Customer Reviews

Samurai Jack - Season 2

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It has been much too long between the DVD releases of Samurai Jack Season 1 and Season 2 (due out May 24, 2005). Season 2 has some of the very best Samurai Jack episodes, including:

* Episode 14 - Jack learns to "jump good" thanks to the help of an ape-man and a tribe of his fellow apes. This has some great scenes of Jack in training and as Jack in turn teaches his new friends to defend themselves.
* Episode 18 - Jack has to battle a posse of assasin robots. Once again, Jack must prove - to himself, more than anyone - that his heart is greater than any enemy Aku can throw at him.
* Episode 19 - Jack stumbles upon his ancestral land, now in ruins. This has some heartwarming flashbacks of Jack's life as a little boy.
* Episode 20 - Jack and the Mountain. Jack joins three monks in a death-defying climb up a mystical mountain. Are these the spirits of the monks who created Jack's samurai sword? : )
* Episode 22 - Jack battles three lion-men...the greatest wild-game hunter team in the galaxy. The stalker-prey chase gives Jack his toughest challenge of skill to date.

So why the 4 stars? There are a few other episodes that fall too short of Samurai Jack at his best. In one episode in this series Jack encounters a village cursed with a vile smell. The episode is strange, gross, and just a little offensive. In another episode, Jack takes part in three so-so fairy tales amongst his many journeys. This episode just lacks the umph you come to expect from Samurai Jack.

However, just the episodes listed above (especially Episodes 18 & 19) make this DVD worth the price. I've been waiting for these episodes since the release of Season 1. Finally, it's almost here.

Well, this is the volume that tens of thousands of die-hard fans have been waiting for, and judging from the excellent quality of the first set this one is a no-brainer for any aficionado of animation; asian or north american.

Continuing his quest to return to his home in the past and vanquish the evil that exile him, Samurai Jack treks the world over, encountering the strange and powerful alike.

Held together with an unlikely combination of highly stylized directing and geometric visuals, Samurai Jack offers a brand of animation literally not found in any other series. While the analogies have been made before, they bear repating: if you like old spaghetti westerns, bizarre sci-fi, episodic storytelling or just plain frenetic action this is certainly the series for you.

The tale of Samurai Jack is a deep one, permeated with a sharp visual style that doesn't rely solely on it's animation to entertain. The first season was fantastic and in terms of quality, this 2nd season is no different.

The character of Samurai Jack will amaze you with his perseverance, courage and skill. He's quite the heroic character...inspirational for people in real life to never give up no matter what the odds.

The special features include a fairly amusing creator scrapbook of Genndy Tartakovsky. It gives an informative look at the life and career of Samurai Jack's creator and is worth watching.

With all that being said, I found the 'wow' factor in this season to be marginally lower than that of the first season. Perhaps it's because I didn't love ALL the episodes like I did the first season. Episodes XXI and XXIV here failed to impress me, although XXIV's ending had a decent twist.

Samurai Jack is still one of my personal favorite shows of all time. It has qualities rarely seen out of the finest motion pictures; genuinely exciting action, emotional drama and a healthy dose of lighthearted humor. All this in a simple cartoon series.

Samurai Jack in my opinion has to be one of the best animated series ever created. It combines humor and non-stop action into one neatly rolled package...and the second season is definetely better than the first.

Samurai Jack follows a Japanese warrior who is transported thousands of years into the future by the evil sorcerror and tyrant, Aku. Apparently, Aku has now taken over the world and the majority of (If not all) lives under his rule. Jack now is struggling to find a method of transporting him back to the past where he can undo Aku's tyranny. The first season was summed up in one word: Great. But the second season is summed up in another word: Awesome. The DVD set includes 13 episodes in total, each one magnificent works of artwork and animation.

Some of the best episodes of the set includes one where a gang destroys Jack's sandals and he goes after them for revenge, while trying to find the right footwear. It's wittingly humorous as Jack emerges to battle the gang and ends up being laughed at for his ridiouculous footwear.

Another nice episode is one which explores Jack's past when he comes to the ruins of his own village, ravaged thousands of years ago. Its touching as Jack remembers his past. Another nice episode is where Jack is forced into battle against a group of samurai robots, each wielding different weapons and abilities, such as flamethrowers and shruikens. Jack is eventually outfitted with a robotic arm and the battle is undeniably gritty and intense.

Well, anyway, I seriously reccomend purchasing the second season, however, also keep your eyes out for the third season, which in my opinion is much better (It includes an episode where Jack battles a trio of Egyptian shadow-warriors and must call on the god Ra in order to rescue himself and a two-part battle between Jack's father and Aku which is also awesome).

I was hooked with Season 1 and Season 2 does not disappoint. Each Wed evening after the kids were in bed, my friends and I would get "kitchen passes" from our respective wives and gather to watch two episodes. Amazing animation (perspectives, contrast, etc.), superb direction, excellent music, and great storytelling (and best seen in the "appropriate" frame of mind). I withdrew the fifth star only because the manufcturers chinced on the high sound quality the original offered. Hopefully, they'll do better with Season 3. Hey, anyone know when that's coming out?

It's a ritual for my 5 year ld daughter and her dad to watch Samurai Jack before bed. Back when she was 3, and it was played on Cartoon Network, they made sure to watch it together. Now that Cartoon Network is retarded and they don't play it anymore, I've bought Seasons 1 and 2. I just wish it was played on Cartoon Network like it used to be. ...Jill Henrichsen

Glad to see I was wrong. Thing is I don't have the Cartoon Network. We only have YTV and Teletoon here and they're not particularly good. I rented the Samurai Jack Premiere Movie and liked it so on a whim I bought the Season 2 set and it's actually a really good show.

In season 1, Samurai Jack was in old day Japan battling the shape-shifting demon Aku. During a fight, Aku creates a time portal which propels Jack into the future where Aku is even more powerful. So the show is basically about Jack wanting to get back to his own time and defeat Aku.

With season 2, it's basically episodic in nature. Not a lot plot-wise happens such as a companion or even a rival that isn't the main villain(similar to Him from Powerpuff Girls, when it's normally Mojo Jojo). The show is really episodic in other things too. Season opener finds Jack learning how to jump incredibly high. I haven't seen him use it again, even in one episode when he scales a mountain. He could easily clear this mountain in 2-3 jumps.

The show does excel at one thing though: style, and it showcases it in spades. The show's unique animation blends with almost movie-like angles, even employing widescreen-style and split-screen. There's even 4-screens and many other styles. This gives the show a nice unique quality you don't tend to get with other shows.

The voice actors also do a good job, despite the fact it's not a really word-y show. Phil LaMarr(Hermes and others from Futurama, or Marvin in Pulp Fiction "I shot Marvin in the face!") does a great Jack having a really calm in-control tone. Others tend to guest star or provide small voices such as John DiMaggio(Bender from Futurama, Wakka from Final Fantasy X).

It's a really stylish show, occasionally funny without being obvious(such as my other favorite Powerpuff Girls which is designed as an obvious comedy animated show), Samurai Jack is like art film in cartoon form.

Slow animation punctuated by moments of fast animation along with a catchy storyline makes for great animation.

Love it. Give it a chance, you won't regret it.

Samurai Jack, the groundbreaking animation series by Genndy Tartavosky that follows the young samurai stranded in the future, searching for his arch-nemesis, Aku, and a way back to the past, continues in the fantastic second season.

In the last DVD we were introduced to Jack, the shapeshifting wizard Aku, and many allies and foes. In Samurai Jack: Season 2, Jack's journey continues through some of the best episodes ever produced (as well as a couple that never should have been). But the good far outweighs the bad as Jack meets old friends, explores his past, and is fully realized as a warrior of honor, skill, and some good old fashioned luck.

The action reaches its peak in episodes such as XVIII (Jack and the Ultra-Robots), XXII (Jack and Imakandi), and XXIII (Jack vs Demongo, the episode that officially hooked me as a lifelong fan). Arguably some of the best action episodes of the series (out of quite a bunch!), these episodes have Jack fighting (or running) for his life before delving into his resourcefulness and inner strength for the means to defeat his foes.

Jack's almost overwhelming valor in these episodes might make for a rather two-dimensional character, but we also see moments of his vulnerability in such episodes as XIX (Jack Remembers His Past) and XX (Jack and the Monks), one of my personal favorites. In the twentieth episode, after losing yet another chance to return to the past, a disheartened Jack follows three monks up the seemingly endless, nearly impossible Mount Fatoom, only to discover anew the reasons behind his journey.

It's hard to decide whether Season 2 is the best of the series. But it is certainly a gem to be treasured, its mix of high-voltage action and personal reflection paving the way for some of Jack's greatest triumphs and worst moments of despair in the stunning Season 3.

The first season of Samurai Jack was amazing, It had it's action episodes and it's more funny ones. But this season seems to just be more on the comical side, don't get me wrong, it still has its complete action episodes, like "Jack and The Hunters" and "Jack and the Smack Back" But theirs a lot more of "comical" episodes, like "Jack and The Farting Dragon," "Jack Is Naked," and "Jack's Sandals" but this season is probably the weakest one for Samurai Jack. It's still a great season, just the weaker one out of all the SJ seasons. But if you're a big fan of SJ you'll love it regardless.

My favorite episodes:

Jack Remembers The Past, Jack and The Hunters, Jack And The Spartans, and Jack's Sandals (It's pretty funny.)

5/5 stars.