FIF#118-Samurai 7

On a far off world, a village finds itself plagued by attacks from Nobruseri bandits, former Samurai who turned themselves into dangerous machines.  Helpless against these monsters, the villagers are desperate for relief.  Some suggest a dire course of action: to battle Samurai, they must hire Samurai themselves.  In the wake of a devastating war, seven wandering soldiers of the sword are selected by these desperate souls to defend their land from an enemy these men thought they’d never face again.  Together, these seven Samurai must do the impossible and save one village from an unstoppable force…if they can put aside their differences and learn to work together.

Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made.  Amazing cinematography, legendary performances and a timeless story, it has been an inspiration for filmmakers for decades (most notably on George Lucas when he was working on Star Wars).  Personally…I think it’s good but I also find it a little too long and kind of boring at times.  I actually prefer the American Western version, The Magnificent Seven (partly because of that kick ass theme song).  So what happens when you take one of Japan’s most revered and legendary landmarks and give it a scifi/Anime spin? 

You should be able to do a Seven Samurai Anime simply based on the movie itself alone: seven swordsman recruited to save a village besieged by bandits.  But this time you’re adding in Giant Robots the size of the bosses in Shadow of the Colossus.  I’ve gotta say…from a simple idea standpoint that is pretty freaking cool.  Come on, it’s old school Samurai cutting down giant robots with their own steel.  The little kid in me would be excited by this concept.  The more adult me wonders…ok, was this necessary?  Or was this just a hook to get the project greenlit and make it stand out past the obvious inspiration?  I suppose if I do decide to pick this title up, I’ll have to decide which approach has more merit.

As for the premiere itself, it’s ok.  The first few minutes are a doozy as Kambei and his partner fly head first into a slew of battleships and Metal Gear sized opponents.  It’s enough to get the blood pumping and from then on we’re basically following the opening minutes of the original movie with the villagers pushing themselves to go out into the wild and hire Samurai to defend the village.  I will say that out of all the characters introduced, the cyborg Samurai Kikuchiyo is poised to become my favorite.  Loud, boisterous and a force of nature and wit, this is the one character who NEEDS to be done right for any adaptation of Seven Samurai because the original character was played to perfection by legendary Japanese Actor Toshiro Mifune.  He’s gotta be a bit of a bumbling oaf but one with the biggest heart of all, one that unites the Seven Samurai more than their leader, Kambei.  It’s a tall order but I think this Alphonse Elric styled character model might just do the trick.

I wonder if I’ll like Samurai 7 when I’m not the most ardent fan of the film its based on.  Maybe I need to give the original film a try…OR I could just go into this one solely on the fact that it’s Samurai vs. Giant Robots and that should be enough of a hook for any action Anime fan.  Hmmm…maybe I will try to track this one down in full and add it to the 2021 review line up.  Samurai vs. Giant Robots…dammit, the fun loving guy in me just cant say no to that, can he?