First of all, I knew the show was going to end in tears. Second, WOW what an amazing finale!
Samurai Jack has accomplished something that we almost never get to see from a cartoon. It made a successful comeback. All too often we hope and hope and hope that one of our favorite childhood cartoons will have some sort of revival, but in the rare cases it actually happens we just end up disappointed. After ending season 4 back in 2004 and not being renewed anyone would have assumed the show was done for good. After spending more than a decade on hiatus, series creator Genndy Tartakovsky decided it was time to give Jack a proper sendoff and thankfully his proposal was approved. If you are interested in learning more about Genndy and the shows backstory I highly recommend checking out the following article done by Mass Appeal.
When the first episode of season 5 began I felt like I was thrown back in time. I was watching Toonami again and one of my favorite cartoons was debuting a brand new season. For 30 minutes a week, for each new episode, I was a kid again. You might even say the show tore open a portal in time and flung me into the past (couldn't resist that one).
At first it seemed like Jack's journey began right where it left off. He was still in the future and he was still saving people. The only real difference was 50 years had past, he had a long beard, and he had lost his sword. While everything felt very familiar, you could sense the burden bearing down on Jack and soon enough we learned how the passage of time was torturing our hero. There were no more time portals to the past and Jack was drifting through a world he had failed to save.
IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THROUGH EPISODE 8 YOU MAY WANT TO STOP READING
Eventually Jack faces a new threat. A human threat. The Daughters of Aku were born and raised for the soul purpose of finding and eliminating Jack. Jack doesn't wish to take a life, but he also knows he must defend himself. Soon enough only one Daughter, Ashi, remains and Jack tries to convince her that the world she knows is a lie. Ultimately Jack's words cannot reach Ashi, but through a subtle interaction with nature, Ashi begins to think Jack may not be her enemy after all. The way this show is able to communicate with the viewer with minimal dialogue is one of the reasons I find myself drawn to it. It's so well done and it allows you to form the story yourself.
Ashi really becomes the star of the show once she joins forces with Jack. She helps Jack to believe in himself again and both of them are able to conquer their inner demons together. Their developing bond is what leads us through the second half of the season. Once they recover Jack's sword their goal becomes clear, take down Aku and they intend to do so together. With the exception of the Scotsman, Jack never really has a companion stick around for long so this was a welcome change of pace for the show. It really drives home the thought that we can accomplish more when we do things together.
It's crazy how quickly the final episode passed by. Nine episodes of buildup and the final episode packed in a ton of content. It was a fast paced, nostalgia driven thrill ride. Season 5 already had one episode with a trip down memory lane where Ashi saw how much Jack had made a positive impact on the world, but the finale took things to a new level featuring many different characters from all 4 original seasons. They all have Jack's back in the final battle with Aku and even though everything felt like it was happening a little to fast, it was all tastefully done in the same perfect way the show has always been done.
I'd love to discuss some of the big moments from the final two episodes, but for now I will avoid any major spoilers for episodes 9 and 10 and save that for a later post.
Overall, if I had to describe the final season, I would simply call it a masterpiece. I still can't believe we got a final season at all, but I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Having that 30 minute blast from the past each week was great. I cannot wait to own the final season on blu ray and I can't even tell you the last time I purchased physical media that wasn't a video game. I also really hope the success of this series revival is able to open doors for other cartoons that I would love to see get similar treatment. Is more Batman Beyond ever going to be a thing? Please?!? I know I know, just wishful thinking.
So have you been enjoying Samurai Jack? Or maybe there is a cartoon you would like to see make a comeback? Let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks for reading.