the face of the robot slaughter that opened the first episode. I'm pretty sure some of those shots would have gone beyond an R rating if they had happened to flesh and blood, and the sprays of oil are deliberately reminiscent of old Japanese action movies that used hoses for blood effects. With that in mind, the fact that the killing blow this time was so restrained is more to create a contrast and emphasize that this time it's different as compared to the oily mess Samurai Jack usually leaves behind. But that was always with the caveat that he was doing extreme violence to something that wasn't human, ultimately to have action in a show without upsetting censors. Robots aren't people. And with Jack's "They're only Nuts and Bolts" talk, he considers slicing machines preferable to slicing people. That it takes out the moral problems of ending them. They are just empty puppets of Aku that are in his way, not victims that he further torments through violence, even if there are moments where he does this anyway like that Mercenary Princess episode. Finding blood leaking out of the body instead of motor oil is what shakes up Jack. Even further so when the mask cracks and its this young girl. Their movements and look were so uniform and mechanical in precision that Jack probably couldn't tell - or in his state and under his conditions, he didn't have the moment to clarify that until the deed was done. Crabtree fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Mar 20, 2017 |
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Mar 20, 2017 02:44
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Just caught up. Had a huge, literal  expression through the first part of the second episode.It's incredibly satisfying to see how resourceful Jack is, even without his magic sword.
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Mar 20, 2017 03:16
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Crabtree posted:But that was always with the caveat that he was doing extreme violence to something that wasn't human, ultimately to have action in a show without upsetting censors. Robots aren't people. And with Jack's "They're only Nuts and Bolts" talk, he considers slicing machines preferable to slicing people. That it takes out the moral problems of ending them. They are just empty puppets of Aku that are in his way, not victims that he further torments through violence, even if there are moments where he does this anyway like that Mercenary Princess episode. I'm not disagreeing with that. I'm just saying that, while the show knows how to use subtlety and restraint, it also knows how to use violence you wouldn't want your robot children to see and a scatting assassin whom Jack cut in half the hard way. So the subtlety of this scene is less playing to a strength and more setting up a powerful contrast.
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Mar 20, 2017 03:31
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Side note: Explodo dagger is way OP. Just tapping it against the wall a few times blew the whole side of the building up. I feel like that weapon is either written in to explicitly solve a situation later, or they overlooked it and have this near deus ex machina floating around that's going to cause some story issues. For instance: Jack HAD to lose that right away in the initial encounter because a single strike against any of the Sisters would be an instakill. I kinda think it's a misstep.
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Mar 20, 2017 04:03
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The reason the whole death scene works is that its violent and fast. It's a muscle twitch, a flick of the wrist, and a life is over. Unlike the brutal, vicious rivers of oil from the robots, this was quick. A blink. Those robots have been a way for Jack to vent his rage and frustration. The daughters pushed him passed that into fear and reflex, and he reacted. These next couple of fights are going to be brutal.
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Mar 20, 2017 04:14
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The very end of that chase up to that quick brutal kill felt like something out of The Raid. I would love to see the storyboards for this episode. The choreography is insane
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Mar 20, 2017 04:23
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Ashi's definitely gonna be one to watch in these coming episodes; I'm getting some serious Mad Max: Fury Road vibes from the way the show highlighted her in the premiere.
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Mar 20, 2017 04:25
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:I'm not disagreeing with that. I'm just saying that, while the show knows how to use subtlety and restraint, it also knows how to use violence you wouldn't want your robot children to see and a scatting assassin whom Jack cut in half the hard way. So the subtlety of this scene is less playing to a strength and more setting up a powerful contrast. It was also mirroring how the series began with that dog archeologist episode. The one where he cut a bot in half and it sprayed its oilly life blood all over him. (If I'm not mistaking this with the Frank Miller's 300 episode where he fought with Spartans) So the butchery was just returning to form, but in a way without the sword. Showing him first with the Deathbike, then with his little staff and beard. He wasn't flawless, but moved around with his arsenal to set up the giant crutch all of that stuff is in trying to make up for the one weapon he doesn't have.
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Mar 20, 2017 04:31
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Mar 20, 2017 04:48
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You know, its really interesting that Jack manages to do so well in the fight with the Daughter too. In most action stuff, the more enemies/ninjas there are the easier it is to kill one at a time, while the one-on-one fight is much more difficult. Here its reversed: Jack succeeds in defeating the Daughter alone, even without a lot of his gear, but seven trained warriors at once is way too big of a threat. I hope they keep that kind of stakes going because its so different from the norm.
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Mar 20, 2017 05:08
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 You have no idea how much I need this to happen.
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Mar 20, 2017 05:15
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These two episodes make it seem like Tartakovsky never stopped thinking about a possible Samurai Jack finale for the last thirteen years. It's all so very in tune with the first four seasons. Even when given the opportunity for excess from Adult Swim, we instead get what we've seen here, which only what feels like a natural continuation and growth from the original.
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Mar 20, 2017 05:35
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The craftsmanship on display is goddamn masterful.
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Mar 20, 2017 05:58
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I'd never seen an episode of this show but I caught a clip of the latest one, so I watched the entire episode and was floored. What a well made show, lots of emotional depth and I don't even know what the hell is going on. The fights with the assassins were super tense, especially when he was hiding in the coffin. The music (especially when he was hiding), the art, everything was so impressive. The look of regret when he killed that one assassin. I do have a few questions: Was the wolf a sidekick of Jack's or something? I got the impression they were separated but on the same team? What was the deal with the exploding dagger, is that an established thing in the series? How did the firefly give Jack away? I get it didn't make sense for it to be inside the coffin, but it seemed like when it went out, that was the trigger  On that note, why didn't he just squash it? Does he have a code against killing anything?
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Mar 20, 2017 06:09
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Acebuckeye13 posted:The craftsmanship on display is goddamn masterful. Genndy's definitely at the top of his game here. There hasn't been a single wasted frame in these episodes; everything feels deliberate, and Genndy has a kind of control of and confidence in his frame composition that's completing flooring me.
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Mar 20, 2017 06:13
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WHY BONER NOW posted:Was the wolf a sidekick of Jack's or something? I got the impression they were separated but on the same team? WHY BONER NOW posted:What was the deal with the exploding dagger, is that an established thing in the series? WHY BONER NOW posted:How did the firefly give Jack away? I get it didn't make sense for it to be inside the coffin, but it seemed like when it went out, that was the trigger WHY BONER NOW posted:On that note, why didn't he just squash it? Does he have a code against killing anything?
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Mar 20, 2017 06:17
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WHY BONER NOW posted:I'd never seen an episode of this show but I caught a clip of the latest one, so I watched the entire episode and was floored. What a well made show, lots of emotional depth and I don't even know what the hell is going on. The fights with the assassins were super tense, especially when he was hiding in the coffin. The music (especially when he was hiding), the art, everything was so impressive. The look of regret when he killed that one assassin. The episode you saw was only the second episode of the fifth season, which is a revival set 50 years after the show's original run on Cartoon Network during the early 2000s. If you want to get caught up, all you really need to do is watch the intro from the original run, and watch the first episode of the current season. The original run didn't have anything in the realm of ongoing plot or recurring characters (Save one), so it's not strictly necessary to watch the old seasons to catch up.* Anyway, to answer your questions specifically: -The wolf showed up just for this episode -Jack picked up the dagger at the end of the previous episode. -Not gonna lie, I'm not entirely sure about the bug thing, I'll let someone else try and tackle that. *You should still watch them, mind you, they're pretty good.
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Mar 20, 2017 06:20
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Crain posted:Side note: Explodo dagger is way OP. Neat little subtle thing - the dagger ramps up with repeated strikes against something. Just one or two taps isn't that much of a bang. Jack tapped the wall like fifty times
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Mar 20, 2017 06:21
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To expound the Firefly was directly a metaphor and a signal of life. Fireflies are attracted to heat, the warmest things in that room was the ball of fire flies, the Samurai, and the Ladies. The Fireflies were the first hint that they were alive, and warm they represented passion, hope, faith, the assassin's were strong in their hope and faith, so the fireflies flew around them. Jack's hope was dying, that's why the Firefly was going out in front of him.
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Mar 20, 2017 06:23
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WHY BONER NOW posted:I'd never seen an episode of this show but I caught a clip of the latest one, so I watched the entire episode and was floored. What a well made show, lots of emotional depth and I don't even know what the hell is going on. The fights with the assassins were super tense, especially when he was hiding in the coffin. The music (especially when he was hiding), the art, everything was so impressive. The look of regret when he killed that one assassin. The wolf was just meant to parallel his situation. The dagger was something he acquired in the last episode (first of the new season), from Scaramouche. It's a sonic thing. As mentioned, it causes the things it hits to explode. The fireflies were attracted to living things, I think. The assassins, Jack, the roots of the tree. I can only guess about why he didn't squash the firefly; perhaps he assumed that they already saw the light seeping through the cracks. To smash the bug would only confirm his presence. He only had to hope that they didn't see him, would write it off as nothing, or failing that wait until the last moment to strike as he ended up doing in the episode.
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Mar 20, 2017 06:26
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Thanks guys, that helps. But it sounds like what I really need to do is watch the previous episode and get caught up. Shucks! Darn! 
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Mar 20, 2017 06:37
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Crain posted:Side note: Explodo dagger is way OP. he let go of the knife when he fell into the river, so i have a feeling we won't be seeing it again.
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Mar 20, 2017 07:31
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If that's the case, imagine a river constantly exploding.
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Mar 20, 2017 08:05
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Roobanguy posted:he let go of the knife when he fell into the river, so i have a feeling we won't be seeing it again. Speaking of the river, was anyone else taken aback by the amount of blood in the river? It just seemed so dark and, well, blood-like. Especially the sound it makes as it drips when Jack is limping along just beforehand and how it spider webs in the water realistically. It's really bloody blood vs oil! e: Also, were the ruins a visual reference to Borobodur? That, or some kind of southeastern Asian Buddhist temple? 
Teriyaki Koinku fucked around with this message at 11:23 on Mar 20, 2017 |
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Mar 20, 2017 10:37
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The "overtaken by trees" aspect of it may have been influenced by Ta Prohm.
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Mar 20, 2017 12:05
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So far I'm actually enjoying this more than the original series. All the art, music and cinematography are kicked up to being consistent stunners and the pacing seems to be perfected. Old SJ tended to have an issue with pacing in where I could never quite tell if they were holding on a shot too long or the constraints of the show didn't allow for what they were holding on to be visually communicative enough. This last season doesn't have this problem. Every frame has intent of communicating a cohesive message and every shot changes the information you possess as a viewer. As a result, the emotion never stagnates, just flows. The crew has really grown in a sophisticated way.
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Mar 20, 2017 17:46
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