So this past weekend
saw the return of a beloved nostalgic animated series. It ran back in
the 2000s on Cartoon Network, had and continues to have a staunch
dedicated fanbase, and was known for bringing sophisticated and
complex storytelling to a medium that more often than not written off
as children's fare by the broader community.
And considering
Cartoon Network's track record with bringing back critically beloved
animated shows from the 2000s for a new audience while paying respect
to the original run, they are basically tap dancing barefoot on
broken glass while ritualistically peeling off their own skin with a
superheated potato peeler in that regard, I was beyond worried about
what would become of this series.
And this is after a
lot of mollification came my way. The original creator was involved
and had a plan for what he wanted to do. Most of his creative team
returned, including most of the voice-actors. And the suits
overseeing production weren't actually Cartoon Network but the
notably more lax and gonzo mature animation branch of Adult Swim.
I am of course
talking about the return of Genndy Tartokovsky's Samurai Jack.
The original series'
acclaimed and beloved four-season run still holds up as a modern
animated action classic. The plot had a simple set-up: The main hero
is a noble samurai hero from the old days of myth and legend setting
out to defeat the ancient and terrible master of darkness, Aku. But
during their grand climactic battle where the samurai is about to
land the killing blow with his evil-destroying magic sword, Aku uses
his otherworldly magic to open a portal into the distant future and
throws our hero into it. Now in an alien world of machines, aliens,
and cyborgs all under the oppressive rule of its evil god king, the
samurai, deemed Jack by his peers, must find a way to return to the
past and finish what he started in order to prevent this depressing
future from ever existing.
Alright admittedly
it's a bit more out there when put to text.
But that was the
vehicle for the entire show's run. Jack wanders from place to place,
helping protect the helpless and downtrodden from Aku's minions, all
with the kind of stoic taciturn determination that never goes out of
style, all while chasing rumors and legends about ways to return to
the past. He gains allies and deals with a wide range of threats from
the supernatural like a haunted house or a dragon attack to more
sci-fi flavored threats like an evil DJ brainwashing young people
with the power of rave music. No, really.
You want a visual
shorthand for the entire show's concept, look no more.
It was a show that
took full advantage of its set-up for a fantastic combination of
genre-mixing and visual flare with intense combat sequences. One
episode could be a heart-warming message about hope in the face of an
uncertain future, another episode could be an extended chase sequence
with intense tribal drums playing all the way to the credits, another
still could be comedic with Aku dealing with incompetent minions or
Jack losing something valuable like his shoes or his Gi.
But what truly made
it beloved was how risky it was at the time. This was an animated
show aimed mostly at children ages seven and up that relied mostly on
atmosphere, extended stretches of quiet moodiness, and very little
dialogue to drive the plot. It didn't explain, it showed. It allowed
the audience to either think or feel by lingering and and taking some
time to breathe. At a time where animated shows were told to move at
breakneck speed all the time in order to keep children entertained,
this was unheard of.
So what happened?
Well the show didn't have a definitive end. Jack never got his final
episode where he went home or defeated Aku. Despite pulling in great
ratings the show wasn't renewed for a fifth season by Cartoon
Network. There was an attempt to make a movie but it fell into
production hell. I have no direct source that can confirm this, but
rumors are the production side of things got cold feet after how much
money was pumped into another Tartokovsky property film: The
Powerpuff Girls Movie, was met with diminishing returns.
So Samurai Jack was
basically in limbo. But thanks to a lot of positive word of mouth,
DVD sales, and the power of the Internet. Tartokovsky got enough
leverage to pitch a fifth and final season of the show to wrap
everything up.
What worried me is
according to the pitch, he was taking full advantage of the more
loose standards and practices on Adult Swim to tell a more mature
narrative. For all of the quality the original show had going for it,
it was still a children's program so a lot of workarounds had to
happen. Jack mostly fought robots for example, no human enemies were
allowed to be cut apart. Also while he was able to get dusted up and
scraped, Jack could never be seen as mortally wounded.
The problem is I'm
too used to video game publishers abusing the word “mature” to
mean that they are pandering to a bunch of emotionally stunted
manchildren or angry fourteen year-olds who think they have the whole
world figured out as some dark and joyless hell hole. And for all of
the darkness and maturity the original Samurai Jack had the capacity
to show, it was also unashamedly a bizarre looking and fun ride.
The trailers didn't
help this either. For reference, here's the original intro for the show:
Mix of Eastern
watercolors transitioning into a more angular shapes. Mystical
soundtrack mixing with a hip hop beat. Multiple locales promising a
wide possibility of adventure. A fantastic narration by the late Mako
Iwatani. That is how you do an opening meant for children but
universally beloved.
Now here's the intro
for the new season used in promo material.
A solemn and
brooding monologue about the main character losing the drive for his
cause. Depressing scenes of our hero sitting or staring into the
distance, passive in the face of horrific adversity. Nightmarish
imagery made more dour by harsh angles and a darkened color palette.
Jack using the phrase, “hope is lost.” Titles accompanied by
a stinging and dark mix of bombastic strings and harsh industrial
layers.
All this trailer is
missing is some out of place swearing and gratuitous blood spatter
and you could convince yourself Image Comics or the guys behind the
recent DC superhero movies got a hold of this property.
If this was the
direction Samurai Jack was going, I had to be sure it was a direction
that made sense. Conceptually, I am not against giving certain
properties a darker tone. The critically beloved Watchmen was a dark
re-imagining of several Charleton Comics superheroes after all. But
far too often they can be abused and perverted to reinforce more
angry, juvenile, and purile ideas with absolutely no long-lasting
impact. See Mark Millar's Kick-Ass and Old Man Logan compared to
their film adaptations if you want a crash course in that.
Which finally brings
us north of a thousand words later to my opinion on the premiere of
this new season of Samurai Jack....
I loved it!
The first ten
minutes were admittedly quite jarring. Opening up with Jack saving
some people from robots, but utilizing a diverse set of weapons
including a killer motorcycle instead of his unbreakable magic sword.
The intro then informs us that Jack has been fighting in this future
for fifty years, since the magic that flung him through time has
caused his body to be immune to age. The episode then lingers on some
more of the show's signature quiet moments where he's making camp...
but is then haunted by the ghosts of his family and loved ones lost
in the past. Jack even has a mental breakdown at the sight and sound
of it all. This is all interchanged with the B-plot revealing the
machinations of a zealous cult called The Daughters of Aku, as they
train from birth a team of
seven deadly women assassins. All raised for one express purpose: to
kill Samurai Jack.
So
we have gone from a show with intermittently deep, moving and complex
tones but ostensibly made for children to a considerably darker tone
with themes of trauma, PTSD, the dulling of one's moral center
through perpetual hardship, and the thorough reprehensibility of
child abuse and utilization of child soldiers.
I
was so shocked at this tonal shift it's been immortalized in this tweet that blew up on my feed as the show was going on live on
Saturday.
But
then the second half of the episode continued and a lot of my
concerns were put to rest. For all of the superficial grimdark
trappings that Jack has returned with. Riding a motorcycle, rocking
bad-ass looking armor and using guns feels more like a sketch on a
teenager's notepad than the hero everyone knows and loves after all,
Genndy Tartokovsky had all of his bases covered with his
explanations. Why is Jack using a grab bag of weapons instead of his
magic sword? He lost his sword as revealed in a flashback. How
exactly did that happen and is the sword gone for good? We don't
know. Why has he lost his way and has become haunted by his past? He
genuinely thinks that every single possible way of returning is gone.
Why is he still traveling around trying to help people despite all of
this? Because he's still a good person, just a lot rougher for wear.
As
for the silly and unusual tone of the original series? It was
embodied with the episodes final battle: Jack throwing down against
the robotic assassin Scaramoush, voiced by the always lovable Tom
Kenny. A dangerous robotic warrior that decimated an entire village
to coax Jack out of hiding...all while playing the flute to animate
his weapons and casually scatting like he's in a blues club. That
will do for unusual. That will do quite nicely.
The show will only
have ten episodes but if Tartokovsky can stick the landing, this
might actually be an updated nostalgia revival done right, rather
than the embarrassment that has been the modern Powerpuff Girls or
Teen Titans Go.
But as of right now,
consider my attention grabbed!
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