[8.6/10] One of the tough things about Samurai Jack is that for there to continue being a T.V. show, Jack has to fail almost constantly. If Tartakovsky and company wanted, they could have Jack succeed in his quest early and start a new one, but at the very least, any actual success for Jack would mean tossing out the premise of the show. So instead, Jack may triumph on individual mission, but any attempt to actually go back to the past must inevitably fall to ruin.
I love how the show, and this episode in particular, doesn't take that repeated failure for granted. This entire episode is about Jack being almost irrevocably disheartened by that. His frustration, his sense of resignation at never being able to succeed, is palpable, and it makes his fights and struggles here more meaningful.
I like the way this one uses the (comparatively) simple task of climbing a mountain as a metaphor for Jack’s greater quest. Here too is a difficult challenge, one that all but takes the life out of Jack, and which requires him to nevertheless persevere. The show makes this all but explicit with the repeated “it is impossible line”, but I like the comparison it draws.
I also like the presence of the titular monks. I’ll admit, I don’t fully get them. I understand that they represent Jack’s spiritual connection to his quest in some way. They might not even actually exist, but rather represent Jack’s internal drive to keep going for his family and his people. But whatever their role, the designs for them are very cool with the long robes and blank eyes, and I like the way they steadily float around in a tranquil fashion in contrast to Jack’s visible effort.
The fights here are good too. The opening one against the goat people is pretty standard for the show. But the second one against the rock monster is really good. The whole plummeting situation adds a unique wrinkle, and while the physics of it makes no sense, it still works within the confines of this larger than life show. You also feel for Jack not only for the hardship of the fight itself, but for how the fall undoes so much of the progress he’s already made.
I like the later fight with giant monkey beast for similar reasons. We see Jack take so much more punishment than usual. To be frank, I was literally cringing at parts during the sequence where the ape just wails on Jack. The show really sells how defeated he is, and his frustrated scream releasing an icicle that squashes the beast is a good out.
At the same time, I really like his second moment of giving up. You feel Jack’s sense of utter defeat so keenly. The episode dramatizes the way Jack fights and scrapes and gives it his all only to continue getting knocked down, and how demoralizing that must be. But that just makes it all the more powerful when Jack sees his parents suffering, remembers his upbringing and the sterling city where he once lived, and Aku’s evil, and rededicates himself to his cause. There’s no mystical power or magic on top of the mountain, but there is a reaffirmation of oneself and one's cause, which the episode suggests is even more powerful.
This is a strong, spiritual outing for the show in the best way, one that blends action thrills with deeper emotion and mythos. Great stuff.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-02-08T18:55:39Z
[8.6/10] One of the tough things about Samurai Jack is that for there to continue being a T.V. show, Jack has to fail almost constantly. If Tartakovsky and company wanted, they could have Jack succeed in his quest early and start a new one, but at the very least, any actual success for Jack would mean tossing out the premise of the show. So instead, Jack may triumph on individual mission, but any attempt to actually go back to the past must inevitably fall to ruin.
I love how the show, and this episode in particular, doesn't take that repeated failure for granted. This entire episode is about Jack being almost irrevocably disheartened by that. His frustration, his sense of resignation at never being able to succeed, is palpable, and it makes his fights and struggles here more meaningful.
I like the way this one uses the (comparatively) simple task of climbing a mountain as a metaphor for Jack’s greater quest. Here too is a difficult challenge, one that all but takes the life out of Jack, and which requires him to nevertheless persevere. The show makes this all but explicit with the repeated “it is impossible line”, but I like the comparison it draws.
I also like the presence of the titular monks. I’ll admit, I don’t fully get them. I understand that they represent Jack’s spiritual connection to his quest in some way. They might not even actually exist, but rather represent Jack’s internal drive to keep going for his family and his people. But whatever their role, the designs for them are very cool with the long robes and blank eyes, and I like the way they steadily float around in a tranquil fashion in contrast to Jack’s visible effort.
The fights here are good too. The opening one against the goat people is pretty standard for the show. But the second one against the rock monster is really good. The whole plummeting situation adds a unique wrinkle, and while the physics of it makes no sense, it still works within the confines of this larger than life show. You also feel for Jack not only for the hardship of the fight itself, but for how the fall undoes so much of the progress he’s already made.
I like the later fight with giant monkey beast for similar reasons. We see Jack take so much more punishment than usual. To be frank, I was literally cringing at parts during the sequence where the ape just wails on Jack. The show really sells how defeated he is, and his frustrated scream releasing an icicle that squashes the beast is a good out.
At the same time, I really like his second moment of giving up. You feel Jack’s sense of utter defeat so keenly. The episode dramatizes the way Jack fights and scrapes and gives it his all only to continue getting knocked down, and how demoralizing that must be. But that just makes it all the more powerful when Jack sees his parents suffering, remembers his upbringing and the sterling city where he once lived, and Aku’s evil, and rededicates himself to his cause. There’s no mystical power or magic on top of the mountain, but there is a reaffirmation of oneself and one's cause, which the episode suggests is even more powerful.
This is a strong, spiritual outing for the show in the best way, one that blends action thrills with deeper emotion and mythos. Great stuff.