In his search for a team of Seven Samurai to defend Kanna
Village, Kambei has found one official member and one promising prospect. However, with the assassins of the Magistrate
still searching for him and the Villagers he is protecting, movement throughout
the city becomes difficult. Will Kambei
be able to find the remaining members needed for this impossible mission? And what of Kikuchiyo and Katsushiro? Will they prove themselves worthy of joining
the Seven Samurai despite their brashness and inexperience?
We’re two chapters in with Samurai 7.
Even though the full team hasn’t been
assembled yet, I’m enjoying the attention that’s being given to each new member
added to the team.
Granted, we’re 8
episodes in and it seems like we’re inching our way to Kanna Village.
But today, Kambei and company added two new
names to their team and we got to get an up close and personal encounter with a
member of the Metal Gear…dammit, Nobuseri.
And we even got an exciting train chase to boot.
All in all, some flaws but otherwise fun
times.
This set introduced us to Heihachi and reintroduced us to
Shichiroji (or Momotaro as he’s playfully nicknamed by the group).
Both are excellent addition to the bunch,
bringing unique skills and insight to the fight ahead.
With Shichiroji, it’s his long history with
Kambei, giving the group leader a guy he can trust without hesitation, who will
even give up a promising life with a beautiful woman to aid his old
friend.
Seeing Shichiroji’s girlfriend
weep as he departs makes you care about whether or not these guys make it out
of this alive (and being this is all based on Seven Samurai…don’t get your
hopes up for a truly happy ending).
Heihachi might be my most favorite of the bunch yet.
He might not be a bloodstained warrior (he
claims hes never killed anyone before), but Heihachi makes up for that with
ingeinuity and a knack for mechanics.
Some of the best moments from this set of episodes came from seeing him
use the terrain and tools at his disposal to his advantage.
Plus I kind of like Heihachi’s “Whatever
happens, happens,” mindset.
It’s very
Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop sans the hotheadedness.
The hotheadedness is still in ample supply thanks to
Kikuchiyo, who really shined in this set of episodes.
He may be loud and boisterous but his heart
is always in the right place and he has insight even Kambei cant ignore when it
comes to the plight of the villagers.
It’s because of Kiku that Kambei hears out the tragic story of Rikichi
and how his wife gave herself to the Nobuseri to keep Kanna Village out of
trouble.
Kambei knows how to think like
a soldier, but Kiku, despite his nuts and bolts, knows how to think like a
human being better than anyone in the group.
But it’s still Kikuchiyo and he’s always gonna cause a ruckus.
He was instrumental in helping the team
escape the city, even if it possibly meant his own death.
I loved Komachi getting angry and kicking
Kambei when he thought Kikuchiyo was dead and was ready to move on.
Truly, Kiku and Komachi have some of the best
moments of Samurai 7 and its adorable to watch them bond.
So with Kiku proving so much this time
around, why has he not been named a full fledged member of the group when
Katsushiro has done absolutely nothing besides being a meat shield for Kirara
been anointed the groups 5
th Member? (Kambei is #1, Gorobei is #2,
Heihachi is #3 and Shichiroji is #4).
On the negative side of things, the Magistrate storyline
still continues to make me wonder why it’s needed.
Ukyo’s creepy obsession with Kirara feels so
unnecessary, as does the shows need to focus on his deadly spoiled mannerisms.
Again, I think the shows going to go to great
lengths to set him up as the final big bad, but its gonna be because some girl
spurned him?
Feels kind of forced and,
as I keep saying, necessary.
I also have
to note the very clear and obvious animation change in Episode 7.
All of a sudden, everything just went all
wobbly and a little avant garde.
It felt
incredibly inconsistent and I wonder if this was intended or the production
team just missed that this episodes look was so out of place compared to what’s
come before.
On the one hand, I could
see Samurai 7 adopting this kind of artstyle from the get go as it did feel
like watching a living water painting, which would fit the Seven Samurai
aesthetic.
As it stands, it just comes
out of nowhere and I’m glad it’s only lasted one episode.
We leave things on yet another cliffhanger as Kiku has
run into Hyogo and Kyuzo, who have teamed up with the Nobuseri in order to
capture Kambei and his group.
So…how
long until Kyuzo becomes an official member of the Samurai 7 and how soon til
we get to Kanna Village and get back to the real meat of the original Seven
Samurai story?
Whatever will be will be
I guess.
That’s not to say I’m not
enjoying Samurai 7 at all, it’s good…it could just be a little bit better.
See ya next time.
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