Calling all samurai

I'm always excited to find another epic tale. Based on the Akira Kurosawa classic Seven Samurai, this anime series retains the concept of a rag tag group of heroes thrown together against insurmountable odds. As an animated series, the artwork is a hybrid of traditional cell and computer generated images. Also, while the anime faithfully recreates the original beat for beat, it offers up its own twists and tweaks as well—the greatest of these being the era in which this all takes place. Samurai 7 is set in the future.

Giant mechs powered by samurai who have given up their bodies to control these leathal machines now terrorize the countryside. Villages have no choice but to pay the harsh extortion fees. All villages, that is, except one. In this town, the oppression has forced them to seek out mercenaries who will fight off the mechanical bandits in exchange for their only source of value—rice.

The first DVD in this series essentially lays the ground work for each of the characters and introduces five of the seven samurai who will wage war on behalf of the villagers. While slowly paced and with minimal action, the series does hint at things to come with some skirmishes between mecha-humans and our heroes. I was hoping for more on the action side (a la Ninja Scroll) but found myself yearning for more as the final credits rolled on disc one. It is difficult to guage any series from the first disc but something tells me this will definitely be one to watch.

Comments

A Hair Upon His Pillow

A Hair Upon His Pillow by Nabih Saliba A hair upon his pillow The scent of old perfume Both obvious reminders Someone else had shared his room There's laughter in the shower And a shirt still on the floor Just another indicator Of a night that is no more The lipstick on his collar Has been washed but still exists Like many other memories It's faded but persists The picture in his wallet Holds a copy of her smile He'd look at it quite often Though he hasn't in a while Her clothes hang in the closet Her toothbrush by the sink Now every time he sees them It makes him stop and think The bottles on the counter The wheelchair by the bed Not the promise of tomorrow But what happened here instead There's a hair upon his pillow Not a taunt to bring him strife But a blessed testimony Someone else had shared his life

A Little About A Lot

A Little About A Lot by Nabih Saliba To know a lot about a little Or a little about a lot Is a thing we should consider But in practice often not Know a lot about a little And it’s one thing that you’ve got But your view might be quite narrow Like a cage for every thought Fill your head with many subjects Then an expert you are not As your knowledge can be shallow When a little about a lot Should you aim to be an expert? Try to master just one thing? Then you’d have yourself a focused Special kind of offering. Do you wish to only sample? Try to gather wide but thin? Then when details are required You’ll just offer up a grin. Maybe what one should consider Isn’t what they know or not But what they know together With the friends that they have got For together we are smarter Sharing fact and view and thought On a lot about a little Or a little about a lot

An affair of convenience

I have a confession to make. I’ve been having an affair now for the past several years. I've known her since we were kids but grew distant in high school. It wasn't until many years later when standing in line at the DMV that I bumped into her again. Having her with me in that line reminded me how much I enjoyed her company. We saw each other quite regularly after that until I met my wife a few years later. During the first year of my marriage, I couldn't maintain the affair but would often wonder if I'd ever see her again. It wasn’t until the second year with my wife that I started to rekindle the affair and found that things would go better at home after each encounter. When my son was born, of course, there were a few months when I didn’t make the effort to keep up the affair and lost touch with her entirely. These were dark days of stress and unhappiness. Eventually, I started sneaking her into the house and became less frantic. Looking back, it's a wonder I...

eclectika

Search This Blog