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Samurai Jack is back!

Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2017 7:19 pm
by AgentEcho
I don't know if there is a great deal of crossover interest between Twin Peaks fans and fans of the animated series Samurai Jack, but I happen to be one and am almost as excited (I'd stop short of saying as excited, but just barely) about the return of this show as I am about the return of Twin Peaks. Both returns are part of an ongoing trend of updates and revivals of old shows or movies. But what separates Samurai Jack and Twin Peaks from some of these other revivals, whether it be Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Evil Dead, Blade Runner, X-Files, etc. is that these two are being revived as much to finish an incomplete story that was cut short rather than purely out of nostalgia and cashing in on an established franchise.

After watching the first episode of the Samurai Jack revival I can't help but notice some other distinct similarities between the shows. Both feature an earnest, pure heart and highly competent male protagonist. The Samurai Jack revival has extended the passage of time and placed the lead in far darker circumstances than we'd ever seen him before, and it seems safe to assume we will see something similar with Dale Cooper.

Also, both series are being revived and led by the original creators of the show, which is not the case with any of the aforementioned revivals with the exception of the X-Files, and in that case that may not have been such a good thing.

In some ways the revival trend is just another example the mainstream movie and television industry being afraid to create original content and wanting to bank on the established fan base of these franchises, but at least in the case of Samurai Jack and Twin Peaks there will be much needed closure to stories that were prematurely cut short, which is satisfying both for the artists behind them and the fans.

Re: Samurai Jack is back!

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2017 6:36 am
by AgentEcho
This revival is off to an amazing start. This is exactly what a revival should do, take the story into uncharted territory. I imagine most of the posters here have never seen this show... this is a special piece of pop art that shouldn't be missed.

Re: Samurai Jack is back!

Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 6:32 am
by the woods
i recorded it but have watched only a little of it yet...i'm looking forward to finally seeing it have a proper ending though. the animation is certainly one of the most interesting for a t.v. show. now let's let's see a proper conclusion to tartakovsky's other cn show - dexter's lab, before cn can make an awful reboot of it like they did with powerpuff girls.
i usually don't bother with running down stuff for being awaful since it's just my opinion and i'd rather spend my time championing something cool, but the powerpuff reboot is terrible and offensive. and i am a difficult person to offend!
here's to hoping samurai jack stays strong.

Re: Samurai Jack is back!

Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2017 11:21 am
by AgentEcho
I had no idea there was a Powerpuff Girls reboot. I'd guess the Samurai Jack reboot isn't comparable. It's driven creatively by more than just a desire to cash in on nostalgia.

Re: Samurai Jack is back!

Posted: Tue May 02, 2017 7:29 am
by the woods
hooray! - the scotsman!

Re: Samurai Jack is back!

Posted: Sat May 13, 2017 3:37 am
by kbrigan
I'm VERY happy with Season 5.

I first started watching SJ when it first aired. I was channel surfing one day and switched to what I now know was 3-4 "Jack and the Zombies." No dialog. Absolutely gorgeous art. (And gorgeous man, too.) I had no idea what it was, but I was hooked. The style of the art -- comics plus classical Japanese painting plus a sort of mid-century printing color separation sort of thing -- is one of my favorites. And, the story is addictive. How can you not root for the guy?

Edited to add: I wonder about overlap with TP fans. Both series are unusually rich artistically, and also are very much about good v. mysterious evil, there may well be an overlap.

Re: Samurai Jack is back!

Posted: Sun May 14, 2017 6:37 am
by AgentEcho
kbrigan wrote:
Edited to add: I wonder about overlap with TP fans. Both series are unusually rich artistically, and also are very much about good v. mysterious evil, there may well be an overlap.
If there's not much of an overlap, there should be! Also there's this, the Samurai Jack revival will conclude the day before Twin Peak's revival begins. If that's not a cosmic sign linking the fandom of the two franchises I don't know what is.

What a finale they've set up. A lot of fans were upset by the developments of the last episode (which is silly given the entire final season has been about taking Jack to places we never saw him go in the previous seasons)... but it's really paid off in the way they set up the finale.