Season Review: Samurai Jack Season Five

Long ago in a distant land, a lone samurai faced the ultimate evil…

When I was a kid, Samurai Jack was one of the best cartoons that aired on television. To a thirteen-year-old, almost nothing was more awesome than a sword-swinging samurai prince that went around destroying evil robots that were hired to assassinate him. The original run of this series lasted 52 episodes before it was suddenly discontinued. I spent years wondering if my boy Samurai Jack would ever make it back to the past and defeat Aku. I even played the video game, The Shadow of Aku, on Playstation 2 when I was finally able to procure a copy of my own a couple of years ago. It goes without saying, I went on a time trip to the past myself when Adult Swim announced they would be bringing back one of my favorite childhood heroes for another season this year.

This fifth season of Samurai Jack was shrouded in hope and mystery for me. The biggest concern that I had was that this continuation would fail to live up to the original series and that I would end up regretting Cartoon Network/Adult Swim’s decision to revive this series. Fortunately, they failed to disappoint and Samurai Jack’s final run was nothing short of spectacular. Once again I found myself traveling Aku’s evil stricken future with Jack on his mission to get back to the past and destroy The Shape-Shifting Master of Darkness.

I must say that I was hoping that this fifth season would not be the end of Samurai Jack. Sometimes, when a series such as this one is left in limbo, the attachment to it grows. Part of this is due to nostalgia, while part of this is due to the fans who grew up with the show, keeping the spirit of the characters alive in their imaginations. Many times in the last thirteen years I found myself conversing with friends, hypothesizing possible endings for this beloved series. In the end, however, the creative team behind Samurai Jack came up with their own idea, delivering one of the best finales to a series that I have ever witnessed. They stayed true to their original formula, and to the spirit of the series. It can be hard to end a series like this one, but I believe that this is one of the rare instances where the finale was handled perfectly. The only negative feeling that I harbor is that, while I personally wished over and over for Samurai Jack to return, when he finally did come back, it felt like he came and went too quickly. However, I am at peace with that because I’m glad that a hero from my past was able to come back and be a hero to us all once again. Even if it was for only thirty minutes a week, I was taken back to my younger days of being a kid again. The execution, voice acting, animation, action, and writing all contributed to this score. Admittedly I could be slightly biased due to Samurai Jack being one of my all-time favorite series as well. Perhaps this is also because I feel that Aku, The Shape Shifting Master of Darkness reminds us that not does evil come in many forms, but that our own self-doubt can be the greatest evil to our own personal beings. Samurai Jack is more than just a time traveling samurai, but also a metaphor reminding us all to believe in ourselves, defeat our own darkness. Samurai Jack can inspire us to live in the present moment without getting caught up in our own worries, doubts, and fears, and to keep fighting. Samurai Jack doesn’t just happen in the past and the future, for when he finally gets back to the past he comes full circle and is back to the present moment. Samurai Jack isn’t just a tv show but takes place in our everyday lives. Thank you for bringing Samurai Jack back home, Mr. Tartakovsky.

My only question is this: The original run of Samurai Jack ended at episode 52, while the final season picked up at episode 92. What happened in those 40 “missing” episodes? Is it possible that there may be some “Lost Episodes” of Samurai Jack? Even if the answer is no, I’m okay with that. I can’t imagine this series ending any other way.

SCORE
9.5/10