Samurai Jack

[Ashley]

*sits at computer chanting, "gotta get back, back to the past..." *

Ahem, anyway, yours truly is an ENORMOUS fan of this show and was very happy to finally get her grubby mits on Season 3's boxset (at 1/3 retail price AND legal, thank you very much!) I was just wondering whether there were any other Jack fans...?

[bigsleepj]

I'm a fan, though I would have prefered the series to have a much better constructed plot-arc. I always thought the series felt like it goes nowhere. But I like the show and is always pleased when they show an episode that I haven't seen before.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

I am also a Samurai Jack fan! I love that show

I must buy these dvds

[Eastkun]

I was so sad that Samurai Jack ended. *cries*

[Ashley]

I'm a fan, though I would have prefered the series to have a much better constructed plot-arc. I always thought the series felt like it goes nowhere.

True, but I think at the outset they never intended it to. I think it was always meant to be more of an artistic, mythological sort of endeavor with lots of homages to old samurai/kung fu movies and stuff. I don't think they ever wanted it to be a solid-structured show.

[mitsuki lover]

I miss it and Duck Dodgers.

[Maledicte]

I have the first 3 seasons on DVD! Woooo!

[uc pseudonym]

If only this series had developed an involved plot and gotten a real ending...

That having been said, I've enjoyed Samurai Jack from a long time. When I first viewed it, I wasn't sure if it was a bad parody or an unusual action show. But in time, it grew on me in many respects, including the art style. Later on, I was impressed to see actual coreography and the occasional element that goes further than many cartoons or anime generally do.

[termyt]

True, but I think at the outset they never intended it to. I think it was always meant to be more of an artistic, mythological sort of endeavor with lots of homages to old samurai/kung fu movies and stuff. I don't think they ever wanted it to be a solid-structured show.

It seems to me that they never intended to, either, which seems a little dishonest to me. They set up the backstory and setting so beautifully and then proceeded to do nothing of any consequence with them. I still enjoy many of the episodes, but the fact that they weren’t likely to ever resolve the main story was always nagging at me.

[bigsleepj]

True, but I think at the outset they never intended it to. I think it was always meant to be more of an artistic, mythological sort of endeavor with lots of homages to old samurai/kung fu movies and stuff. I don't think they ever wanted it to be a solid-structured show.

True, and maybe Cartoon Network did not want to have a story dependant on plot-arcs that make it easier to show, but even most myths go somewhere, not some person or concept wandering the country-side (except maybe the legendary character of Ahasuerus and a few variations). But still it shouldn't have introduced such a complex quest-like story. If he was wandering the countryside to attone for a sin or something by helping others, or just maybe because he has wanderlust is something else, but giving a quest on which so much is staked (the future of a whole planet) yet never resolving (or at least trying too) is too frustrating for me. You can still do homages with plot arcs.

[Ashley]

True enough on both responses, although Cartoon Network may be a bit to blame for this. From what I heard, they cut the season time by a lot a la Big O style.

I guess the reason I didn't find it such a big deal was I heard Tartakovsky explain his whole premise of the show like this : "white fights black on a red background" and "something mostly action that did stuff tv has never done before."

Am I making excuses? Nay, I was a little disappointed in the end, too. Just offering up possible reasonings behind such a disappointing fault.

[Felix]

I've got all 3 seasons and I hold them dear to my heart ^_^ Yep, I'm a fan.

The whole plot thing DID bug me a little bit, but not enough to keep me from really enjoying it up until the 'end'. But still, I'm kind of with Ashley. Plus, they didn't even know if the show would catch on. What if they did have an elaborate plot worked out, and then the show was cut short [much sooner than it already was]? Besides, Jack doesn't have much of a choice except to wander, because he doesn't know where the time portals and stuff like that are going to be, so that he can complete his goal, and in a lot of episodes he IS trying to get back to the past, but I admit that it's dissapointing that he never does.
Oh well, it doesn't make that much of a difference to me. I still love this show so that's all that matters ^^

[Sweet Mercury]

*sits at computer chanting, "gotta get back, back to the past..." *

Ahem, anyway, yours truly is an ENORMOUS fan of this show and was very happy to finally get her grubby mits on Season 3's boxset (at 1/3 retail price AND legal, thank you very much!) I was just wondering whether there were any other Jack fans...?

I remember watching several episodes as a kid and really enjoying it. Since it was so episodal in nature, it was easy to catch here and there and not feel lost completely.

I'll probably be buying the box sets and watching the entire series someday. Enjoy those DVDs!

[mitsuki lover]

It was interesting in the Genesis of Evil special that Jack turns out to be the son of the Emperor who originally challenged Aku to battle and was partially successful.

[Ashley]

It was interesting in the Genesis of Evil special that Jack turns out to be the son of the Emperor who originally challenged Aku to battle and was partially successful.

That's one of my favorite episodes (The Scotsman pt. 1 & 2 [hey I'm also of Scottish descent], and Jack's new shoes are up there, too), and they actually won an Emmy for it.

I'm also wondering about Mr. Tartakovsky. How do you top a show like THAT? Well, I guess by doing the Clone Wars, but how do you top THAT?

[uc pseudonym]

What if they did have an elaborate plot worked out, and then the show was cut short [much sooner than it already was]?

I understand your point, but as a writer I'm going to say that they definitely could have worked around this. You can set up plots that have multiple sub-arcs or have expandable sections without losing any coherency, provided that you're careful. Ashley's reason strikes me as a solid one.

Besides, Jack doesn't have much of a choice except to wander, because he doesn't know where the time portals and stuff like that are going to be, so that he can complete his goal, and in a lot of episodes he IS trying to get back to the past, but I admit that it's dissapointing that he never does.

That is true, but the plot could still become more complicated. Sometimes I got a bit of a "Gilligan's Island" sense.

[Felix]

Uh huh, I see what you're saying. I'm just trying to make excuses for it ^^; The plot could definetly have been more developed and have some more linear-ness, but I still enjoy it for what it is.

[Raiden no Kishi]

I, too, am a big fan of the show. My concern was that they made it for too young an audience. It wasn't mature enough ~ not in the blood and gore sense, but really mature. It had many great moments, to be sure, but there were some really silly ones that didn't fit. Take the Alice in Wonderland parody, for example. That just didn't fit, IMO. But overall, it was an awesome show. I'd like to get the DVDs someday. The Scotsman was hilarious.

.rai//

[Felix]

Yeah, but I like it how it is. The randomness of the world is part of what makes it loveable. You just never know what's gonna happen next, like Jack getting turned into a chicken by a crazy magician and then made to fight in a creature arena (that's one of my fave episodes, by the by.)
Some of the episodes are pretty mature, as well, and some are just fun. The variety is what makes it good. That's my opinion anyway. ^^

[yukinon]

I'll admit, I was a bigger fan of some of the more serious aspects of the show, or when they had more comedic aspects combined with a more serious plotline. (such as the Scotsman). Besides, there is sometimes a subtle but significant difference between comedy and the just plain silly.

But the show still rocks. I mean, c'mon, my DAD liked this show.

[Mithrandir]

A friend of mine brought me over to his house once to try and explain the "Space Ace" joke he didn't get. That cemented this as "good stuff, yo" to me.

[Joshua Christopher]

Samurai Jack, I believe, is about the art. It's about the animation, the music, basically, it's an athsetic cartoon. I'm sure they never intended to have any plot arcs or direction, and that's the whole point of Jack. It's about watching and listening, really. I prefer it this way.

[ShadowCat]

I used to be a fan...till I realized it was murdering action cartoons with it's bad art....I'd watch it if it came on, though.

[Ashley]

So what, in your opinion, is a better action cartoon?