Samurai 7-
Volume 2: Escape from the Merchants
(MVM Region 2 PAL DVD)
(2005)
review by Blackgloves

One of the most important aspects of any new anime project must be the visual design of the show -- because that's the first thing to make an impression on the viewer. GONZO's new anime series, based on the Akira Kurosawa film "Seven Samurai", scores very highly on first impressions with its sumptuous, colour-drenched art design and exotic collection of beautifully rendered characters. As in the film that provides the basic story-line for the show, the poverty-stricken peasants of the village of Kanna have sent their beautiful water princess Kirara and her young sister Komachi, out on a quest with a young peasant man called Rikichi -- in search of seven Samurai to come and protect the village from a group of robo-bandits called the Nobuseri: ex-Samurai who became cyborgs and turned to banditry after a great war left them jobless in its lawless aftermath.

The first few episodes of the debut volume introduced the viewer to an imaginative, futuristic world that nevertheless retains aspects in its visual design of historical Japan. The merchant village of Kogakyo is the trio's first stop where they quickly meet the wise Samurai, Kambie; he becomes the first to join them and becomes their adviser in their sift through the dregs of Kogakyo's disenfranchised Samurai society. The travelling street performer and ex-Samurai, Katayama Gorobe also joins, but it proves difficult to find many other Samurai who are willing to give up the comfortable existence they've settled for; and the most enthusiastic members to join may not be the most suitable for the difficult task in hand: namely, the trainee teenage Samurai, Katjushiro, and a clumsy mechanical Samurai called Kikuchiyo (nicknamed 'Nunky' by little Komachi). They both tag along despite Kambie's reservations.

With this second volume, the quest continues to find the rest of the seven warriors. The gang have other problems as well though, because Kirara has excited the interest of the indolent Lord Ukyo, son of the rich and ruthless Lord Ayamaro. He tries to kidnap her to add her to his gaudy harem, in a sumptuous palace situated on the side of a mountain. His father dispatches the skilled Samurai, Kyuzo, in search of the group after they break in and rescue Kirara from his son's clutches. This volume sees the gang continue their quest -- adding two more members by the end, and also dealing with Lord Ukyo's continued attempts to capture Kirara.

Heihachi is the name of the first new member of the group: the young Samurai considers himself rather timid and has redirected his skills into expert woodcutting for the restaurant owners of the town. He proves to be a most valuable and energetic contribution to the dynamic of the developing team of warriors; and he is soon put to the test when an unanticipated turn of events in Lord Ayamaro's palace put the team in even more danger: the imperial envoy is murdered -- his wounds make it obvious that a Samurai was involved in the killing. Lord Ayamaro responds by issuing a degree that all Samurai in the Town shall be detained. A reward is offered to anyone who captures one ... dead or alive! It is not long before the 'Samurai Hunt' endangers our protagonists; Ayamaro's personal soldiers hunt them deep into a disused mine-shaft where 'Nunky' proves his bravery by holding off the hordes while his comrades escape.

The gang escape to 'The Village of Healing': an entertainment facility where people of all ranks come to forget the stress and strain of Town life. Kambie has an old friend living here: Momotero Shichiroji is another ex-Samurai who has become a Dodoitou Singer with his accompanist and lover, Yukino; they have lived at the 'Firefly Inn' in the years since the Great War. When he hears of Kambie's new mission, Shichiroji becomes the next addition to the list of Samurai. 'Nunky' re-emerges, but unfortunately leads Ayamaro's men to the group when he takes refuge at the 'Firefly Inn'.

The group escape by boat into an underground cave system with Kyuzo and Lord Ukyo in hot pursuit. The cave system is also home to a peculiar race called the Shikimori who turn out to be trading partners with the Bandits. This is where we finally get to hear a little about the motivations of Rikichi -- the young man from Kanna who accompanies Kirara and Komachi on their trek. It turns out that he allowed his wife to sell herself to the Bandits in order to try and stop them harming the village; now, racked with guilt, he is determined to gain vengeance. He becomes enraged at the mere sight of the Bandits and cannot understand how the slave workers who farm the Shikimori's rice can go along with the arrangement -- especially since they themselves come from villages that were once victims of the Bandit raids. Kambie promises Rikichi that they will rescue his wife, Sanae, after they have saved the village. Meanwhile, Lord Ayamaro has to leave after being summoned to the capital; he puts Lord Uyeo in charge of protecting the electricity cells -- produced by the Sjikimori -- that power the City.

The action, comedy, pathos and drama of "Samurai 7" continues to engage; the show looks lovely and the episodes feature a great mix of elements -- not least the imaginative inhabitants of this exotic world such as the Bat-like Shikimori: encased in gas-masks, hanging from the tops of caves, and silently monitoring their slaves as they toil in the underground rice fields. The fantastical nature of this interpretation of the saga comes home in sequences such as these, adding to the wide variety of character types whose foibles drive the narrative forward. "Samurai 7" is shaping up nicely as a must-see anime.