Back in 2001, Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of “Dexter’s Laboratory” and “PowerPuff Girls”, created one of the most artistically innovative animated series to come around in years. Debuting on Cartoon Network, “Samurai Jack”, was an immediate hit. Unlike Tartakovksy’s earlier animated series, Samurai Jack set a darker and far more interesting tone. I started watching it when it first aired and found it to be a refreshing change from some of the other newer cartoons. “Samurai Jack” tells the story of an ancient warrior who struggles to defeat the evil wizard, Aku. As a child, the warrior watched in horror as the wizard destroyed his city, his home, and almost his family. His father sends him away to train and study with some of the greatest scholars and warriors in the world.

There is hope that he will grow to defeat Aku. When he returns as a man to fight the evil wizard, he almost kills him, but in the last seconds Aku opens a portal and sends the warrior into the future. A future already darkened by Aku’s reign. It is here he receives his name, Samurai Jack.

I really didn’t know what to expect from “Samurai Jack.” I always got a kick out of “Dexter’s Laboratory” and “Power Puff Girls.” Though both are pretty silly and seem to be for kids, there is an underlying sharp sarcastic view of culture that slips through just enough to entertain the adults. I wondered if this new venture was just going to be more of the same. Well let me tell you, it’s wasn’t.

Every idea that went into the creation of “Samurai Jack” was either totally original, or at the very least rarely used. The first thing I noticed was the lack of a black line surrounding every character. This may seem like a small thing, but I suggest watching an episode of this show, then look at some other cartoons. What an amazing difference. It is also very action oriented with minimal dialogue. It’s remarkable to see an animated show that can throw an immense amount of story at you solely through the use of imagery. It’s hard to describe the animation style, though I will try. Imagine an animated version of “The Matrix.” There are lots of slow motion and static shots. It cuts from full screen to wide screen to split screen. Sound also plays an important role, from a simple heartbeat to a sword being pulled from its sheath. There was an episode in the first season where Jack had to blindfold himself and rely totally on his other senses, was easily one of the most impressive and breathtaking pieces of animation I’ve ever seen in a half hour ‘cartoon.’ If you’ve seen any of the “Clone Wars” cartoons on Cartoon Network, the style is similar (which isn’t so odd, since these were also created by Tartakovsky).

Though there is minimal use of dialogue, all of the voices that are used work really well. Phil LaMarr (“Mad TV” and Hermes on “Futurama”) is perfect as Jack. There is a certain strength evident in the calm and cool demeanor of his delivery. Mako (“Pearl Harbor,” “Conan the Barbarian”) is as dark and evil as he should be for a character like Aku. He just loves how ‘bad’ he is.

The only thing that I ever found to be frustrating with the series was the way Cartoon Network aired the episodes. They were consistently shown out of order, which was evident as the episode titles consist only of roman numerals. I longed for the day that this terrific series would be released on DVD, and when the first season came out I nearly jumped for joy. It's taken a while, but Warners finally released the fourth, and unfortunately final, season last month.

I had missed a lot of these episodes when they originally aired, due in part to Cartoon Network’s bizarre scheduling. But after checking them out on this new DVD set, I was pleased to find that most of them are even were just as good, if not better than what was produced during the first three seasons. I didn’t think it was possible, but Tartakovsky improved on something that was already great.

There are a number of worthwhile extra features, all of which added to my enjoyment of the series. There is a roundtable discussion with Genndy and members of his crew about the series and how it came about. This runs nearly an hour and is worth every minute. There is also a deleted scene from one of the episodes, a very brief tour of Genndy's new production studio and some promos for the show. It's not a lot of extra features, but they make up in quality what they lack in quantity.

As I mentioned earlier, “Samurai Jack” is much darker than I originally expected. This is not to say it is without humor. The show, when it chooses to be, IS funny. However, the stories and action are not to be overlooked. This is one of the best original shows Cartoon Network has ever offered. Do not dismiss this one as ‘just another cartoon.’ I highly recommend it.

Starring (the voices of): Phil LaMarr, Mako
Extras: Genndy's Roundtable, Genndy's New Projects, Deleted Scene, Samurai Jack Promos
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Surround
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 8/28/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Samurai Jack: Season 4 an A.