Samurai 7 Vol-4 (2004)
Released by: Funimation
Animation Production: Gonzo
Running Time: 105 Minutes
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

I just typed up a review for Samurai 7 Vol-3 a couple of days ago so I thought that while the series was still fresh in my mind I should go ahead and write out my thoughts on volume 4, which was recently release by Funimation state-side.

In the previous DVD we followed our band of Samurai warriors as they made their way to the village of Kanna and helped prepare the farmers for the war that is to come with the bandits. By the end of episode 12 everything was in place for the beginning of the much anticipated battle between the farmers and the bandits, with the Samurai hoping to turn the tide in favor of the villagers.

With volume 4 we see all the pieces finally fall into place and by the end of it the emotional rollercoaster ride that the story becomes will make you realize just how attached you can become to a well written and acted character…

Story

"Last minute preparations have been made as the impending battle for Kanna draws near. When the Nobuseri arrive without notice, the training implemented by the samurai will prove the village's fate. While Kathsushiro and Kirara struggle with their feelings for eath other, Kyozo confirms just how fearless a samurai can be - embarking on a solo mission into the heart of the enemy camp. Deploying waves of attack from every direction - from ninja-like foot soldiers to the giant Benigumo machines - the Nobuseri will not stop unitl Kanna is completely annihilated. In the furious climax, not all of the Samurai will survive. There is no turning back. " -- DVD Box

Review

This fourth volume in Funimation’s release of Samurai 7 features episodes thirteen through sixteen in the series, which include:

Episode 13: The Attack
Kambei and all the other Samurai have done their best to get the villagers ready for the oncoming struggle and today is when they will finally be able to put their newly acquired skills to the test! The bandits have arrived and their forces are much larger than anticipated! Will our heroes be able to strike before it’s too late?

Episode 14: The Offering
The trap has sprung and now our band of heroic warriors has infiltrated the Bandit’s moving base of operations! If they strike at the nerve center of their operations can they help put a stop to all of this sooner than anticipated or have they underestimated their foe’s strength?

Episode 15: The Gun and the Calm
Victory has been attained or so it would seem. Kambei and crew have put a big dent in the Bandits' aspirations, earning themselves a short time to recover and plan for their counterstrike, but they better hurry, otherwise their first major win may have been for nothing.

Episode 16: The Storm
The 2nd round of battle takes place at Kanna village as the Bandit’s foot soldiers set out to wreak havoc. It will take everything our heroes have to repel this latest incursion by their enemies, but even that may not be enough, leading to the ultimate sacrifice by someone we all have come to care about through this journey.

Not sure where to even begin with this review, there is so much happening here and it’s all so well done that it’s to some extent challenging to break apart the components that make this set of episodes an absolute delight to the eyes and mind.

Perhaps where these episodes are strongest is in scripting and character development/interaction. The storyline on its own will blow you away, but the pacing, dialogue scenes and character moments add so much to it that it transforms the essence of the story and injects it with a healthy dose of emotion. Up to this point our characters have been in a fairly comfortable position that gave them the luxury to relax between fights, but now with their backs to the wall and so many lives at stake it’s a completely different game their playing and seeing them struggle through this harsh reality helps sets a more serious tones to the events that transpire than at any time before. It does help that one of our heroes exits the stage at the end of episode 16 in as heroic a fashion as could be anticipated. Not that it was an unexpected turn of events, but thanks to the well crafted personality of the character this one manages to hit home hard.

Parallel to the Samurai’s struggles is that of the villagers who for the first time are standing up for themselves even if they are more than a little nervous about doing so. Up to now the people of Kanna have been a cowardly lot (there you go Batman fans, a small reference for ya!), with some of them even having gone as far as to try to bertray the Samurai and their own people in exchange for going unpunished by the Bandits. Now with the example and leadership of our heroes they are breaking out of those mental restraints and finally rising up against their oppressors, sacrificing as much as the Samurai they hired in the process.

These dramatically powerful episodes also benefit from having some of the most unbelievable samurai action scenes in the entire series and perhaps in recent anime productions as each of our seven warriors fights to survive against dozens of mechanized enemies with nothing more than their katanas and own physical skills. Kyuzo, the silent, but deadly young member of the band in perhaps the most noteworthy as he takes on several mechanized foes that tower several times over him and bests them easily each time, despite getting more and more weary with each encounter.

The production quality here is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and the show is filled to capacity with brilliant visual effects, amazing background layouts and scene layouts that are truly awe-inspiring. As with volumes one and two I found myself enjoying the visuals here more than I normally would with a title like this because so many scenes are unusually rich in detail and quiet movement that give the show a unique life that truly jumps out from the screen. The colors tend to lean more towards the neutral end of the scale, but this works well in that it makes the under-used pastels stand out even more, adding to the richness of the drawings and background paintings.

The soundtrack here again relies heavily on traditional sounding Japanese music, which sets the mood of the show perfectly and add to the presence of the Samurai characters that are its focus. The opening and closing themes didn’t really catch my attention though and felt for the most part as adequate, but ultimately easily forgotten pieces. The voice acting on the hand is as usual, with a release of this quality, outstanding. The casts do a fantastic job at bringing their characters to life in both the Japanese dubbed and English dubbed tracks.

On the product front Funimation did a particularly nice job with this one. The DVD box cover features Kyuzo in a painted portrait that is very different from the typical art that adorns anime products domestically (the other side of the cover has a larger piece of art that depicts our heroes fighting off their enemies). Inside there is a nice-sized booklet with tons of artwork and line drawings from the series as well as interviews with the production team. The DVD itself includes a couple of extras including clean versions of the opening and closing themes, director commentary for episode 14 and promos for other Funimation releases. The quality of the audio and video transfers is without equal with everything sporting a beautiful crisp quality to it.

Final Thoughts

As I mentioned in my previous reviews for this series, this is a must-own release that all anime fans should make an effort to hunt down, especially if you like martial arts or Samurai drama.

Seeing how good this is all becoming I think I’m finally going to see Akira Kurosawa’s original film (on which this series is based) and see how this contemporary piece compares to the original.

A definite, must-own!

Jeffrey Couto