World Famous Comics: Samurai 7: Box Set (Viridian Collection)
Samurai 7: Box Set (Viridian Collection)
Starring: R. Bruce Elliott, Christopher Sabat, Sean Teague, Bob Carter, Greg Ayres Directed By: Futoshi Higashide, Hirofumi Ogura, Hiroyuki Okuno, Inuo Inukawa, Jiro Fujimoto Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Audience Rating: Unrated Binding: DVD Feature: Based on the legendary Akira Kurosawaic epic feature film, Seven Samurai. Set in a futuristic world that has just witnessed the end of a massive war, scores of villages are terrorized by Nobuseri bandits. But the Nobuseri are no normal bandits. They were once Samurai, who during the war integrated their living cells with machines to become dangerous weapons now appearing more machine than man. Format: Box set, NTSC, Color, Widescreen, Subtitled Number of Items: 7 Region Code: 1 Release Date: July 01, 2008 Running Time: 600 minutes Studio: Funimation Prod
Features:
Based on the legendary Akira Kurosawaic epic feature film, Seven Samurai. Set in a futuristic world that has just witnessed the end of a massive war, scores of villages are terrorized by Nobuseri bandits. But the Nobuseri are no normal bandits. They were once Samurai, who during the war integrated their living cells with machines to become dangerous weapons now appearing more machine than man.
Product Description: Based on the legendary Akira Kurosawa classic epic feature film Seven Samurai.Set in a futuristic world that has just witnessed the end of a massive war scores of villages are terrorized by Nobuseri bandits. But the Nobuseri are no normal bandits. They were once Samurai who during the war integrated their living cells with machines to become dangerous weapons now appearing more machine than man. Absolute power corrupts and their reign of terror is increasing its hold on the countryside.But one group of villagers has had enough deciding to hire samurai to protect their village. Kirara is a young priestess who travels to the city seeking out protection. One by one she encounters brave samurai that the war has left behind. These men of skill and valor are each unique and not without their quirks. But can they come together as one to defend the helpless village?Contains all 26 episodes!System Requirements:Running Time: 705 minutesFormat: DVD Genre: ANIMATION/ANIME UPC: 704400058011 Manufacturer No: 0
Samurai 7 Viridian Collection ^ To begin, I was extremely pleased with the quality of disks and artwork of jackets and casing. Most of the disks even featured well-placed animated menus with appropriate music. However, some of the later discs lacked the animated menus, and I would label the entire set as lacking in extra features. The commentaries were limited, which isn't a huge problem to me, but they were spoken by the english voice actors, which I thought to be rather upsetting. No "making of" information or conceptual art. What it does deliver are an increasing number of funimation advertisements and our favorite "Mr. Stain" shorts, which can be amusing, but were rather oddly placed. Still, the discs were of high quality, and the cover art was quite spectacular. Samurai 7 is an excellent show, and a must view for fans of anime or Akira Kurosawa (although Kurosawa himself might not have been too thrilled with the additions to the addaptation). I am impressed with the depth of the characters and the stunning animation. I was overall pleased with the production.
Excelllent ^ Well, what can I say? Samurai and mecha like samurai? Bring it on! This series, based obviously on Kurosawa's tale, covers the journey of a couple of villagers trying to save their village, and the Samurai who join them. the story and the detail, both, are of the highest quality. The sound, as well, is very good. If the series is lacking, in any way, it is in the same manner that most anime lack. That is the apparent need to have one or two "cute" or humorous or buffoonish type characters, that while intending to bring levity to the series, in fact bring it down a slight notch as there presence, to me, distracts from the tale being told. Apart from that gripe, I found this series compelling and almost too difficult to stop watching until the series was complete.
One word: Awesome. ^ I have always been a lover of anime, but this one is one of my favorites. I saw a few of the episodes about six years ago and just couldn't pass this opportunity up. I must say that I still LOVE it. The action is well-choreographed and there is good meat to the storyline. None of the characters just hang out in the background while others bask in the glory. Each character has their own past(some grittier than others)demons to deal with. Each character grows throughout the series instead of remaining stagnant.
My family (who aren't anime buffs like myself)actually watched this show with me for the two days it took us to finish it. So if you like samurais, kick butt action, and a deep storyline, and well dimensioned characters purchase this boxed set. You won't regret it.
A decent series, but not worth keeping... ^ At the time, I purchased this anime set because I was just getting into anime, and a friend recommended getting this series. Samurai 7, very briefly, is about a group of villagers who go to the city to recruit seven samurai to help the villagers rebel against the Nobuseri. Obviously there is more to it than that, but that's what the series is based on. I didn't want to get into a lot of the storyline, or what this series is actually based off of, because a lot of other reviewers have already hit those areas. Instead I want to focus on the things that I liked and disliked in this series.
By far the graphics and the music is what makes this anime awesome. Some of the fight scenes are just ridiculously beautiful looking. I am not sure if it CGI or not, but the series is worth watching just for its breath taking fight scenes. The music is well orchestrated and flows just as beautifully well with the amazing picture. The story is pretty solid, though I was surprised at how they could stretch it out that long. This anime could have ended with a lot fewer episodes, but then it wouldn't have been as good. After a while some of the episodes become dry and boring, and you can tell where the storyline is going. It's obvious that the creators wanted the series to go longer, and thus its gets dull at parts.
That is my main beef with this series, and my other beef is with the characters and character development. Some of the characters are awesome and their development over the series gets better as it goes on. Kambei for example is just all around the likeable aged hero, and Katsushiro, as the series progresses, goes from being a dolt to a great warrior. But some of the characters are downright annoying. Kikuchiyo the cyborg has some pretty silly one-liners. And some of the other seven warriors aren't even in the series that much!
All in all, this anime is pretty decent. The storyline is very one sided, and the fact that it gets stretched over 26 episodes makes the anime seem boring at times. The characters could have been done better as well. However, the amazing drawing and battle scenes really make up for the depressing parts of the series. Honestly, I would say rent or buy this cheap, because there is a lot of hype behind this series, but at $25, that's not a bad price. I am going to get rid of my copy, just because I can never actually see myself watching it again.
Loved it! ^ A great copy of the series. Wonderful story with a few surprises. DVD quality was great. Played like a charm.
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Trevor
Megaton Man
