Search - Samurai 7: Search for the Seven v.1 on DVD

Jeremy G.
Reviewed on 1/4/2011...

10 out of 10!!

Must own anime

eau | USA | 08/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great anime series loosely based on Akira Kurosawa's epic film Seven Samurai, with some sci-fi elements added to it.

The limited edition comes within the regular DVD plus 4 story books, one for each episode. All are secured within a big cardboard case. Note that the case is not an art box designed to hold the series. You will get a separate case for the limited edition of each volume."

The Seven Samurai are back.

Michael Valdivielso | Alexandria, VA | 03/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Samurai 7 is a anime based on Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954) based in a futuristic world. The villages and cities are recovering from a massive war. The Samurai are now jobless and many have become bandits. But not just normal bandits. They have become Nobuseri bandits, machines who use to be men, Samurai who had their living cells replaced by iron and steel. And now they raid the towns for rice and, sometimes, women.
One of these villages have sent for Samurai, hungry warriors, willing to fight off for a meal of cooked rice each day. Titled Akira Kurosawa's Samurai 7, this anime does honor to one of the best Japanese movies of the 20th Century, if not one of the best movies of all time. The only flaw was the fact that the DVD held only four episodes. But the episodes were GREAT, each linked to the next, like one big story. Which it IS. None of the episodes are in a vaccum, they are all a chain of cause and effect. Not much in the way of extras, besides opening and closing songs, trailers and some character profiles.
"

LOOKING FOR HELP FROM HUNGRY SAMURAI

Sesho | Pasadena, TX USA | 07/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Samurai 7 is not a straight up adaptation of The Seven Samurai but a bold new sci-fi take on the original plot and theme of a band of villagers who lack both the means and the spirit to fight off cruel and ruthless bandits who do not steal their money, but their crops, which is worse. For without their crops, the villagers will starve and their way of life will pass away. The difference here is that the bandits rumble around in giant flying fortresses that would be at home in the robot world of the Matrix's bombed out Earth. The desperate peasants come up with a plan to hire samurai to kill the bandits off but the only thing they have to pay with is their rice. But this is good enough because there are lots of hungry samurai in this world, as their power is slowly being eroded by a rising merchant class that has infiltrated the government and sees the samurai as an outdated and useless class. Even the bandits were once samurai but in order to survive they chose to steal and pillage. Kirara, a young water priestess, volunteers to travel to the city to find some samurai along with her little sister and a young man from the village. Little does she suspect how hard it is going to be to find true battle hardened warriors that are willing to fight not for money, but out of justice, in an age when the way of the blade is dying. And watching her and coveting her in secret is the foppish son of the merchant who runs the city, who lives only for pleasure, and would stoop even to kidnapping to make Kirara his.

Samurai 7 is a beautiful animation with lots of depth. I don't mean the characterization or story per se. I mean in terms of the world that fills your screen. Most anime do not bother with long shots but Samurai 7 revels in them ala John Ford or David Lean. It's really something to see these characters moving across these endless horizons of city environments. Even though most of Volume 1 takes place in one locale, you really get a sense of hugeness. The storyline of Samurai 7 has already been proven as surefire winner so it's a no-brainer to say that it is well-plotted, but in it's simplicity is its genius. Each samurai that we are introduced to his their own personality while overcoming the stereotypes of the jaded veteran, the hotheaded swordsman, or the idealistic youth. While the samurai have these elements, their characterizations and voice acting are done so well that you realize there is more to them than that. This anime has all the makings of a classic by addressing what meaning there is to life to a warrior when there is no war."