Anime Samurai 7

[Box Hoy]

I want to know if anyone else has heard of it. The people who made it were trying to remake (or something like that) an old non-animated movie by Akira Kurosawa called Seven Samurai. The remake is not however on Earth. It's in space. I never saw the movie but I think it looks interseting and so does the anime.

[WW2]

Well I haven't heard about the anime, but I do know they made a Seven Samurai game that was set in the future.
Maybe the two are linked in some way.

But frankly I think remaking Seven Samurai is a big mistake, in any form or fashion, even though Hollywood remade it into a war movie known as the Magnificent Seven.
The original movie is so great that it doesn't need to be messed with.

[Dagger]

Well, I just watched the first Samurai 7 trailer. I haven't seen Kurosawa's original live-action film, so I have no reason not to feel optimistic about the upcoming anime. Hopefully it'll be more like Last Exile than some of GONZO's recent productions.

The CG sequences look very, very sharp. From what I've seen, I feel pretty confident that the mecha in Samurai 7 will be better-animated than those in Bakuretsu Tenshi. Unfortunately, the preview shows almost no completed 2-D animation, instead juxtaposing clips of sepia-toned lineart with brief CG battles. The character designs are reminiscient not only of Last Exile and Blue Submarine No. 6, but also of the recent BONES series Kenran Butousai. I really love that particular style, so seeing it in Samurai 7 made me pretty happy. ^_^

I also thought the music suited the preview very well. It's subtly dramatic, and combination of piano and drums sounds just fantastic. I'm looking forward to watching this anime (which, amazingly enough, is in high-definition anamorphic widescreen).

~Dagger~

[Hittokiri Zero]

I watched the first episode of this series (AKeep & ANBU) and wow... I don't believe it, two of my favorite genres; Giant robots and samurais all rolled into one nice little bundle... The series really seems like it's going to be a good one and the character designs are diverse enough that everything seems so fresh and new. While i'll admit a little itty bitty Samurai laying the smack down on giant robotic samurais and their warships is a [i]little[/i] dramatic it was amazingly pulled off pretty well. From the opening fight scene to the rice spilling incident this first episode had me captivated the whole way through, with a nice mix of action and drama this series is my cup'o tea (the series seems to be low on pointless humor as well and that is a major plus in my opinion, too many anime series now a days try to add in elements of humour when there really is no reason to do so).

[Dagger]

Holy crap. Between Samurai 7 and Samurai Champloo, I just may overdose on amazing animation and artistic style. Episode 1 is flat-out gorgeous, and--to my astonishment--makes good use of motion lines, a device that I normally detest. The smooth, super-shiny CG and the way the storyline combines highly advanced technology with a relatively primitive lifestyle remind me strongly of Last Exile (as I'd hoped the series would). Samurai 7's animation is surprisingly smooth for a Japanese production... certain scenes are as fluid as those found in a typical American action cartoon. This is quite a feat, especially considering the show's visual complexity.

Heh, now I [i]really[/i] want to see a battle between the cast of Samurai Champloo and the main characters of Samurai 7. :D Personally I think they'd be more or less evenly matched, assuming no one double-teamed Jin or Mugen.

EDIT: And episode 2 also rocks. GONZO, my faith in thee has been restored.

~Dagger~

[Hittokiri Zero]

I just watched episode two of this series and woo.. Speaking of CG anyone see that grass? Yes I kid you not but I was amazingly impressed by that one short transition scene of CG grass :rolleyes:. The second episode of this series immediatly picks up where the last one left off and manages to keep its boat load of drama intact while throwing in a bunch of unique and action packed fight scenes. One of the best part about the entire fight scenes were instead of having a bunch of super samurais who can do anything (with the exception of Kambei-san!), we see that our main characters as good as they are still aren't good enough to take on waves of enemies in a heavily outnumbered battle. It kind of makes you wonder, will seven samurais really be enough to save a village from the bandits? :p

Anyway great, great series definatly if not on par than above Samurai Champloo. The numerous character designs are also something as I stated before that I really like. Katushiro's cloak is a nice addition to his unique character design for while it sort of clashes with his orange and black it is never the less a nice touch. Also is there some hidden meaning behind the close up of Kambei's sword in the end o_O? 8/10 odds i'm saying yes :]

[Okita]

Firstly I must congradulate the show's attempt to play on words :rolleyes:

Now that I've gotten over the extremely annoying title (call it a pet peeve, but switching the words like that really annoyed me) I must say that I was beyond shock, when after watching the first episode of Samurai 7 and realize that they actually got it right!!!

I'm not talking about Samurai's 7's great animation and action scene, I'm not even talking about the plot (which is future-tec anyways) but the series actually manage to capture the *feel* of Kurosawa Akira's classic, the atmosphere was so nolstalgically familiar but at the same time different that I could not help but enjoy this (well executed) bastardization of one of my all time favourite film.

In term of literature, the series cannot compare to it's predecessor, but I must urge poeple to give this amazing show a try. Trust me it's very enchanting, (though somewhat less effective in drawing sympathy due to the unreal environment)

Yes I know that it's only one episode, but I give high regard to the director, for this homage to the classic I can gladly accept.

edit: sorry i didn't see this thread... much apologise...

[Dan Rugh]

I've seen both of the currently released episodes and I also really enjoy the series so far. Kambei and Katsushiro are cool characters and I've seen the remaining samurai on the [URL=http://www.samurai-7.com]official website[/URL]. Kyuuzou seems pretty interesting... he was in the dark room where Ukyo's father was talking to everyone about "the era of the samurai is dead." Kikuchiyo, the robot samurai, is kinda dumb, though.

So Samurai 7 is airing "bi-weekly," but they are playing two episodes at a time. I don't really understand the reasoning behind this.

[Dagger]

Seeing episodes 3 and 4 (especially episode 4!) instantly made Samurai 7 into one of my favorite anime of the current season. Dan, Kyuuzou is just too cool for words. He has that lovely semi-evil personality which I never seem to tire of, no matter how many male characters possess it. ;) Plus, the fight between him and [spoiler]Kanbei[/spoiler] is really quite breathtaking, equal to or even better than the kind of action that Samurai Champloo regularly dishes out. I like this show's script and sly sense of humor as well as its visual richness--it's got a whole lot going for it, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next set of episodes.

~Dagger~

[Dan Rugh]

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]Seeing episodes 3 and 4 (especially episode 4!) instantly made Samurai 7 into one of my favorite anime of the current season. Dan, Kyuuzou is just too cool for words. He has that lovely semi-evil personality which I never seem to tire of, no matter how many male characters possess it. ;) Plus, the fight between him and [spoiler]Kanbei[/spoiler] is really quite breathtaking, equal to or even better than the kind of action that Samurai Champloo regularly dishes out. I like this show's script and sly sense of humor as well as its visual richness--it's got a whole lot going for it, and I can't wait to see what happens in the next set of episodes.

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]

What sub group are you following for Samurai 7? I downloaded 1 and 2 from Anime-Keep, but I don't know who else is doing the series.

EDIT: I should've checked Lunar before posting that. lol *downloads* I can't wait till these are done. :)

[Dagger]

Yes, impatience has led me to stick with Lunar's fansubs. ^_^;;

Haha, my favorite part of episode 4 was the scene during which [spoiler]Kanbei said "I'm in love!" to Kyuuzou simply for the sake of catching him off-guard. While Kanbei may not be capable of defeating Kyuuzou in a fair fight, his various (not particularly dirty) tricks--such as hurling a volley of metal poles at Kyuuzou's head--certainly helped to increase his odds.[/spoiler]

~Dagger~

[Dan Rugh]

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]Yes, impatience has led me to stick with Lunar's fansubs. ^_^;;

Haha, my favorite part of episode 4 was the scene during which [spoiler]Kanbei said "I'm in love!" to Kyuuzou simply for the sake of catching him off-guard. While Kanbei may not be capable of defeating Kyuuzou in a fair fight, his various (not particularly dirty) tricks--such as hurling a volley of metal poles at Kyuuzou's head--certainly helped to increase his odds.[/spoiler]

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]

I don't really like Lunar's subs. They translate Mikumari-sama as Dowser-sama. What the hell is a dowser? Not saying I know the translation of mikumari, but that just sounds dumb. I also don't like how they have Masamune and Kikuchiyo speak with slang. I hate slang lol. So my episode 3 is Lunar, but I got A-Keep & ANBU for #4 because they do a much better job, in my opinion. I might redownload 3 from them.

It caught my attention that they sometimes call Kikuchiyo "Kikunoji" instead. Does any know what the difference is?

So, as I expected, Kyuuzou is awesome. He is probably my favorite character so far. Gorobei is pretty cool too, but I don't like his weird scar and his yellow MC Hammer pants lol. Katsushirou and Kirara seem to be getting closer in episode 4. I wonder if that will turn into anything? *ponders* I hope not. Kambei is still as cool as ever. I think he was lying to Kyuuzou about being able to defeat him. No one can beat Jesus Samurai. When Kambei said that he loved Kyuuzou, I got kinda scared that this was gonna turn into a shounen-ai anime, but that quickly changed... or did it? I got lucky with Peace Maker Kurogane that nothing toooo weird happened. :laugh:

Can't wait for 5 and 6!!!

[Hittokiri Zero]

The waiting has killed me but after the long overdue releases of Akeep's and ANBU's version of episodes 3 & 4 (and putting up with horrendous bittorrent download speeds!) I finally watched episodes 3 and 4 of Samurai 7. What I can say so far is... Schw33337~!! This series is definatly better than Samurai Champloo as not only does it have stylish fight but it has a lot of substance and beautiful pacing which makes it so there is never a dull moment. Kyuzo is a pretty interesting character, while his hair somewhat turns me away from his character design his somewhat evil persona make him a easily likeable character and the fact that he was able to fight on par with Kambei-sama deserves major proprs as well. As for Kambei saying he could not beat Kyuzo... I have to disagree with Dan Rugh. If you look at the age differences between Kyuzo and Kambei, Kambei is definatly much older and slower than Kyuzo. While he's probably the more intelligent and creative fighter he doesn't have the speed or stamina to keep up with Kyuzo (or atleast that's my take on the character comparison :rolleyes:).

[Okita]

Episode 5-6 have been release for a while now, and I've just had the chance to watch it last night, while I love the story to death, I am on tight rope about the [spoiler]supposed death Katsushiro! how could they knock off the comic relief this early into the series?!?! that's just not right! [/spoiler] I am hoping beyond hope that this is a false premise because while I respect the seriousnous of the show, but having something this drastic happen on the 6th episode is really depressing.

[Hittokiri Zero]

You got the names mixed up Katushiro is the "pathetic samurai" the one in the orange with green hair :rolleyes:. The amount of characters in the series whose name begin with K is astounding... Kirara, Komachi, Katushiro, Kyuzo, Kambei, Kikuchiyo, etc. etc.

I also watched episodes 5-6 yesterday and this series does not fail to impress me. It's maintained it's high quality throughout the first 6 episodes and I wouldn't be surprised if it keeps me captivated throughout the entire run of the series. [spoiler]As fir Kikuchiyo's "death"... I honestly don't think he is dead :/... Just yet atleast. I wouldn't be surprised if he made a return later on in the series. He is a machine samurai after all and if he can survive getting his head cut off I think he can manage with a dinky old train wreck.[/spoiler]

Episode 5 was really entertaining because we got to see Kambei fight Hyugo [spoiler]during the fight o_O... Did Kambei really grab Hyugo's... err balls .__-... For those of you have scene the episode rewatch it and you'll see what I mean[/spoiler], but I also think Heihachi is a good balance to the rest of the characters in that he's not an expert swordsmen or anything of the sort but more of a thoughtful tactition. Meh... I can't wait for Kyuzo and Kambei to meet again I think an interesting relationship will develop between those two.

[Dan Rugh]

Kikuchiyo is definitely [spoiler]not dead.[/spoiler] It makes me wonder if he was ever human. You know how ( I think it was Maro who said it) the Nobuseri were once humans that were turned into giant machines. Interesting... I'm also wondering why Ukyou hates machine samurai so much. If you go to the official site, the Nobuseri actually have names: Kaminari, Benikumo, Youhei, and Yakan.

I read Okita's post before watching episode 6 and I was stunned for a bit. So while I was watching the episode, I was waiting for [spoiler]the moment when Katsushirou would be killed... and it ended up being Kikuchiyo instead[/spoiler] Phew! I don't like [spoiler]Kikuchiyo[/spoiler]all that much so it wouldn't matter to me if that does happen.

The Kambei and Hyougo fight was pretty cool while it lasted. The ball-grabbing thing was a little freaky. I have a feeling that I know who [spoiler]killed the Imperial Envoy.[/spoiler] I'm betting that it was Kyuuzou without a doubt. I don't really know why, but it's gotta be him.

[Okita]

oops sorry for getting the name mixed up! really I had just watched the episode and was on an emotional drive! Kikuchiyo it is then!

again sorry for such a grave misinformation....

[ColourDeaf]

It's good, but there is only really two things I have to say on it

1) Kikuchiyo rocks

2) Doesn't hold a candle to the original

As some of you may or may not know, Samurai 7 is based (loosely) on the Akira Kurosawa film "Seven Samurai" (you see what they did there?), and althogh they've made an admirable attempt at making it into an anime, it's a far cry from the genius that was the original (one of the greatest Samurai movies of all time, and a personal favourite of mine). If it was just an anime without the comparisons, it rocks, but....

[natetron46]

Is the story that similiar? Ive heard of the movie but I thought that only the name was shared, obviously I havent seen the movie. :o
Are the characters and plot the same?

[WW2]

[QUOTE=natetron46]Is the story that similiar? Ive heard of the movie but I thought that only the name was shared, obviously I havent seen the movie. :o
Are the characters and plot the same?[/QUOTE]

Yeah...the story is basically the same, seven samurai gathered to take on bandits, only the original didn't have robots and flashy things like that.

All the Samurai have the same name, but the characters seem to be really different from their movie counterparts, especially Kikuchiyo.
In the original movie he was pretty much just an ex-farm boy with a sword, and provided alot of comic relief.

[Dagger]

The animation in certain parts of episode 7 was so sloppy I almost couldn't stand to watch it. This [i]could[/i] conceivably have been a deliberate stylistic choice, but the sequences in question just weren't fluid enough or blatantly different enough to get away with being animated oddly. Things picked up significantly during episode 8 (although the CG graphics were integrated much less smoothly than in Last Exile, which is strange considering that Samurai 7 must have a significantly larger budget).

In certain shots, Kyuuzou looks strangely like a twisted version of Trigun's Vash--red trench coat, weird blond hair, and so forth. This only really struck me when he was standing in the desert-like area toward the end of episode 8, but it was amusing all the same. There were some good character introductions in these two segments, so I don't really mind that the plot is unfolding rather slowly. I do admit to wishing Kyuuzou would just hurry up and [spoiler]join the group[/spoiler] already, though. ^_^;;

Anyway, I'm enjoying the cute romantic vibes between Katsushiro and Kirara. My congratulations to Katsushiro for finally receiving proper recognition as [spoiler]the fifth samurai.[/spoiler] It was about time.

~Dagger~

[Dan Rugh]

I just finished watching episode 7. The first half looked terrible. I was sitting here hoping that they didn't draw the whole episode like that. Most likely, it was drawn to look this way to show how care-free the town was with their "no-swords" policy. In actuality, it looked like careless animation done by a child. I've seen other things animated like this and I hated them, too.

They changed the opening animation. I must admit that I like it a lot better. It would be nice if they change the ending animation as well. The theme songs are still good, though. ;) So Shichirouji was introduced. There are too many good characters in Samurai 7 (cough... except Kikuchiyo). I noticed they started calling Maro "Ayamaro" all of a sudden with this episode. Weird.

I'll edit this or post again after I see episode 8 tomorrow.

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]Gee, Dan, Dowser does sound dumb. xD

I can't stand Samurai 7. I hate it. Not in the spirit of wanting to be flamed or anything, but I simply cannot stand this series. I watched one episode and that was it for me.

I found the art ugly, the concept dull, the character designs blase, the whole mech thing kind of annoying, and the music was pretty bad.

But hey: that's just me.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Dagger]

Well, she [i]is[/i] a dowser, so... ^_^;;

*grins* In any case, all I can say is that you're missing out on some truly dazzling action. This show will look unbelievably good on DVD. For me at least, it's rarely a good idea to judge an anime by one episode--by doing that with Madlax, I almost avoided watching what turned out to be a very, very cool show.

Episode 9 has something for everyone. For starters, each of the main characters--including Kyuuzou and even the still-wounded Katsushiro--performs some kind of gravity-defying stunt. The 3-D cel-shading continues to look a little messy (especially when compared to the incredibly clean, unobtrusive CGI seen in series like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex). However, the action is otherwise so smooth and flashy that I find this an easy flaw to forgive.

Oddly enough, the mecha seem to blend in better when Kanbei and company are dicing them up; the CG machinery stands out the most during shots with little movement. Kirara does what she does best... she sits around, says sensible things and looks cute. Not the most inspiring anime female ever created, but her character design really is exquisite.

I love how Kikuchiyo refers to himself as "ore-sama."

While episode 10 contains less action, it's [i]very[/i] amusing. Kikuchiyo and the little girl gang up on Katsu, constantly teasing him about his feelings for Kirara. Rikichu, stuck with Gorobei and the woodcutter (who reveals in episode 9 that he has a surprisingly ruthless streak), is forced to endure all sorts of jokes and hijinks. The battle sequences with Kyuuzou and "Momotaro" are just spectacular--the animation in this new pair of episodes more than makes up for the disappointing visuals in episode 7.

~Dagger~

[Ben Holiday]

Though well over a year late I sat down and watched this series over the weekend I won't compare it to 7 Samurai or the Magnificent Seven as it really is just an updated adaption and that's where the similarities end. By the end I think my favorite character became Katsushirou he shaped up very well and became quite impressive even though many bad mistakes befell him and those around him.

[spoiler]I really hoped to see a finale between Kanbei and Kyuuzou that would have been a better way to end it but knowing the story all ready was prepared for it to be like this.[/spoiler] All together a pretty decent show hell it's mecha, guns, swords and plenty of killing what's not to enjoy. :devil: